Learn How to Make an All-Terrain Train Toy for Your Little Toddler
This toy is actually a series of connected cars with preposterous shapes based on vehicles from cartoons of the thirties and forties.
TOOLS
Handsaw
Coping saw
Hand drill
⅜-inch drill bit
1 ½-inch auger bit
Drill brace
Vise
Coarse sandpaper or rasp
Awl
Center punch
Graph paper
Ruler
French curve
Carbon paper
Pencil and paper
Coping saw
Hand drill
⅜-inch drill bit
1 ½-inch auger bit
Drill brace
Vise
Coarse sandpaper or rasp
Awl
Center punch
Graph paper
Ruler
French curve
Carbon paper
Pencil and paper
MATERIALS
Wood
(Use assorted hard and softwoods of mixed color and grain. Cut wheels and axles from dowels.)
Cars: (6) 2 by 4 by 6 inches
Wheels: (26) 2 inches in diameter by 1 inch
Axles: (9) ⅜ inch in diameter by 6 inches
5 small brass screw eyes
5 brass hooks to connect to screw eyes (cup hooks work well)
Finishing materials (See instructions)
(Use assorted hard and softwoods of mixed color and grain. Cut wheels and axles from dowels.)
Cars: (6) 2 by 4 by 6 inches
Wheels: (26) 2 inches in diameter by 1 inch
Axles: (9) ⅜ inch in diameter by 6 inches
5 small brass screw eyes
5 brass hooks to connect to screw eyes (cup hooks work well)
Finishing materials (See instructions)
THE TOY
The bulbous train-car that was frequently seen in cartoons during their early gestation was somehow typified by the lack of sharp angles, gaudy hardware, and other trivial accoutrement that we associate with today's automobiles.
Embodied in this all-terrain train are a car, train, snowmobile, tank, and truck all in one generalized form. It is simple, lacks any pretense, and has a very humorous look about it, as if it had been made with bread dough and had just come from the baker's oven.
It is also one of those toys with which your imagination can run amok. Just about any asymmetric, lopsided shape works great. The car-train can be as long as you wish, with as many cars as your patience allows. For the best overall look, make each car slightly different.
Embodied in this all-terrain train are a car, train, snowmobile, tank, and truck all in one generalized form. It is simple, lacks any pretense, and has a very humorous look about it, as if it had been made with bread dough and had just come from the baker's oven.
It is also one of those toys with which your imagination can run amok. Just about any asymmetric, lopsided shape works great. The car-train can be as long as you wish, with as many cars as your patience allows. For the best overall look, make each car slightly different.
PROCEDURE
Design the overall shape of each car on graph paper with pencil. Transfer the measurements in your drawing to the pieces of wood, using the ruler and French curve or carbon paper.
Secure each piece of wood in a vise and cut, using the coping saw. Round off all sharp edges with coarse sandpaper or a wood rasp. Mark the position of the wheels and start the axle holes with the awl.
Drill all necessary holes through the cars and the wheel dowels, making each hole in the dowel exactly in the center for smooth travel.
To make the wheels permanent on the dowel axle, which should freely turn inside the car body, apply glue and let dry. It may be necessary to either sand the axle so it spins freely or use a slightly larger drill when drilling the hole through the car.
Secure each piece of wood in a vise and cut, using the coping saw. Round off all sharp edges with coarse sandpaper or a wood rasp. Mark the position of the wheels and start the axle holes with the awl.
Drill all necessary holes through the cars and the wheel dowels, making each hole in the dowel exactly in the center for smooth travel.
To make the wheels permanent on the dowel axle, which should freely turn inside the car body, apply glue and let dry. It may be necessary to either sand the axle so it spins freely or use a slightly larger drill when drilling the hole through the car.
With the brace and auger bit, bore one or two holes through the shaped blocks for windows. Sand away all rough splinters both inside and out. Add screw eyes and connecting hooks to each respective car—screw eye in front, hook in rear.
FINISHING
Apply clear polyurethane varnish to enhance the natural grain of the wood and to provide a durable surface. Stains may also be used to offset a lack of distinctive light and dark wood. Try wrapping small rubber bands around the dowel wheels for better traction.