Odin's Toy Factory

2018-03-15

Using a Plane When Making Wooden Toys

Stanley Block Plane Used to Smooth the Flat Surfaces of This Wooden Toy Car Body

I don't know why I never thought of this before. Possibly, because I have been conditioned to think of planes as something you use for making furnture or trimming a stuck door. I have watched many YouTube videos about making wooden toys. I can only recall one instance where a plane was used. I saw this yesterday.

Lots of toys have flat surfaces that could be planed. Some of them will require a bit of ingenuity to figure out how to hold the irregular shapes.

I can cut a pretty good line with a scroll saw. However, it's almost never perfect. This is especially true with the thicker bodies where the blade will sometimes try to follow the grain. I can cut it smooth enough that I can't see the ripples with my naked eye, but my fingers know the difference. The imperfections can be amplified when you apply paint or other finish and it really shows when you sand between coats. Better and easier to fix it now than after the painting has started.

I usually use a belt sander for smoothing the flat surfaces on my toys. Belt sanders work well for this job but they are noisy and create a lot of dust and I can't use them when my grandson is in the shop with me I don't want to use most power tools. Planes are quiet. They don't make any dust and as long as I do my part correctly they can produce a dead flat surface ready to paint that is much smoother than I could ever get with sandpaper.
I planed the flat parts of 19 car bodies using two block planes. An old (antique) Stanley and a cheap Scotties store branded block plane made in Taiwan. The Stanley did a much better job due primarily to the adjustable mouth.

Shanley and Tiwanese Scotties Branded Block Planes I Used

Lessons learned. No Knots! I a couple of the bodies had small knots. I could not get an acceptable surface on these and they will need to be sanded anyway. You need very sharp blades. You are not hogging off wood. You want to remove very thin shavings with little or no tear out. Dull blades also increase the risk of breaking smaller parts.

Planes are always going to be used in my future toy making. Now I'm wondering if I could use my scrapers for the curved toy parts.

2018-03-14

Tools - Jorgesen Heavy Duty Bar Clamp

Jorgensen Clamps are the best clamps I own. Especially the Heavy Duty versions. I had a few of and was picking up a few at a time until I I found out they were moving production to China. I went to every Home Depot in my area and bought all of the Made in USA clamps I could find. They were pretty easy to spot because they all had wood handles while the Chinese made ones had the newer style rubber coated plastic handles.

When I heard the company folded I hit the stores again and bought what they had left that I thought were good enough. These were all made in China. The fit and finish were not as good as the made in USA clamps but so far I really haven't had an issue with them.

These are big heavy clamps and I don't use them for everything. Every once in awhile when you really need to squeeze something hard these will do the Job. With 1500 pounds of clamping pressure it's almost like clamping. In a vise.

I still search for used ones. When I find them, for sale on eBay or Craigslist you would think they were made of gold. I read somewhere that someone had bought the brand and was going to bring them back. Home Depot still has them in their web store but none are in stock. Hopefully, they will return someday and I'll get a nice surprise.

3706 HD Jorgesen Heavy Duty Bar Clamp

2018-02-11

Resawing Small Irregular Shaped Parts - Can it be done?

Handmade Wooden Toy Car - Bad Bobs Custom Motors Coupe

Handmade Wooden Toy Car - Bad Bobs Custom Motors Sedan

I started making these before the "official plans were released. I only had drawings and no final dimensions. I made some assumptions and one of them turned out to be wrong. I made the fenders to thick. Now I had a pile of fenders the wrong size.

I needed to remove 1/2 inch or make new fenders.

I could sand them to size on a belt sander but the weather is miserable and I sure don't want to do that kind of sanding in my garage.

Scrollsaw? No way I could hold it straight enough and they would likely break.

Use the table saw. Forget it. I could have nightmares from thinking about it.

I tried every hand saw I have that I thought had a chance of working. I have a Dozuki saw that would have done it if it had bee just a bit wider. The back kept the saw from cutting all the way through.

I have a Shopsmith bandsaw with a Carter guide and a 1/8 inch blade. It's not really designed for resawing. and I have been putting it through some pretty tight turns so I wasn't sure it would cut straight enough to do this. Plus, I was a bit afraid it would break the fenders. They are quite fragile. It only broke one.

Shopsmith Band Saw with Carter Guide and 1/8 inch blade set up to resaw fenders.

Shopsmith Band Saw and a pile of pieces of fenders resawn on this saw.

A pile of resawn wooden toy fenders next to my favorite hand saw.

I set up everything to hold the fenders snug against the fence and cut slowly letting the blade do the work. It worked like a charm.

You may have noticed that I don't use a fancy resaw fence. I have two band saws and neither of them requires any kind of tracking adjustment. I was concerned about this one because it was so thin and had been twisted a lot. No need to worry it tracked straight and true all the way through. I use Wolf Blades and Cater guides on both Shopsmith band saws. One band saw has a 1/8 inch blade and the other has 1/2 inch.

2018-01-03

How do you keep parts from moving while glueing?

I usually just add more clamps. Several of the clamps in the photo are there to hold the pieces aligned. It can get a bit messy at times but I keep my tools including clamps waxed with Johnson's Paste Wax threads and all. Glue just pops right off.

