HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

The first step when making any toy will be to check that you have the materials required. Measurements are given slightly oversized on the materials panels to allow for handling dowels and cutting panels. If you cannot obtain the materials stipulated, others can easily be substituted. Say, for example, that stripwood is suggested but it is not available to you, then exchange it for plywood of the same measurements. If the thickness is not quite correct, make adjustments; but ensure that any alterations made are compatible with the specifications of the other materials.

It is essential that you read the instructions together with the plans. When the instructions tell you to cut from plywood, the actual thickness is given to you in millimetres on the plans. This relieves the instructions of too many measurements except for the widths of drilled holes, which are shown visually on the plans.

The term 'temporarily bonded' is frequently used and means that two pieces of plywood have been fastened together with sticky tape or dabs of glue which can later be removed. This may be useful, for example, when you wish to drill two side panels together to make an accurate bearing for a crankshaft.

When multiple pieces are cut, whether together or not, they are denoted by an ' × ' on the plans preceding the quantity to show the number of pieces to cut.

Once a plan number has been given within the instructions, it is not referred to again until a different plan is required. Thus items to be cut out are all on one plan, unless another plan number is mentioned.

GENERAL NOTES

Transferring designs from this book is mainly done by using photocopies spray-glued to plywood and then cut out as instructed. Use only the minimum amount of glue, as the photocopies are to be peeled off once the designs have been cut out. If they are difficult to remove, white spirit or lighter fuel can be used to loosen them, but take care not to rub the design while wet.

Three of the toys have designs which are copied (two in colour) and retained as the surface design spray-glued to plywood. In these cases, of course, the bonding must be permanent and both surfaces, the back of the print and plywood, should be spray-glued, bonded together and firmly burnished down.

There are instances when you will need to transfer the design by hand. Trace the design onto tracing paper with an HB pencil. Offset the tracing by burnishing it onto another piece of tracing paper and burnish this down onto the wood. The image is not then reversed.

Shaft bearings are shown 1mm (0.04in) wider than the shaft's diameter, to allow for shrinkage after painting. Although a 6mm diameter dowel shaft will turn adequately in a 6.5mm bearing, this will become too tight after painting.

When fixing cams to shafts, initially they should be friction fitted by using a bearing with the same diameter as the shaft itself. The cams are tight enough to be tested and repositioned but would, in time, become loose on the shaft. When the piece is finally assembled, either glue the area the cam is going to cover, or superglue all around the edge of the cams where they touch the shaft.

Scoring plywood with a craft knife when cutting straight lines provides a guide channel for the scroll saw or fret saw to follow.

Panels should be cut at least 5mm (0.20in) larger than the measurements specified to allow the photocopy to be applied to the plywood and cut out. Use a jigsaw to cut them out roughly.

Drilling collets is made easier if you make a slight central hole with a bradawl for the drill bit to find and settle into. Grip the collet with pliers or a mole wrench to prevent it spinning round in your fingers.

If dowels are to be thinned, use a craft knife to scrape away the excess before sanding.

TOOLS

It is assumed that the reader has a basic set of tools, including a powered scroll saw or fretsaw for making small tightly curved cuts in wood up to 19mm (0.75in) thick. You will also require a jigsaw for cutting out plywood which is too long for the throats of the other saws.

Other tools which you may find useful are listed below:

A mitre box is a hand-operated metallic device which guides the saw in cutting accurate mitre and right-angle joints. A mitre saw is recommended for the best results where the saw is integrated with the box.

A power belt sander is ideal for making boxes and squaring-off edges before manually sanding or chamfering them off. It runs a continuous belt around two rollers. Be very careful to keep fingers away from the metal parts where the belt runs through.

A sanding disc is an attachment for a power drill, made of rubber with a steel shank. It will leave cross-grain scratches but reduces wood quickly. It is much cheaper than a belt sander and good for filing off panel pins on pin wheels.

A pin hammer is useful for tapping in panel pins and dowel into plywood or stripwood.

Snipe-nosed pliers are useful for gripping small objects in confined spaces.

Diagonal wire cutters will be needed for cutting wire close to the surface.

Mole grips (or wrenches) are ideal for a wide variety of workbench eventualities, ranging from removing stubborn dowels from cranks to gripping collets to prevent them from spinning when drilled.

The following types of knives may be useful:

A surgeon's scalpel with a variety of blades (especially No. 11) is very good for light duty, very precise, cutting.

A trimming or craft knife has disposable blades which can be stored in its housing. A retractable blade has a safety advantage.

A putty knife is an invaluable tool for prizing apart temporarily bonded pieces of plywood if glued in spot areas. (Otherwise, tape is used for bonding.) A spatula will do the same job.

Awls and bradawls are used for making starter holes for screws and nails in wood. Always twist them into wood and take care not to press too hard or the wood will split.

MATERIALS

The main materials required for making each toy are listed at the beginning of each chapter. The basic materials used to construct the toys described in this book are plywood, Aeroply, battening (PSE), stripwood, softwood and dowel. Additional materials, such as pop rivets and piano wire, will also be required for some toys.

Birch ply is the best plywood. Check the edges of ply board for gaps that have been filled but, nevertheless, run right through the board. When buying battening (PSE), or any softwood, watch out for splits and knots. Although these are often found in deal, it is otherwise a very nice wood to work with. Stripwood is made from hardwood, as are dowels. Birch dowels are best for rods and shafts as they don't bend. Try to buy dowels in batches as they can vary in diameter from batch to batch.

PRIMING AND PAINTING

All the toys in this book were painted with acrylic craft colours with a primer of matt white vinyl emulsion. If you want to use casein emulsion paints such as Plaka colour, use ordinary matt white emulsion as a primer. A primer not only seals the surface of the wood, it gives subsequent coats of paint a lustrous base to enhance them. The colours are waterproof when dry.

Two or three coats of paint should be applied, as required, on top of the primer. Sand down lightly between coats. Varnishing and lacquering are not necessary for acrylic colours which have a built-in protective finish with a slight sheen. However, Plaka colours do need such protection to enhance their velvety-matt surfaces. Remember that colours darken with varnishing or lacquering.

Stencilling will be necessary when making one or two of the pieces featured in this book. The first step is to take a photocopy of the design and spray-glue the back so that it can be attached to a blank sheet of paper. Cut out the stencil from the reinforced paper print. Lightly coat the back of the stencil with spray glue and lay it gently on the surface to be stencilled. With a stencil brush or short-haired stiff-bristled brush dab paint into the stencil. One or two more coats will probably be needed to achieve full opacity. When the design has been successfully applied to the piece, carefully remove the stencil.

Sponging is done wet or dry. Cut a 50mm (2in) square sponge and dab it into a saucer with undiluted acrylic (or other) paint to produce a dry, well defined, leafy effect as on 'Jungle Box', the stone effect on 'Drummer', or the cloud effect on 'Elephant Messenger'. A mottled watery effect is achieved by wet sponging, as on 'Ark Toy' and 'Boat and Three Fish'.

Staining is effective if you want the wood grain to show through. Use diluted paint or coloured inks, and sand lightly when dry. 'American Sailboat' is an example of staining.

Brushes may be cleaned with soap and lukewarm water after using the waterbound paints which are recommended for these toys. If you are using oil or spirit-bound paints, brushes should be cleaned with white spirit or lighter fuel and then washed with soap in lukewarm water. Ensure that all traces of pigment are removed, otherwise old paint will build up and harden around the metal holder.

MAKING A BOX

Cutting out the box

1Cut out the top panel A from plywood. Unless you wish to make a...