Customer Reviews

The Great All-American Wooden Toy Book

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was looking around to find a few projects which I could work on in my spare time and which didn't require a whole room full of expensive woodworking tools to complete when I stumbled on this book. One nice thing is the nice variety of projects included. There are detailed plans and illustrations of 53 wooden toys. Required skill levels range from beginner (me) to the relatively more experienced woodworker. Projects range from a pretty basic pull along train with an engine and four cars to several variations of cars, airplanes, trucks, constructin vehicles, paddlewheelers, and a variety of locomotives and rail cars.

Each project comes with pictures of the finished product, step-by-step instructions, materials lists, and detailed drawings. The drawings are shown on a grid in which each square equals 1/2 inch. This makes it relatively easy to expand the patterns and transfer them to the wood stock or other material if you choose to make templates for future use.

Most of the projects can be made from relatively inexpensive 1x4 or 1x6 pine. That was a real plus for me. Have you taken a look at lumber prices lately? Tools were not a problem since I had almost all the basic power tools and accessories I needed to get started. I bought a couple of hole saws to make the wheels.

Marshall also includes an introductory chapter in which he discusses wood choice, tool needs, tips on cutting, gluing and clamping, patterns and templats, and finishing. Those who are experienced working with wood will probably find these basic tips unnecessary, but I found them helpful.

All in all, I like what Marshall has included in the book. Some of the projects seem a bit repititous, and many may not be sophisticated enough for experienced woodworkers. However, if you're looking for a fun, inexpensive, and satisfying hobby working with wood, you might want to try this book.

I bought this book a few years ago when I started making wooden toys.
I loved the designs in this book. They ranged from simple to more complext to suit differing levels of skill. Of course as your own level of skill increases, you can confidently tackle some of the tougher projects, although even the toughest of them was not overly difficult.
I began selling the toys I was making from these plans at craft shows. They went like hot cakes! I could not make enough of them. Seems I wasn't the only one who thought these toys were neat.
But for the Toymaker, whether you are a hobbyist, or looking to make a living with them, these toys are easy to make, great looking, and popular!

The author has a very nice approach to toy making, putting every step in the perspective of the main objective of a toy: making children happy. It has a nice hands-on approach and even when it lacks some detail, the projects look very nice when finished. Making some of the toys as been very challenging because of the limited tools I own, still you can get around most parts with a scroll saw, a hand drill and a belt sander.

Since I purchased this book I have madea Model T Ford and am now making a Stearman biplane.
The instructions are generally clear with good illustrations. Most of the projects are not for beginners and most require a table or radial arm saw, a band saw and a power drum/belt sander. The author's suggestion to use knotty pine is economical but most of this wood in my local home improvement stores is warped, bowed and generally a pain to work with. Spend a little more and use clear pine or better yet, poplar which in my area is available in many different sizes and thicknesses. Also, the author may love resawing wood to get the sizes that he recommends but it would be a lot easier to scale the projects so that they require standard thicknesses.

This book is great for making fun, easy projects that make great gifts. I have made a total of four trucks from this book. This book is a great way to introduce woodworking to kids. I would reccomend this book to anyone.

This really is a worthwhile book to get if you are thinking about toys for children. Each project has a detailed picture of what it looks like and any necessary plans/templates. The projects start from beginner level to the more seasoned "wood-worker" as I am more of a beginner I am finding it a very rewarding learning experience. One downside is that the toys are mainly for boys aged 6-10 I would say, lots of cars and trains. If cars and trains are what you are looking for then this is PERFECT. (Hopefully my daughter likes trains).

I echo what the other reviewers have already said. Excellent intro to wood toy making provided you have or can get access to tools. Good step by step instructions. This book is a good way to develop your woodworking skills without being overwhelmed.

Of the several wood toy building books I own this one is by far the best. It has very practical easy to follow instructions based on 3/4 lumber making the projects easy to build the only thing I recall as not being 3/4 inch were the narrow wheels.

I've built several of the projects in this book. Iam especially fond of the cars and trucks.

As a semi-pro woodworker with a shop full of tools I found his step-by-step directions clear and his plans complete. Whether you have a Shopsmith or a Unisaw, you'll find something in this book for your kids or grandkids. I personally recommend the Pull-Along Train for the novice, and the biplane or P-40 for more experienced and better equiped weoodworkers. My only suggestion is this: Get better wheels. If you can't figure out how to mmake them, buy them.

First of all, I generally like this book and have made several toys shown in the book. However, I feel that it would be beneficial for anyone interested in buying this book to be aware of the following facts:

1. To make the boiler for a train called The General, the author indicates that you glue up three pieces of 3/4" stock and turn it on a lathe to the specifications shown. I can't think of any way to make that boiler without a lathe.

2. For the same project, the author indicates that you need a band saw or scroll saw to cut notches in a piece of wood for one of the parts. Also, I can't think of any way to cut windows in the middle of a piece of wood without a scroll saw.

3. Here's a procedure that might challenge a novice or beginning woodworker: To make the cowcatcher for the train, tilt the band saw table to 30 degrees, and set the miter gauge at 30 degrees to make the cut.

4. Another train called Santa Fe requires a total of 12 wheels, 6 on each side. That means that the 12 axle holes all have to be aligned perfectly, or some wheels will be higher or lower than others. If you are really good at drilling perfectly straight holes that are perfectly aligned with a hand held drill I commend you. It's not even that easy with a drill press.

5. I would estimate that more than 60% of the parts are made from 3/8" stock. If you have a band saw capable of re sawing 3/4" stock then there's no problem. But you can't buy 3/8" pine at your local Home Depot. In fact, it's hard to find 3/8" hardwood at Home Depot. It's difficult for me to justify buying 3/8" piece of hardwood just to make the bed for a trailer or train car. You can use MDF for some of the non-3/4" parts, but if the toy is left out in the rain for any length of time the MDF tends to deteriorate.

6. For two of the support pieces for a train, the author indicates to use a 2" and 1-1/2" hole saw to make the circular cutouts and then cut the supports to length and width with a band saw or scroll saw. Sounds simple, but I personally find that using a hole saw is not a fast and easy procedure. Again, if you can use a 2" hole saw chucked to your had held drill to make those cuts I commend you.

As mentioned, I really like many of the toys in this book. As long as you have the necessary tools (band saw, scroll saw, hole saw, lathe, and drill press) and can either find 3/8" stock or re saw other stock on your band saw, or maybe table saw, you will then be able to make all of the projects in the book. Just be prepared.