Anyone have or know where I can find some plans for turning toys?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Tis the season and all that. Mostly I just wanted to have fun on the lathe and at the same time make some toys for my nephews and nieces.

I have made a dozen or so tops of Black Walnut in the last week. But I have a few older, 4-8, relatives as well. I just wanted to see what else I could come up with.

I am going to try the ball and cup toy sometime soon.

But anyone have any other ideas or plans or ???

I am open to anything. After all you never know what will turn out really really cool!

Thanks!
Joshua

[Jon McCoy]

Too old to play with tops? I've seen adults reduced to fascinated children (and share like 3 year olds) when I toss a handful of tops on the conference table during dull staff meetings.

I've also made egg-shaped kaleidoscopes with a kit -- start with a bottle stopper sized chunk of wood with a hole drilled through, shape the outside, then finish and assemble. Maybe a half hour, not counting the time supergluing the skew thumb wounds.

You could also make larger tops with a pull string and brass point. Or the UFO-shaped fingertip top.

A basket of wooden fruit or carton of eggs? Mini baseball bat bonker, or smallish gavels?

A duck or goose call -- excellent for the long car ride home after the holidays.

A set of bocce balls and a printed out rulesheet should keep a pack of them entertained for a while outdoors. Longer if it's been snowing.

-jon-

[Bill Pealer]

have u tried going to the to woodturningonline and looking thru thier projects?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Too old to play with tops? I've seen adults reduced to fascinated children (and share like 3 year olds) when I toss a handful of tops on the conference table during dull staff meetings.

Hehehe. Sorry. I didn't mean it quite in that way. I made 2 tops for each boy. One for him and one for his father. I just wanted to add to the pile something else for Timmy. I need to take some pictures but the ball and cup toy I turned last night came up great. It is also the first time that I have gotten Raffan's back cut to work. It is amazingly slick when it does work but man is it hard to get "right".

I've also made egg-shaped kaleidoscopes with a kit

Ah I had not thought about those! That is a great idea. I was focused on things made just out of wood. But hey that works out really well!

You could also make larger tops with a pull string and brass point.

Excellent. I will have to try those. I remember seeing a video of someone making one... Tim Yoder maybe on the Woodturning Workshop. I will have to recheck.

Mini baseball bat bonker, or smallish gavels?

I thought about those but I was afraid he would use it on his younger brother.

A duck or goose call -- excellent for the long car ride home after the holidays.

HAHAHAHA! I so need to do that. But then someday I will get paid back when my soon to arrive Daughter reaches the right age. There was a time in my family when the single people gave the noisiest toys we could find to the little kids. But now all but one of is married and it just isn't quite as funny as it was.

Thanks Jon! I appreciate the suggestions!

Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

have u tried going to the to woodturningonline and looking thru thier projects?

I have. I actually started there. As a result I have made baby rattles for the youngest. Need to make a few more of those actually. I have made some tops. I made some small bats till my wife went "ACK! They will kill each other!"

I have been thinking lately about make some trucks or cars. True you can't turn them all. But I can make the wheels and then use a thicker hardwood dowel for the axels and the band saw out the body.

I had one when I was a kid. Thing is still at my parents house. Get a good hardwood and it would seem that short of a fire it will last forever.

I just did some searching and found a few online pics of such trucks and toys. I will have to see what I can make work.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Joshua