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by
Art Mulder
photos: Roger Yip
illustration: Len Churchill |
PUSH & PLAY (part 3) |
Get
it Together
Use epoxy to glue the four dowels into one of the wheels, mount
the noisemaker blocks, and then glue on the second wheel. This
is one toy that will probably get dragged all over the house,
so strong joints are essential.
| SAFE
FINISHES FOR KIDS' TOYS |
Because
small children are in the habit of getting their
hands everywhere, including in their mouths, it’s
worth taking the time in the workshop to ensure
the toys you make for your kids are safe and free
of toxins that they might ingest or transfer to
their tender skin.
While most workshop
projects call for a fair amount of sanding, a thorough
sanding job up to a fine-grit paper will ensure
that you’ve removed potential splinters from
the toys. You can also make toys safer by carefully
rounding off all corners to remove the sharp edges
that could cause bruises when toys are stepped on
or swung at little brothers. A roundover bit used
in your router can make short work of sharp edges.
If your child shows
any signs of nut allergies, or if you have a lot
of allergies in your family, consider using a basic
non-toxic oil finish such as light mineral oil.
This will protect the project, although it may not
keep it clean. Mineral oil is available at drug
stores.
If nut allergies
aren’t an issue in your family, you might
want to apply 100 per cent tung oil or walnut oil
to your shop-made toys. Tung oil, which comes from
a Chinese nut, dries fully in three to four days,
while walnut oil doesn’t ever dry fully.
Danish oil is made
with a small amount of varnish typically mixed with
tung or linseed oil. Many Danish oils are labelled
non-toxic, and they’re finishes you can just
wipe on, then wipe off a few minutes later. —Jessica
Ross |
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| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE ILLUSTRATION |
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With
the wheel assembly complete, turn your attention back to the
curved uprights. Clamp them together, mark and cut them to final
length, then cut a gentle curve at both ends to soften the look
and reduce the number of sharp corners. Next, glue the uprights
together where they meet at the top. Once dry, drill four 1/4"-dia.
holes, glue in some dowels and chisel them flush. The dowels
are both for reinforcement and decoration. I chose bloodwood
here, to give a nice sharp visual contrast to the light-coloured
maple uprights.
Mounting the crosspiece is rather
finicky. First, measure about an inch above the wheels on the
uprights, to mark where you want the crosspiece to sit, then
trace the curve of the uprights onto the crosspiece board. Also,
draw a curve on the crosspiece from side to side to reduce its
thickness and visual weight. The board is 2 1/2" wide at
the ends and tapers to 1 1/2" wide in the centre. Carefully
cut out these curves, then glue and clamp the crosspiece into
position with 1/4"-dia. dowels. Glue them in place and
chisel flush.
To add handles to the toy, I used
some 5 1/8"-long Shaker coat pegs. If you have a lathe,
this is a good opportunity to turn an interesting spindle to
serve as a handle.
Most ready-made Shaker pegs have
a tapered dowel section, which needs to be modified for strength
for this project. I adapted mine by trimming the pegs to a cylindrical
cross section where they plug into their mounting holes. I secured
mine with epoxy.
The
final step of the project is to attach the wheel assembly to
the uprights. Again, I bought some ready-made wooden project
parts and used them in a new way. Stovepipes intended for toy
locomotives make great axle pins, or you could turn your own.
Drill a pair of 5/8" holes,
one at each of the lower ends of the uprights, about one inch
in from the ends. Dry-fit the stovepipes into place, measure
and trim the excess “axle” length to ensure a tight
fit. Use epoxy to glue the axle pins in place. For finish, I
applied Danish oil.
I built this toy a little over
six years ago, and it has borne the use well. Our kids still
enjoy playing with it. It’s my hope that this is one workshop
project that will be treasured for years to come and truly become
an heirloom.
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PART 1 | PART 2
| PART 3 |
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