Books

Classic Wooden Toys
by Jim Harrold

In an era of mass production and disposable plastic, well-made wooden toys stand out every time: They’re simple, ageless, and just plain fun. The twenty projects in Classic Wooden Toys are smartly designed and built to last. They'll stand up to hard play and still look good when passed down from one generation to the next. Whether you’re looking for rugged toy trucks, delicate dollhouse furniture, or timeless bookshelves and toy chests designed to grow with your kids, Classic Wooden Toys is a reliable guide and helpful hand that walks you through the entire building process.

Making Wooden Furniture
for American Girl® and Other 18-Inch Dolls
by Dennis Simmons

Dennis Simmons shares his 30 years of woodworking experience in this thorough guide to constructing an heirloom quality doll house and doll house furniture, scaled to proportion for the ever-popular American Girl and other 18" dolls. These easy-to-follow projects are created with the craftsperson in mind-all are made with tools commonly found in home workshops. Each project is presented in a detailed, step-by-step process from start to finish. Also included are simpler projects for the beginner, as well as more challenging projects for the advanced woodworker. Plans for a modular doll house allow the reader to make a design as tall or as small as desired, with options for adding charming details like gingerbread framing. A section on modifying a standard dollhouse as a historical house includes instructions for 9 different houses, from a modern Colonial Revival to a fantastic Second Empire Victorian. The author provides comprehensive instructions on how to get started, including choosing the right tools, wood and finishes. Any child, or seasoned doll collector, would be proud to display a cherished doll with this stylish furniture.

Animated Animal Toys
in Wood 20 Projects that Walk, Wobble & Roll
by David Wakefield

All children love animals, and all children love toys. Build plenty of good old-fashioned fun for any child with these clever designs for classic pull and push toys. Inside you’ll discover 20 imaginative projects for making wild and wacky wooden animals that come alive with delightful lifelike motion. Create a chomping crocodile, waddling duck, jumping frog, timid turtle, howling wolf, or terrifying T-Rex. Each animated marvel features an ingenious design to make it walk, wiggle, waddle, or whirl. With detailed patterns, concise instructions, and step-by-step color photographs, these charming projects are simple enough for even a beginner to complete in a weekend. Fun to build, fun to give, and fun to play with, they’ll provide hours of pleasure for woodworkers and children alike.

Turning Vintage Toys
by Chris Reid

Adults will delight in the nostalgia of these exquisite hand-crafted wooden toys just as much as children will enjoy playing with them. Choose from 15 fabulous toys, each with clear step-by-step instructions, detailed photographs, and easy-to-follow diagrams. Beginners can try their hand at colorful yo-yos, spinning tops, quoits, and skittles, while intermediate-level turners can relish the challenge of the kaleidoscope colour top, diabolic, or the endearing walking penguins. With comprehensive advice on techniques and equipment, this inspirational book provides all of the information and guidance you will need to turn beautiful vintage toys. This book includes: " Clear step-by-step photography " Detailed schematic diagrams and templates " Advice on the right tools for the job " A range of projects to suit everyone from the beginner to the more experienced turner. Chris Reid received his first lathe when he was just fifteen years old and has been woodturning for more than 50 years. Now retired, Chris makes these wonderful wooden toys for children's parties and his own grandchildren.

Making Heirloom Toys
by Jim Makowicki

Professional designer and woodworker Jim Makowicki's 22-project collection reflects uncanny historical detail and technical accuracy. Each ingeniously designed toy is a potential family heirloom, as a plaything or for display.

Makowicki's sophisticated toy designs are extraordinary. Some projects have over 50 pieces; one, a handsome ferry boat complete with vintage vehicles has over 100. There are simpler toys, too, all suited to the average woodworker's skills.

Projects are meticulously researched and include scale drawings that can be copier-enlarged into full-size working plans. Readers get step-by-step details, including safety, design and finishing information. Projects are mostly transportation toys: cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, boats and more.

Making Toys That Teach
by Les Neufeld

Instructions and plans for heirloom toys that delight children and teach essential skills

The difference between a good toy and a great one is its ability to entertain -- and instruct -- a child at the same time. In Making Toys that Teach, Les Neufield combines his skills as an educator and woodworker to show you which toys are most effective for early childhood education and gives you all the information you need to build the toys yourself.

There are nine fun projects -- from Pattern Blocks and Dominoes to a Puzzle Train -- that will get little ones learning without them even realizing it. Kids will learn basic motor skills, color matching, organizing by size and shape and problem solving. Step-by-step instructions and detailed photos make it easy for you build the toys.

Making Classic Toys That Teach
by Doug Stowe

The Froebel Gifts are perhaps the world's first educational toys. Developed in the early 1800's by Friedrich Froebel, inventor of Kindergarten, the Gifts appear deceptively simple but represent a sophisticated approach to child development. Over the last 180 years these intricately conceived playthings have had a widespread impact, becoming interwoven with the history of art/design, popular culture, and education. Inspiring and informing the work of Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, and others, Froebel’s Gifts influenced Frank Lloyd Wright, Albert Einstein, Kandinsky, Klee, and more while Mattel used them in designing Tinker Toys, Color Cubes, and Unit Blocks. In Making Classic Toys That Teach, Doug Stowe, a professional woodworker and teacher, presents the history and valuable benefits of each gift while providing step-by-step instruction on how to build each toy and the box to hold them. Each of the 10 Froebel Gifts are featured: 1) balls of yarn, introducing color, shape and motion; 2) sphere, cylinder, and cubes on a hanging device; 3) divided cube building blocks; 4) rectangular blocks; 5) wooden cubes and triangular blocks; 6) geometric building blocks in various shapes; 7) colorful geometric shapes; 8) sticks and rings; 9) points – small colorful objects, like beads – that can be connected to create dotted lines, etc; 10) framework in the form of fiddlesticks or tinker toys. As the backlash towards our overly technological world increases, the philosophy of Froebel and an understanding of the value of his Gifts is part of the trend of more focused playtime and creative thinking for younger children that will help them make connections on their own regarding the world around them.

Tops Making The Universal Toy
by Michael Cullen

From selecting materials and tools to applying finishes and shellacs, this handy guidebook provides complete instructions for creating 16 unique toy tops. Economical and simple to produce, each project includes step-by-step photographs. Many projects can be completed without a lathe. Designs include a top that flips over, the classic dreidel, and Benham’s top that produces colors when spun despite being painted black and white.

The Handmade Skateboard

The Handmade Skateboard is the definitive book on building custom skate decks of all shapes and sizes, from the high-performance street deck to the classic longboard to a vintage pinstripe cruiser that will turn heads everywhere you go. When you make your own skateboard from scratch you have the opportunity to create something that is perfectly tailored to you: a deck that matches your height, your weight, your center of balance, your skill level and your intended use. More importantly, making your own skate deck allows you to design a perfect deck to fit your personal style, making a statement about who you are. There’s nothing wrong with choosing off-the-shelf and mass produced, but who doesn’t prefer to stand out? Be different. Be one of a kind. That’s what you get with a custom handmade skateboard. Whether you’re an accomplished woodworker or an absolute beginner, The Handmade Skateboard guides you step-by-step through building five skateboard designs — from a simple “Hack Board” built in a few spare hours to a high-performance street deck pressed from seven layers of high-quality Maple veneers. A design guide covers everything you need to know about sizing and shaping your deck and choosing the right trucks and hardware. And detailed photos, illustrations and clear written instruction throughout provide all the information and motivation you need to make your own skateboard from scratch.