Odin's Toy Factory

A few of the woodem sheels I have made.   f you love toys, then you've likely encountered the need to make wheels at some point. Fortunately, there are many methods you can use to make wheels, and in this post, I will discuss my favorite method of making wheels. My preferred method of making wheels involves drilling the center holes first, cutting the wheels out with a scroll saw, and sanding them using a belt sander and a jig to sand the wheels perfectly round. The jig, a dowel in a piece of wood clamped at an appropriate distance from the sanding belt, makes the process fast and easy. The result is a hundred perfectly round and sanded smooth wheels. One of the most significant advantages of this method is its simplicity. The jig is so straightforward that I don't bother keeping them. This simplicity makes it easy to make wheels of any size. My method is an excellent option if you need a quick and efficient way to make many perfectly round and smooth wheels. It's particula...

Wooden Toy Wheels Nylon Washers and Axle Pegs Ready For Assembly I have don't some extensive testing with my grandson building cars with many methods of mounting wheels to see which ones worked best and if they didn't work well why. Using the techniques outlined below, I have built Play Pals that can compete with Hot Wheels cars on a Blue Track. Washers behind the wheels are essential. They act as a spacer between the wheels and the body. Without the washers, the wheels will rub against the body. Friction between the wheel and the body of the toy will slow the toy down and eventually damage the finish. I use nylon washers behind the wheels on all my rolling toys. I tested several washer materials, and nylon is substantially better than any of the metal washers. The nylon acts as a crude bearing with the added benefit that wood glue will not stick to it. If you get a little to much glue that squeezes out on the back of the wheel, it will not glue the wheel to the ...

Play Pal Wheels Axels On Waiting For The Glue To Set When I mount wheels on one of my toys that use dowels for axels, I like for the end of the axel to look like a little hub cap. The look I am going for is similar to the baby moon hub cap, although smaller in scale. To achieve the baby moon look. I carefully measure the axels to be slightly longer (about 1/16-inch) than required and round the ends by hand using sandpaper. The ends of the axels are dipped in metallic paint and allowed to cure at least overnight. For these to look right, the ends of the axels need to line up flush with the wheel with only the rounded part protruding.  The best way I have found to do this is to glue on one wheel at a time and allow the glue to set.  Positioning the wheel is pretty easy if the wheel isn't too tight, and the glue you are using has a long enough working time to make needed adjustments. If the fit is tight, I use a vise with jaws padded with leather to press the wheel on to th...

The following are some thoughts that came to mind while watching the video included at the end of this post.  I've made hundreds maybe thousands of wheels using the hole saw method. It works, and it can work well, but as with anything, there are pluses and minuses. I would never use vegetable oil to finish anything. Vegetable oil can and will eventually go rancid and can mold. If you want to use an oil and beeswax finish, use mineral oil. Mineral oil will not spoil. Wheels should have spacers between the wheel and the body. I use nylon washers, but metal washers will work. If you do not use spacers, the wheels will rub against the body. Not only will this remove the finish and eventually wear into the wood but the additional friction increases the rolling resistance. Sometimes to the point where the wheels slide instead of turning. Always dry fit you axle pegs with the wheels if they are too tight or too long and you don't know this before you add glue, you could ruin the toy. ...

If you are going to make toys you are going to use a lot of wheels. The last time I bought wheels I ordered about 1600  wooden wheels. Sounds like a lot but keep in mind that one of my little tractor trailer rigs has 18 wheels. 500 hundred wheels make 27 trucks with a few extras. After that last order I've taken to storing wheels in the large jars that nuts and other things come in.  I did this after I received an order of a 1000 wheels that all came in one big bag. Previous to this they were all in bags of 100. Once you open the bag you have to do something with the wheels.  The jars are cheap as in practically free.  They are quite sturdy and sit nicely on a shelf. Using the set up pictured below I can finish wheels continuously provided the weather cooperates. If the relative humidity is below 50% shellac drys very fast. The first wheel in the rack will be dry long before I drop one into the last hole. 20171201_122332_HDR Wooden Toy Car Wheels TWT150 On th...