Clamping an Gluing a Toy Truck Bed

A little tiny pinch of clean fine sand sprinkled on the glue helps a lot. I would not do this if you are going to drill or cut later. I'm not fond of having to keep a bag of sand around.

Some people use salt instead of sand. I've always been leery of this. It might change the chemical composition of the glue or wood and do something undesirable. I have never tried this.

Dowels, pins, etc can be used to keep things aligned but they add extra steps. You could use a pin nailer for some things but you have to keep it from moving while you put the pins in. Might as well clamp it.

The thinner the coat of glue is the less of a problem you will have. This is tricky for me. The thinner the glue gets the more likely the joint is to fail. I always get to much.

I've seen it recommended to use a dab of CA glue along side the wood glue. This probably works. I don't use it because I'm not a fan of CA glues because they are expensive and always seem to set up on me or clog the tip before I use them up and so I wind spending a dollar or two per joint. They also have a short shelf life.

Dry fit everything you can. That is put it together and clamp it up without any glue. Else one day you will find yourself with a ruined toy because you didn't have enough or the right kind of clamp you need.

You can make clamps for special needs. Some times cauls or wedges are what you need. These are shop made and and may not be worth the trouble for a one of a kind toy, However, if you are going to make a lot of the same toy building a clamping jig can be very beneficial.

Bottom line is: Use lots of clamps! As you gain experience you will get a feel for what clamp to use and how much pressure you need to apply.

2017-12-16

Some Thoughts on Wooden Wheels

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. Once you start inserting the peg with glue on it, there is very little chance of getting it back out without damaging something. I've had to cut wheels off, drill out the dowel, plug the hole and drill a new axle hole. That is where I learned about how important it is to dry fit.

Remember that wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Your holes might be slightly larger or smaller than when you drilled them two weeks ago.

1/4 inch dowels may not fit in 1/4 inch holes. They probably will not fit.

Round dowels are not round. When measuring dowels with your calipers, measure in several locations. You will probably discover that your 1/4 inch dowel is only approximately 1/4 inch.

Wood glue causes the wood to expand slightly. If it is a tight fit and you have to force it in dry its going to be even tighter when glue is applied.

If the excess glue has no place to go, it can split the wood or come out someplace you did not expect. I have used hammers and various clamps and vices to force and axle peg into place. It doesn't always work

If the parts fit as they should, you don't need much glue. I always get too much.

I don't like driving pegs in with a mallet or hammer. You have more control using a clamp or vice padded of course. Less chance of breaking something too.

When sanding the wheels on a drill press be sure to sand lightly on the edges or your wheels will be out of round as the sandpaper will cut slower on the end grain. Use a jig and a sanding belt or disk to get near perfect wheels.

Flat sawn wheels may not stay round and might warp, cup, or twist. Wood does not expand the same amount across the grain as it does with the grain. It is good to let the wheels sit for a while before using them. They are usually OK but, It would not be good to have a wheel shaped like a potato chip after it sits around for a few days.

So my wheels would all be the same size and at least start round I always used a jig with a stop to sand the edges of the wheels. Using this method I can make a hundred wheels and have them all come out the same size. Using a jig like this and a belt sander with 60 grit sandpaper you can drill a hole in a piece of wood, mount it on the jig and sand it round. If you do this indoors, you better have an outstanding dust collection.

Wooden Toy Wheels for Model A Norm Marshal

Wooden Toy Wheels Steering Wheels for a Norm Marshal Model A Toy Car

2017-12-11

Etsy Listing - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 1927 Ford Coupe - Model-T - Satin Polyurethane - Amber Shellac - Purple - Black - Pine 565353086

The second pine wooden toy hot rod finished with satin polyurethane. Polyurethane really is a great finish for toys as well as furniture. Wood furniture such as a table where you expect there to be a lot of wear and abrasion will generally be finished with polyurethane. This is especially true if the furniture is made in a small home workshop. you can get quite good results using brushes or wiping it on with a lint free cloth. Sounds exactly like the finish you need for toys doesn't it.

This is the second car I made with this color scheme. I made thes mainly to see what they would look like. Very nicely they turned out I think. What do you think?

One of the things I really like about the polyurethane is that the more coats I put on it sanding with finer grits in between the smoother it gets until at some point it just becomes butter smooth to the touch.

Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 1927 Ford Coupe - Model-T - Satin Polyurethane - Amber Shellac - Purple - Black - Pine

Etsy Listing - Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 1932 Ford Sedan - Polyurethane - Pine

This wooden toy car is finished with satin finish polyethylene. It's tough, durable and water resistant. It stands that th the wear and tear that children can dish out (little boys) better than anything I have found.

I like wood and I like the look of wood. Polyurethane does not hide the wood. In fack (my opinion) it enhances the look of the wood without covering it up.

Ok, so why not use polyurethane for everything?

There a a few reasons for not using polyurethane everywhere.

It takes a lot longer to apply.
The solvent is mineral spirits not water.
Brush cleanup is more difficult.
No colors.
Long cure times.
You need to sand between coats. I would usually do this with anyny finish at least after the coat, Having to sand makes fixing minor finish flaws a bit more difficult.
Fumes - I really don't want to breath a lot of anything that mentions brain damage on the label.