Crawling Out Of The Fog With Wood Toys page 2
Toy
Maker
Donna Lung page 4
Free Full Plan! page 8
ISSUE 10
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Letter from Editor Crawling Out Of The Fog With Wood Toys Time and time again we hear from our customers about the many reasons they build wood toys.
One of those reasons is usually because they’ve recently retired or were forced to retire often due to medical issues. These customers tell us that these life changes led to depression. In life any kind of dramatic change to your daily routine can be a shock to one’s system. Being drawn to woodworking and specifically building wood toys is one of the most common ways to cope with this change. I hear about how these people have, “crawled out of the fog” and have used woodworking as a coping mechanism. There have even been studies and papers written on this very subject, using woodworking as a sort of therapy. Many therapists suggest woodworking to patients who are suffering from depression, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In Issue 6 we spotlighted James McNellis, a retired combat vet who suffered from PTSD and has come to use woodworking in this way. In this Issue, Toymaker Donna Lung also describes her personal journey as an active Paramedic then forced to retire due to injuries. Donna also found woodworking and toymaking to be a path towards healing her body and soul. 2
Woodworking creates a sort of distraction, taking your mind off your worries. You have to be ever present in the shop and laser focused on the task at hand which helps to clear your mind and refocus your thoughts. One of our biggest joys here at ToymakingPlans is the fact that our toy plans have helped people get back to a sense of normalcy. Studies have also shown that woodworking can boost levels of seratonin, which is a chemical the brain produces to regulate our moods. Not to get too specific or clinical, but woodworking just makes you feel better. I know this isn’t some sort of cure-all for whatever ails us, but I enjoy the benefits for my mind and my attitude that building and working with wood gives me. Kenneth Smith Creative Marketing/Social Media Director Submitting Your Story Want to see your work highlighted in the pages of WTW? Just drop us a line, telling us 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 us at: woodtoyweekly@toymakingplans.com
Contents
Visit Us on Social Media Follow our Community on these social media platforms as well. facebook.com/toymaking
Donna Lung page 4
https://www.youtube.com/ user/WoodToymaker www.pinterest.com/ woodtoyforumgallery/wood-toy-plans/ twitter.com/toymakingplans instagram.com/toy_making_plans
Photo Gallery page 8
Free Full Plan page 9
www.toymakingplans.com
Submitting Your Photos 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 don’t work well. Please e-mail images with up to six images attached to each e-mail. You can send them directly to us at: woodtoyweekly@toymakingplans.com
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Meet Donna Lung I’m Donna Lung. I live in SW Missouri with my wife Rhonda, our three dogs and two cats. The first time I fell in love with woodworking was in high school when I took shop class. It amazed me how you could take a simple wood board and turn it into something amazing! When I graduated I needed a job and I chose to become a Paramedic. In that career your body takes a lot of abuse. After 25 years as a Paramedic I was told by my doctors that I and my back could no longer take the abuse. With that and other medical issues I wasn’t able to work anymore. I went through a lot of emotions during that period.
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To keep myself busy, I tried books, puzzles and all kinds of stuff. But after a while that stuff wasn’t helping. Then came a breakthrough. My niece said that she wanted a busy board for her son. I said I could do that if I had a jig saw, so we bought one. Then I mentioned I could make some toys with it, so I did. That is around the time I found ToymakingPlans.com and I said I could make these toys if I had (insert tool names!) ... which led to all of my bench tools ... and if only I could just get a shop I would be set! My initial inspiration for making toys came from the need to curb my depression from not being able to be a Paramedic anymore after 25 years. I needed something to keep my mind and hands busy. I had numerous obstacles and roadblocks at first, like I didn’t have the proper tools. I just had a jig saw and a drill. My toys weren’t that good back then. Big chunky cars and trucks that rolled like they had four flat tires. We slowly built up to real tools, and now we are even upgrading those tools. I don’t have a particular favorite toy build so far. However, anything I have made that puts a smile on a kid’s face is my favorite. I mean, who doesn’t like to make a kid happy? Toymaking for me means, “sanity”. Being a Paramedic for as long as I was, you’re always on the go. Now that has stopped and I have to have something to do. I can’t sit and watch TV all day. My favorite tools in the shop are my hands, my eyes and my mind. You have to have them before you can use any of the other tools. People always ask me if the toys I make are kits, which I get a kick out of. People ask to buy my toys which I do sell, and then people
tell me my prices are too cheap. I tell them I just try to get my money back to make more toys. What I don’t sell, I donate at Christmas time to local toy drives. If I could pass along one piece of advice to someone just starting out it would be to not give up when you think your stuff isn’t good because you keep making mistakes. The mistakes actually give character to the project, and with time and practice those mistakes will be a thing of the past. “My favorite tools in the shop are my Editor’s Note: Thank you Donna for sharing with us your toy building adventure. Also thank you for opening up about such a personal subject and inspiring others.
hands, my eyes and my mind.”
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More of Donna’s Awesome Builds
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WTW Photo Gallery
Built By Forum Member: Miriam
Built By Forum Member: Blindguy
Visit and Join our worldwide community Forum at: https://toymakingplans.com/toymakers-forum/
Built By Forum Member: Trav
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Built By Forum Member: Tony
Free Full Plan This is a full free plan of King Arthur’s Dragon that was designed to go with a plan idea for The Richard Pincombe Castle. Over the next few weeks, we will feature the castle and the build of it by Richard Pincombe. To build this plan, just print out pages 11-13 in 100% size. These are full-size line pattern drawings.
Richard Pincombe’s Castle King Arthur’s Dragon Built by forum member Miriam Janssen
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Richard Pincombe Castle King Arthur Dragon
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King Arthur Dragon Parts Part 1: 3/4” x 6-1/8” x 9” make 1 Part 2: 1/4” x 2-7/8” x 5-3/4” make 2 Part 3: 1/4” x 3/4” x 1-3/4” make 2 Part 4: 3/4” x 2-7/8” x 2-7/8” make 1 Part 5: 1/2” x 2-5/8” x 3-1/4” make 1 Part 6: 3/4” x 2-3/4” x 2-7/8” make 1 Part 7: 1/2” x 1-3/8” x 3-3/8” make 1
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King Arthur Dragon Parts Part 2: 1/4” x 2-7/8” x 5-3/4” make 2 Part 4: 3/4” x 2-7/8” x 2-7/8” make 1 Part 5: 1/2” x 2-5/8” x 3-1/4” make 1 Part 6: 3/4” x 2-3/4” x 2-7/8” make 1
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King Arthur Dragon Parts Part 1: 3/4” x 6-1/8” x 9” make 1 Part 3: 1/4” x 3/4” x 1-3/4” make 2 Part 7: 1/2” x 1-3/8” x 3-3/8” make 1
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