PDF eBook 160 pages, with color photos and drawings
Published 1996 ISBN 978-1-56158-112-2 Product #077918
Professional designer and woodworker Jim Makowicki's 22-project collection reflects uncanny historical detail and technical accuracy. Each ingeniously designed toy is a potential family heirloom, as a plaything or for display.
Makowicki's sophisticated toy designs are extraordinary. Some projects have over 50 pieces; one, a handsome ferry boat complete with vintage vehicles has over 100. There are simpler toys, too, all suited to the average woodworker's skills.
Projects are meticulously researched and include scale drawings that can be copier-enlarged into full-size working plans. Readers get step-by-step details, including safety, design and finishing information. Projects are mostly transportation toys: cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, boats and more.
As an avid woodworker and father of three children, Ive been making wooden toys for more years than I care to remember. My early toys were a little crude, but as my woodworking skills and design sense developed three of my toys were accepted for a limited production run. One of the three won a Parents Choice Award, given by a publication dedicated to the promotion of toys that have high educational value. But the toy that really launched my toymaking career was the grasshopper, which is featured as the first project in this book. The exaggerated features, big colorful eyes and floppy antennae of this playful little critter caught the attention of some friends at a Connecticut library, who suggested that I start teaching toymaking to children. The classes were a great success with the kids, and ultimately brought the folks at Fine Woodworking magazine to my door. In essence, the grasshopper made this book possible.
Toys worth making are worth making well. What distinguishes the toys in this book from the run-of-the-mill offerings youll find at all too many toy stores is the high standard of craftsmanship and the quality of the materials used. In many cases, commercial toys are made with construction-grade lumber and painted in garish colors. My toys are made with select hardwoods and quality finishing materials that enhance the natural beauty of the wood (I use paint only sparingly to highlight the details). Theyre beautiful toys, but dont be fooled into thinking that they belong only on the display shelf. These are durable toys that are designed to be played with -- put any one of them in the hands of a child and youll quickly see that they have that irresistible, play-with-me appeal.
Although the projects in this book may appear simple because of their size, some of them can take as long to build as a piece of furniture. Many of the toys have over 50 pieces; the ferry boat (with its vehicles) has well over 100 parts. For the most part, Ive organized the projects from simple to complex, though Ive also tried to group the toys by type.
The projects represent various levels of difficulty, but all require strict attention to safety. Cutting and drilling small pieces can present serious safety hazards, and throughout the book Ive stressed the importance of using jigs, fixtures and safe practices to minimize the risk of injury.
Building safe toys
The safety of the toymaker is only one side of the story. The other side is the safety of the child playing with the toy. Safety should be the primary consideration when designing and building any toy for a child. To minimize the risk of injury, potentially hazardous hardware such as hooks should be avoided where possible; if you have to use them, dont conceal them, and try to position them so that they wont inflict any harm. For example, if youre using a hook and eyebolt to connect two train carriages, turn the hook portion downward. Similarly, on toys that will be played with by young children, round over sharp corners to reduce the risk of injury.
If youre making toys for young children, you can almost guarantee that the toy will find its way to the mouth at some point, so its important that the finish you use is safe. I use non-toxic finishes only -- which is not only safer for the child but also friendlier to the environment (and to your lungs).
Check toys periodically for loose parts.
This safety precaution is especially important if the toys are for children under the age of three. Legislative safety regulations help us make wise decisions when developing toys for young children, but ultimately its the parents obligation to teach safe play.
Customer Reviews from Amazon
Average Customer Review:
Excellent book, June 25, 2009
Well written book!
LOTS of tips (specific to the toys and general woodworking) including jigs for safe, clean cuts and final finishing
Plans are very DETAILED, easy to follow and clear. I have made the dump truck and a couple grasshoppers and was very happy with the results. The kids love them and will cherish them for years.
The author did a great job in putting this book together! Nice work.
Wonderful Book, December 5, 2008
This is a great book. The beginner might find it a little hard to follow at first. I used the plans as a starting guide and was amazed at the ease of following the instructions. I made many of the toys to send to Walter Reed Hospital for the children of the wounded vets from Iraq. I was told that they went over well.
By far the best toy is the model "T" stakebed truck. I did follow the plans exactly. Made seven of them for my family. This was a great chore and the result was amazing. It is a difficult toy to build the first time but gets easier with each one. The scaling was hard at first but once you get a mental picture it is much simpler.
Highly recommend for any "toymaker."
Making toys, September 22, 2008
Brought for my father who is retired and lies to make wooden things for grandkids. He reported he loved the book and got some really good ideas.
Great Woodworker's Toy Book, January 12, 2008
This book has very creative and quality toys to build. It has excellent plans, instructions, drawings and full color pictures. I recommend it highly. I have built the truck fleet and they are the talk of our family and friends.
Classy designs; safety first., March 16, 2001
I used this book to make a little dump truck, a jet plane, and a tugboat, soon to be given to my grandson. I did not find the fact that not all plans were full-sized a problem This is common and the %enlargement (if needed) is given The instructions were clear. (However, if you are making the little truck, check the width of 2" hinges available before gluing down the hinge block!) The designs are classic, and range from simple (the ones I made) to complex (the truck on the cover is said to take 40 hours.) There are a couple of educational toys included.
Many of the toys' parts are made out of fine woods, but you can substitute available wood in most cases. Makowicki is concerned with toy safety, e.g., the crane uses a magnet to lift barrels, not a hook, and he specifies child-safe finishes - references in appendix. He also gives many ideas for jigs for cutting angles on the table saw. (If you aren't going to produce for sale, in many cases you can use a band saw with a narrow blade or a scroll saw and sand smooth, instead of making the jig.)
I made the toys while taking a shop course, so I learned the safe way to operate power tools at the same time.
I also purchased Tarjany's "30 Toy Vehicles Made from Wood". It has cruder designs, but look there for semis, flatbeds, bulldozers, etc. (I made the long-hood semi with a gravel trailer.) His airplanes suffer by comparison with Makowicki's.
I am going to purchase Makowicki's "Marvelous Transforming Toys" next.
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