Prototype
Letter from Editor We really want to hear from you! There are some really exciting things happening here
at toymakingplans.com. Now don’t worry yourselves that this was a segue to some big company coming in and taking the reins from John and Cynthia Lewman. Quite the opposite in fact, while nobody ever shrunk themselves to greatness, Cynthia and John after 12 years of doing EVERY aspect of toymakingplans.com themselves, went out and found themselves a group of directors. It’s our task as Directors, to help those fine people take TMP to the next level. And all the while freeing them up to live some life outside of the office. I’m here to tell you that John Lewman, eats, drinks, breathes and sleeps Toy designing and Toymaking. Even as I struggle through typing this first editorial piece he had just text me, telling me what a great day he’s had, spending it all, in the wood shop (making three of what I’m holding in my picture. John’s Beasty Mac series.) The man is truly a dynamo. Let me take a moment to introduce myself since you’ll be seeing and hearing from me on a fairly consistent basis from here on out. I’m Clint Metcalf, a 50 year old, dad, designer, fine artist (in about that order) living outside, Kansas City. I grew up in Chicago and later went to school to study design in Colorado. I’m a handtool woodworker myself but not quite to the skill level I recognize that so many of you are but I did grow up in a woodworking family with a DIY/Maker mentality and know my way around tools and wood shops. I could, and have been known, to go on-and-on BUT I would rather hear about you... This epublication, Wood TOY Weekly is for you! Consider it an extension of the already existing Forum and again, like the Lewman’s, the toymakingplans Forum isn’t going anywhere. The new directors are working hand-in-hand and sometimes literally side-by-side with John and Cynthia to bring a new take on this community they’ve built and we’re not about to mess that up–it’s not so much a re-branding as just throwing some new clothes into the old wardrobe and these things we’re confident you’re going to really enjoy.
So let me throw this out there again, we want to hear from you. If you’ve made something you’re proud of and want to share, please drop me a line. If you’ve made something so comically bad (think, Nailed it!) and you want to share the laugh, please drop me a line. Have a wood working story or great idea, a tip for newer builders, something you want to see or even a complaint, please drop me a line. On second thought, I’ll need complaints written down on the back of a twenty-dollar bill and sent directly to the TMP offices. If you’re all willing to bare my conversational style of writing, any spelling errors that the computer doesn’t catch and my more often than not, “on the fly” use of grammar and the English language, we’re all going to be fast friends. It’s going to be an honor and real pleasure getting to know all of you. Nice to meet you!
Clint M. Director of Design and New Product Development clint.metcalf@toymakingplans.com
Submitted Photography
Try to include a broad selection of images providing the reader with a comprehensive view of your work. Include vertical as well as horizontal format images. Consider your background, try to not have too much going on in the background. Nothing beats a good workshop setting. We especially want to see your work made from our plan sets. Good photos greatly increases the chance of material being accepted. Digital images shot at high resolution with a camera of at least 6 megapixels assures a decent image. Low-resolution digital photos are simply not acceptable. Please e-mail images with up to six images attached to each e-mail. You can send them directly to me at: clint.metcalf@toymakingplans.com
Thanks!
Contents Meet Toymaker, Garry MacConnell He’s a real-life Santa Clause page 4
Meet Toymaker, David French Bright builds coming out of the UK page 6
Meet Toymaker, Willem Heydenrych Taking details to a whole new level page 8
Currently on John’s Drawing Table? First Responder Sketches page 11
Toymaker Tips
Small washers can keep your builds, rolling along page 10
Meet Garry (Garrymac) McConnell Garry is retired and lives in Stow, Ohio with his wife Kathie. They have three daughters and
seven grand kids, that range in ages from 12 to 3 with five girls and two grandsons. He uses the grandkids as testers for the toys he builds. With toymakingplans.com, he has a garage that he builds in. His luxury apartment complex has 400 units. He has two garages, one is for Kathie and her car and the other is for his work shop. He might average four hours a day and does two craft shows a year in November and December, then takes about nine months to rebuild his stock. Garry says, any of you out there thinking about building toys, you can do it even if you live in an apartment complex. I have been building for about five years. All my equipment is bench top based. I use as my main tool, the band saw. I have a bench top drill press, bench top scroll saw, belt sander, chop saw, table saw, and an oscillating spindle sander.
