Toys For Christmas 2013

   Happy New Year everyone!   Last year I focused on five resolutions that I planned to conquer in 2013.   While I did make several attempts to honor those commitments, I have to say that once again ---  I failed.    I did progress somewhat in each of the five, but only enough that it can ease my conscience a little in saying that I tried.   So what about 2014?    Let's just say that I have finally come to the point that I feel I have matured enough to accept the fact that I don't succeed very well in making new year resolutions.   I am me.  
   One of the things that I did make for Christmas gifts last year was to build toy trucks (Dec. 19th, 2012 Blog).   I passed one of those wooden toy trucks out to each of my sons and a few to friends.    I made a total of six. (Hmm - I guess that tells you how many friends I would have if I were on Facebook!)

    It was my idea to make some kind of wooden toys again this year and pass one off to each one of the sons.    This year's plan was to make a wooden helicopter.  I planned to make a total of seven with the idea that most likely the one that looked the worse would be camp fire material and I would still have six fairly decent ones to hand out.   As it turned out all seven were okay.

    In my scrap pile I still have some 1 1/2 inch thick slabs of wood that came from a walnut tree taken down several years ago.   I took one of these rough boards and trimmed off the edges on both sides.     From that slab I cut out seven 3x7x1 1/2 inch blocks.

   I also rummaged around the scrap pile and found sound cherry pieces, some maple pieces, and some dark walnut.

  I wish I could say that I was talented enough to just make these toys from scratch, but I did have a plan that I followed.   (Of course like any plan that I find I tend to deviate from the pattern a little.)

       From the thick chunks of walnut I made the body of each of the helicopters.     I used my band saw for this cut as it works a little quicker.   (For this part of the process I am working in the garage shop.    Guess what?    It is not to warm in the garage shop.    Guess what?   This time of year in northern Iowa it is not too warm anywhere.)  













    Something new for me was the building of little stick people.   I took a 3/4 inch dowel and made the body.  I took a little round marble of wood that could be used for making beads and used it for the head.  (I just happened to have those on hand.)  I just drilled a hole in the center of the dowel and used a small dowel to connect the head to the body.    (If you don't look too close, it worked okay.)
    I had to make up the propellers and the landing gear etc.  All in all there were several small pieces to sand and glue together.  There are no nails - just glue and wooden pegs.

   Above is the fleet.   Or at least six of the seven.  (The seventh one had already been given away when this picture was taken.)   I rubbed a little mineral oil on each of these and like always, mineral oil brings out the wood grain.  Especially in walnut.    They turned out okay.  (Lot's of sanding - hmm.)   Anyway, they were done in time to be handed out for Christmas.   Each one dated and has my signature.   Already thinking about what wooden toy to build for Christmas 2014.   Could be the start of a tradition of some sort.  
 
    Enjoy what is left of the holidays and my advice -- Choose your resolutions carefully.