Odin's Toy Factory

Wooden toy minivan finished with shellac and metallic blue acrylic paint. The body is made from a single block of pinewood I cut with my scroll saw. I sand it smooth and apply multiple coats of clear shellac sanding between coats until it is smooth. The glossy surface is buffed with a red 3M buffing pad to give the toy a smooth satin finish. The wheels are hand finished with amber shellac and the hubs with metallic blue acrylic paint. Materials used for this toy: Birch Hardwood Axles Birch Hardwood Wheels Nontoxic Wood Glue Nontoxic Acrylic Paint Metallic Blue Nontoxic Amber Shellac Nylon Washers Pine Wood Tools used: Drill Press Battery Power Drill Drill Press Belt Sander Strip Sander Scroll Saw Japanese Dovetail Saw Paint Brush Sanding Mop Sandpaper Miter Saw Scroll Saw Various Shop Made Sanding Tools Diamond Files Shopsmith Shop Made Jigs This wooden toy minivan is a cute gift suitable for boys and girls. The van can be used as home...

Handmade Wooden Toy Pickup Truck from the Play Pal Series Military Blue With Metallic Blue Hubs Here is a handmade and hand-painted wooden little blue pickup truck painted with Military Blue with Metallic Blue accents. I made this one from 100% solid wood, child-safe acrylic paints, and Amber shellac. While they are great toys, these little trucks are also perfect for vintage decor, traditional Christmas decorations, and nursery decorations.  Handmade Wooden Toy Pickup Truck from the Play Pal Series Military Blue With Metallic Blue Hubs I had a custom order for a group of little blue trucks to use as party favors. I pulled out all of my blue paint and made some samples for the customer to choose from this is one of the samples. The customer chose a different color. I had never used this color before and was quite pleased with the result. Several days later I was at a local Ford dealer and found an F150 on the lot that was nearly the same color. Click here to see the Etsy listing fo...

I buy lots of used books about toymaking, mainly for the ideas I get from them. I don't pay more than $5, including shipping, unless I know it is special. I buy mostly on eBay because I can set up a search that will find the cheap books for men and send me an email. I bought this book on eBay because I have several Ortho books on my bookshelf that I have thoroughly enjoyed and referred to repeatedly over the years. This one was a disappointment. Unlike my other books that are mostly on gardening, I'm not exactly pleased with this one. Most of the toy designs are crude; although they may be suitable for I first-time woodworker, these toys are not what I would consider quality designs. The patterns are miniatures laid out on grids that you must enlarge to scale. I expect this in older books. I have a scanner, software, and computer skills to make the enlargements.  If you don't have a scanner, enlarging these patterns is very tedious. I have done it many times with a pencil a...

Glued Up Blocks for 3D Bird Houses Ready to Drill These are not precisely toys,  but they are an excellent way to use up the many small bits and pieces of wood I accumulate making toys. Once the pieces get too small to use for toys, they go into the kindling bucket to burn. Here I have glued up many bits and pieces to make blocks for these Steve Good 3D Bird Houses. I got lots of practice with my plane and bench hook. These are all wood reclaimed from discarded furniture. Poplar and mystery wood from Indonesia. I discovered than my smoother plane does a great job of removing paint. I want to make some chess sets, and these seem like they would be great practice for making chess pieces.

Harbor Freight Airbrush Compressor I have a harbor freight compressor that works very well. There are two compressors available. If I were to buy one today, I would spend the $20 more for the larger one. Most of the time, I use my big air compressor. I previously set up to use it when I received the Harbor Freight compressor as a gift from a friend. The Harbor Freight Compressor is very handy when I want to spray outside the shop. Harbor Freight Central Pneumatic 3/4 Oz Deluxe Airbrush Kit I have two issues with the harbor freight airbrush. First, The tip size is to small for many acrylic paints. The cheaper acrylic paints ($0.99) tend to have large pigments that clog the tip easily. I also spray acrylic house paint. I much prefer a larger tip (.5 - .7mm). I have found certain paints nearly impossible to spray through a .3mm tip. My Harbor Freight Compressor With Airbrushes and Accessories My second issue is the availability of parts. They claim you can order a new...