“Also during November and December, I am Saint Nick! (Santa Claus) I do private events and schools. I really do make toys and have a lot of fun doing it.� Garry (GarryMac) McConnell
Big Easy Rocking Motorcycle is available at toymakingplans.com
1. How long have you been making wood toys? About 5 years. 2. Who or what was your initial inspiration? Picked up a book by Judy Gale Roberts That’s what started it. Did a couple of designs, and the ran across Toymakingplans.com Loved the, Play Pals and downloaded the design. Rest is history. I have about 86 plan sets from John! 3. Did you have any early roadblocks, obstacles? Getting the wheels to lay flat on the ground, and painting. 4. What has been your favorite Toy Build project? The FBI cars and the rocking motorcycle. 5. What does Toy Making mean to/for you? Give me time to myself in the shop. Love seeing the reaction to the toys from both parents and children alike. 6. Favorite tool in your shop? Got to be the BAND SAW. Quick, easy and very fast. 7. If you could pass one piece of advice on to a new Toy Maker, what would that be? Don’t be in a hurry. Take your time. Look ahead in the plan set. Mark on you drawing if you can use a spindle sander for a curve and the rough cut it and then use the spindle sander to make a perfect curve.
Vintage 1927 Bi-Planes are available at toymakingplans.com
FBI and Gangster Cars are available at toymakingplans.com
Meet Dave (Frogbucket) French Dave French is a 54 year old truck driver in Swindon, UK. He and his lovely wife Dawn have been married for over thirty years. They have a daughter that’s bringing their first grandchild into the world this September and a son in college, who like his dad (a veteran of the RAF), is looking to go into the Royal Air Force as an officer in a couple years. Dave’s inception into toymaking was making a toy train and storage box for a family friend’s son for Christmas. Not long after that, Dave found toymakingplans.com and downloaded the Free Mercedes Truck plan. The feedback Dave received off the forum inspired him to download a whole pile of plans.
The Hill Billy Hot Rods
FBI and Gangster Cars
“I don’t know why I enjoy making wooden toys, or where it has suddenly come from in the last few years, but I love it so much. I just wish I had started thirty years ago!” Dave (Frogbucket) French
The Hill Billy Hot Rods, FBI Gangster Cars and the Peterbuilt 389, can all be found at: toymakingplans.com
The Peterbuilt 389
1. How long have you been making wood toys? I have been making wooden toys since October/ November 2016. 2. Who or what was your initial inspiration? When I was about 5 someone made me a toy garage and I still have it, after renovating it with my son last year, 50 years later. So my inspiration/ motivation was that I wanted to make something handmade and special for a little boy, the son of a family friend, for one of his Christmas presents to open. It was a toy train that I copied from pictures on the Internet and I also made a box, with a lid, to store it in. I didn’t want to just buy something cheap, plastic and imported I wanted him to look after and keep it for years, which is what he is now still doing.
5. What does Toy Making mean to/for you? Toy making brings me immense pleasure and satisfaction that I have not only made something handmade, one of a kind, every build is different and unique. Also, I feel that I have achieved something, especially when the Toy designer themselves and also total strangers around the world leave such positive, encouraging replies and that then inspires me to make more and improve even more and I have a feeling of worth. 6. Favorite tool in your shop? My favorite tool would be my Drill press. It’s an electronic Bosch one and my most expensive tool at $375 but it’s enabled me to drill straight hole, use Forstner bits and hole saws, so now I’m getting the confidence to start learning how to make my own wheels etc. Apart from that Drill all my tools are budget ones, around the $125300 price range.
3. Did you have any early roadblocks, obstacles? Drilling straight holes for axles and wheels and learning how to make toys to a high standard by 7. If you could pass one piece of advice on to a learning, from both your forum and the Internet, new Toy Maker, what would that be? with all the tips and tricks to achieve that. Use the forum/Internet to learn and don’t spend a fortune on expensive equipment. 4. What has been your favorite I have been told so many times by people, since Toy Build project? I started this, just a few years ago with no trainThe first being a 4 wheel flatbed variation of my ing, that my builds are amazing and that they first plan, the free Mercedes Truck. It’s made of wish that they could do it as well. I tell them that Walnut and Maple and after making several 6 they can, just have a go. wheel versions, and learning from each build, I absolutely love it!
