How to make wooden toys?

Making wooden toys for children can be a pleasurable hobby and it can bring great delight to kids for many years. Wooden toys can last for generations and they can be passed down through the family if they are sturdily made. This article describes how to make wooden toys.

Tools and equipment

Homemade wooden toys can be inexpensive to make once you have some tools. If you are going to source your own wood, you will need a saw and an axe, and somewhere to season the wood. Otherwise, wood can be sourced from hardware and art supply stores. If you are lucky enough to live close to a sawmill or joinery, you may also be able to get offcuts at very little cost.
Tools needed You will need your own table saw for large pieces of wood and small saws, such as a scroll saw, for working on small pieces. Wood chisels can be used for making patterns and shaping wood, and craft knives can be helpful if you are carving. A lathe is handy if you want to turn rounded pieces like wheels.
Sanding and painting A sander can cut down time on larger toys, but ordinary sandpaper will be handy for smaller toys. If you are going to paint your wood, remember to get child-safe paint and varnish. This is because small children have a tendency to put everything in their mouths!

Projects to try

Easy homemade toys are simple blocks. These can be made more attractive by painting on alphabet letters or numbers. Remember to cut wooden toy blocks in different shapes and sizes so that they can be used to build houses, castles and barns.
Railway sets

Railway sets are larger projects, but you can make tracks and trains to keep a child amused for hours. Carriages can be made for the trains and other wooden pieces like trees and station houses can be part of the set.
Farmyard sets Farmyard sets are better projects for those who like carving small pieces. Sheep, cows, pigs and other farmyard animals can be carved with precision and love so as to make a great farmset. They can be given for birthdays and at Christmas. Therefore, the set builds up over time. Other pieces can be added like fences, gates, barns and animal troughs so that the child can make up a real farmyard scene.