Piggy banks and toy cars - just for fun

kel

Decided winter was a time to be indoors, so i decided to do a bit of toy making, which resulted in my wife taking orders for me to build 20 piggy banks for people, luckily she said she would do the painting

The pig that started it all

Jason

Thanks for sharing these @kel. Fantastic work as always.

Just wondering if you could give some tips to Workshop members who might like to start making their own traditional wooden toys? How would you recommend they get started? Any simple projects that they could start with first?

Thanks again,

Jason

kel

hi jason

my advice to any other members who would like to have a bit of fun making toys ,is to search the internet,there is plenty of info for allsorts of projects.one site which is very good is steve goods website,which contains a mountain of free plans for projects for doing on the scrollsaw,which is where i got the piggy bank pattern from. pinterest is also a go place to search for ideas and there are plenty of sites where you can purchase patterns from. toymakingplans.com has a wide range of plans available to purchase which are really great plans done in great detail and easy to follow.the fire engine that i made is from one of their plans.most of their plans range from $16-$24 US a plan ,which is a little pricy,but they do have specials occassionally where they will do good discounts,a couple months ago they offered you a choice of any 6 plans @ 50% off.they do offer 3 plans which are free to download ,the semi and trailer i made was one of their free plans,so i urge anyone that wants to try a bit of toy making, to head to the site and download the free plans,you won't be disappointed.

cheers kel

Jason

That's great, many thanks for sharing @kel.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next.

Jason

alupton

Wonderful work Kel, very skilled

Thanks for your added tips and places to find plans. I already knew of toymakingplans.com and love their designs. My goal is to make my grandson a forklift but being as new to this as I am, even the plans overwhelm me! They look well presented and comprehensive, however, I get a bit muddled. Maybe by Christmas, I'll have one made. I love your Woody Wagon & Trailer from the Two Classics Collection. What did you use to paint them and do you plan to make the 1957 Yellowstone Camper?
It looks to me that there are some quite intricate cuts involved. Do you use a scroll saw? I have a Ryobi 350W 230mm Band Saw and a Ryobi 18V ONE+ Jigsaw. I've built a table for the jigsaw that will help make internal cuts. Unfortunately, using a cordless, I turn it on and off by pushing the battery in or out and have a garden tie around the trigger. This is not safe and is clumsy. Maybe the solution is to buy a corded jigsaw with an on-off pedal/button between the saw and the power source. I wonder if Bunnings sell these. The other thing is I have a Diablo 10 Piece Wood HCS T-shank Set. The longer blades extend 2 cm from the top of the table. The smaller ones for more fine curves don't extend at all so I'm not sure how to use these. Anyway, thanks @kel for sharing your projects and knowledge. Cheers, Al
@Jason and @MitchellMc will you please advise me if my reply should have been two separate posts and add any other members who may be able to help with my jigsaw table issues.

Jason

No worries @alupton,

Let me tag a few members who might like to assist with your jigsaw: @Brad, @woodalwaysworks, @Yorky88, @Poppop, @Tara86

@MitchellMc might also be able to help when he returns tomorrow.

Jason

r23on

Hi alupton

If you are keen to get into making any form of toy can I suggest you look at a scroll saw, Bunnings do have them. They are not the top of the line however a lot of beginners start here they can be a lot of fun to use and can get into the places where a jigsaw can not providing greater detail. Plus is a great back up to your Ryobi band saw.

Brad

Switch I have done for my router table, foot ones are expensive and require an electrician so I went for a switchbox that has in and out power connections.

https://www.timbecon.com.au/sherwood-router-table-switchbox

Another option is a smart plug "OK Google turn on the jigsaw" does have some appeal for me, not as safe as hitting the off button on a switchbox though if things go pear shaped.

alupton

Thanks, @r23on
I agree, to have a scroll saw would greatly add to the variety and complexity of projects I could make. I'm looking forward to making different toys and seeing where my projects go from there. Plus that would be another reason to add more Ryobi hyper-green to my shed.

alupton

Cheers @Brad
Thanks so much for your advice and link. I'm now thinking that by the time I set up a new corded jigsaw with a switch box, I'd have most of the money for a scroll saw and be able to do much more. Love the idea of installing Google Assistant - 'The brain behind Googe Shed'. "Spend more time creating and less time turning things on and off".