Wood – What types of tools are required for making wood toys and models

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I am learning and doing some woodwork, and I have been using a hand saw and sanding to make very simple wood blocks.

I would like to know what tools are suitable for toys like this puzzle and these toys

I am considering the following options, but open to suggestions:

hack saw
Decker RTX + mandrel + cutting wheel
jigsaw
a small table saw

Best Answer

My grandfather used to make toys similar to these for a charity called Toys for Tots. To the best of my knowledge he built everything with a couple cordless drills, a 14" bandsaw and a multi-function sander like this one, and copious amounts of hot glue. enter image description here

I personally would add to this a spindle sander and at least a skeleton set of quality hand tools(chisels, rasps and riffles, block plane etc.) but I'm more into the fit and finish of things than Grandad was. Basically you need to be able to:

dimension your stock
fit and shape your parts
assemble the parts

Given that the parts you'll be working with are generally fairly small, a bandsaw is a great choice because it's much safer than a table saw for short pieces and it can cut . And the sander is limited only by your imagination in terms of the variety of its uses. You can even use it as a lathe in a pinch (run a hanger bolt into the work piece, chuck the end of the bolt up in your drill, spin the piece up against the sander and viola)

Related Solutions

Wood – Good technique for squaring-up hardwood edges

You don't say what saw you used to cut the wood, but if you use a tenon saw you should get a cleaner cut in the first place that requires less sanding. This is because the saw has finer teeth for a smoother cut and a stiffening spine that means you get a straighter cut.

Clamping a second piece of wood to use as a guide is another alternative.

Alternatively you could use a plane to remove the excess wood - but make sure that you clamp a piece of scrap wood to the end of the plank to avoid it splitting:

------> direction of plane
+---------+---+
|         |   |
|    ^    |   | <- Scrap
|    |    |   |
|    |    |   |
  direction of grain

Wood – How to cut curved legs for a table

User is right saying you should cut the rough shape with a band saw. If you don't have one, you can use a jig saw but use the most rigid blade that will follow the form. The next step will be to use a table mounted rotary sander/ drum sander to work the piece to the scribed line. It will be next to impossible to make a well shaped piece without this step. Check out a few episodes of "New Yankee Workshop" online (PBS) to see the techniques. Keeping a full length of grain top to bottom is extremely important,(as mentioned) otherwise the piece will split in time. Good luck with your project.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Wood – Good technique for squaring-up hardwood edges

Wood – How to cut curved legs for a table

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