Odin's Toy Factory

When making one puzzle, keeping track of the pieces is not a problem. However, when making a batch of them, you must keep track of every part and which tray it fits.  Why? Because when you are cutting puzzles on a scroll saw, no two puzzles are precisely the same. If you don't keep the puzzle pieces together, somehow, there is a high risk that they will not fit together. Handmade Wooden Toy Puzzles Cut and Numbered To Keep The Pieces Together The only way I know to keep track of them is to either bag them or mark all pieces. I don't particularly appreciate dealing with the bags, so I number the sections. If you look closely at the photo, you will see that every puzzle piece and the tray is numbered. They also have numbers on the back. If I were to dump them all into a bucket and shake them up, I could still put them back in the right place.  See the completed puzzles at the links below: Toddlers Puzzle, Rooster, Chicken Toddlers Puzzle, Butterfly, Very Easy Assembly ...

I don't use spring clamps very much. They are not adjustable and always seem to clamp too hard or too little. Plastic spring clamps will slip easily out of place. I have tried to develop some way to make the jaws less slippery, but I have been unsuccessful so far. Handmade Wooden Toy Puzzle Ready To Glue Up Butterfly For clamping the backs onto my handmade tray puzzles, the spring clamps are almost perfect. They have just the right amount of pressure and no slipping. One of the best things is that they don't take up much room. When you are making a lot of puzzles, you can easily stack them while the glue cures.  Best of all they are cheap. These spring clamps cost about $1.00 each at Harbor Freight.  See the completed puzzles at the links below: Toddlers Puzzle, Rooster, Chicken Toddlers Puzzle, Butterfly, Very Easy Assembly Toddlers Puzzle, Bunny Rabbit Toddlers Cat Puzzle

When making tray puzzles, I like to make the tray backs from tempered hardboard. It's flat cheap and sturdy enough to do the job. This is the last I have been able to find locally that is smooth on both sides so I may be looking for another material for my puzzle tray backs. I always cut the backs for my puzzle trays a little larger than the puzzle and then later trim and them to size. This makes it much easier the glue up. I cut this batch on my scroll saw. I didn't have a factory edge to run against the bandsaw or table saw fence and since they were oversized intentionally, there was not any reason to have a perfect edge. Handmade Wooden Toy Puzzle Tray Backs Made From Tempered Hardboard See the completed puzzles at the links below: Toddlers Puzzle, Rooster, Chicken Toddlers Puzzle, Butterfly, Very Easy Assembly Toddlers Puzzle, Bunny Rabbit Toddlers Cat Puzzle

I'm making these from a premium pine board purchased from Home Depot. This is not the construction grade lumber. It's what Home Depot call appearance boards. It's clear S4S with no knots. Not the cheap stuff. I'm using it because this is what I had on hand that was the right size. I cut the board into 3-1/2 inch squares for 21 puzzles. Enough five sets of four with one extra. I put blue painters tape on each square. I do this to make removing the patterns easy. The blue tape will peel off without leaving any residue. I have tried gluing the patterns directly on to the wood, but it just makes a mess that I have to clean up with mineral spirits. The patterns are applied to the tape after spraying the back with 3M 77 spray adhesive and rolled with a rubber roller. Entrance holes for the scroll saw blade and the eyes are then drilled. I like to drill the entrance hole at a point where three or more lines come together to help hide the hole. Handmade Wo...

When my grandson asked me to make these puzzles. I wasn't sure he would like them. He is able to assemble larger more complicated puzzles large puzzles with more parts. I was wrong he likes these puzzles a lot, but not as much as the dinosaur puzzles I made for him Handmade Wooden Toy Butterfly Tray Puzzle For Toddlers These are ideal for toddlers three years and older. These puzzles are much easier for small children to assemble than the typical stand-up puzzle you see everywhere. The trays make them easy to store, help the little ones and mom to carry them and keep track of the pieces. Handmade Wooden Toy Rooster Tray Puzzle For Toddlers They are not designed to stand alone, but if you are careful you can do it. My grandson does this. Handmade Wooden Toy Black Cat Tray Puzzle For Toddlers Handmade Wooden Toy White Rabbit/Bunny Tray Puzzle For Toddlers

It's not a simple choice when you intend to sell them or even give them away. You have to consider the age of the person the toy is designed for. There are several finishes to choose from when finishing wooden toys. Drying Oils Non-Drying Oils Polyurethane Shellac Paint There may be others, but these are the ones I have used. If I am making a toy intended for a child under three years old that puts everything in their mouth and likes to chew on things No finish at all is probably the best choice. These toys should be very simple and made from woods like hard maple. Although ti its used by many toymakers, I would not put any sort of oil on these toys. In my totally unscientific testing, I find that kids will almost always go for the painted toys. I have seen a few exceptions to this, but not many. Where the kids get to look at the toys, the painted toys may rule the day. If selling online adults are usually the shoppers. They seem to like to see the wood grain, but not...

This is a copy from my post in the ToymakingPlans.com Community Forum on using PVC.  Some of this will apply to any tubing, Not just PVC. If you want to see the whole thread click here . Wooden Toy Space Ship Using PVC Tubing   My one safety concern about using PVC pipe is the size of the hole. No round hole in any toy should be small enough that a finger can get stuck in it. If a child gets their finger stuck in a round hole it can cut off the blood circulation and possibly cause the loss of a finger. Kids are going to put their fingers in a hole. If PVC pipe or any small tubing is used on a toy there needs to be a plug in the hole so it is not deep enough for a child to get their fingers caught in it.  This means that the pipe/tubing must to large or short to get a finger caught or filled with a plug.  I got this from the testing document published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. I have alm...