Meet Willem (Willem) Heydenrych Willem Heydenrych is a 62 year old pensioner, living in Newcastle, South Africa he
enjoys doing woodwork (restoring old furniture, building small projects and wooden toys.) Woodworking is his hobby and he’s been doing it since he was 25 years old. Now he generates some extra income through his hobby. He also has two supervisors, Sheba which is a Rottweiler and Trixie which is miniature Doberman Pincher.
The 1890 Antique Rocking Horse can be found at: toymakingplans.com
1. How long have you been making wood toys? I got into toy making about 10 years ago. 2. Who or what was your initial inspiration? When people ask me to build toys, I see their happiness when they receive the toy. I also recognized, that there was a market for wooden toys in South Africa. 3. Did you have any early roadblocks, obstacles? Plenty. For years I didn’t have enough woodworking tools because I just didn’t have a small workshop. When I retired I bought myself the extra tools that I needed. Another obstacle was getting hold of wood and when I can get it the prices are so high its laughable. 4. What has been your favorite Toy Build project? It was the Rocking Horse. I actually have quite a few others also but they are not toys, they are my personal showpieces. The Ford F350, The motorbike. A Penn 49 fishing reel and of course my rubber band gun collection. 5. What does Toy Making mean to/for you? I love building toys, it makes me feel like a kid again and when the toy is completed and you stand back and look at it you get a feeling of accomplishment and a feeling of proud. It stimulates my mind and get my mind off things that is currently going on in S.A. 6. Favorite tool in your shop? Definitely my Radial Arm Saw and my planer. 7. If you could pass one piece of advice on to a new Toy Maker, what would that be? Don’t be in a hurry. Take your time. Look ahead in the plan set. Mark on you drawing if you can use a spindle sander for a curve and the rough cut it and then use the spindle sander to make a perfect curve.
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Submitted Editorial
Want to see your work highlighted in the pages of WTW, just drop me a line, telling me a bit about yourself and answer our seven questions. 1.How long have you been making toys? 2.Who or what was your initial inspiration? 3.Did you have any early roadblocks? 4.What has been your favorite Toy Build project? 5.What does Toy Making mean to/for you? 6.Favorite tool in your shop? 7.If you could pass one piece of advice on to a new Toy Maker, what would that be? We especially want to see your work made from our plan sets. Please e-mail images with up to six images attached to each e-mail. You can send them directly to me at: clint.metcalf@toymakingplans.com
Thanks!
Forum Tips & Tricks GarryMac’s tip will keep you rolling along Toymaker GarryMac knows a little bit about wheels and what makes them spin. The builder runs a production line that might rival Henry Ford’s. Garry has come up with a good trick to help keep your wheels from sticking too tightly at the wood-to-wood contact spot of axle and chassis. Before pushing the axle through the chassis, He drops a 5/16 steel washer down the axle and allows that to free float between wood contacts. It’s definitely a tip worth giving a try.
What’s John Working On Sketches from the Wizard himself
Prototype
This concept was a Saturday night 2:30am
brain flash. On the way back from a middle of the night pit-stop, I was thinking about a quick, easy cheap build that could be done that weekend. A trip to Home Depot resulted in buying one 8’ x3/4” x 9-1/2” S4S common lumber for $6.49. I picked up a 3/8” x36” and a 1/2” z 36” dowel. A peek into a storage drawer in my shop resulted in finding a bunch of 2” treaded wheels. That got me really pumped. All the cuts on the Beasty’s are made with a 10” table saw. The 1-1/2” thick parts are laminated 3/4” thick lumber. I used a 7/16” bit for the axle holes with 3/8” diameter dowel
axles. Smoke stacks are 1/2” diameter dowel stock. Trailer hitch is 3/8” dowel stock. for the 3/8” thick rectangular parts like the grill, I ripped down the 3/4’ lumber. The door hinge on the box trailer is made of denim from an old pair of jeans. These work really well. My grandchildren have toys that used this type of hinge. The toys are 50 years old now and the hinges are still functioning like new. There will be more info on how to do this in a later issue. I am confident these trucks will easily sell for $49 in natural wood with a walnut oil finish. I can make a complete truck
and lumber trailer from a 3’ length of 1 x 10 with a cost of $2.25 for that material. The wheels were 25 cents each at a total of around $5. That’s a max $8 in materials for a $49 toy at retail. I make trucks like this a dozen at a time and can finish 6 per day in natural walnut oil finish. The design has been quite a hit with family and friends.
Plans from this issue