Category WOODEN TOYS. AND CRAFTS

Practical and elegant, hand mirrors like those shown in this section are relatively simple to make, but you will have to devote some time to setting up. The first step is to decide the diameter of the mirror glass; 5-inch beveled glass works well, but other sizes are available. You will then need to produce two tem­plates for laying out the mirror on your stock: one for the shape of the mirror body and a round one for the diame­ter of the glass recess. Use clear acrylic plastic for both templates to enable you to see the grain and figure of the wood as you locate the outline on your blanks. Make the mirror from ^-inch-thick stock. To cut the recess for the glass, use a router paired with a plywood tem­plate...

A marvel of green woodworking, the white cedar bird shown in this sec­tion seems to defy logic. Made from a single piece of cedar, its wing feathers form a 3 14-inch-wide fan that stays in place without a single drop of glue.

Using a technique developed by the late Chester Nutting, Edmond Menard of Cabot, Vermont, crafted the white cedar bird shown at left. Sliced from a single block of fresh wood, the bird’s feathers spread out easily when the wood is wet, but lock into place when the wood dries. Menard has made more than 50,000 birds since 1976; he can carve a bird in under 10 minutes.

The key to success with this technique is to use freshly cut white cedar, which is pliable as long as it stays moist...

Д wooden briefcase should have all /Л the features of any well-made brief­case: clean, attractive lines and light­weight strength. With a material such as wood, this can present a challenge, since strength and lightness are an uncom­mon combination. When sizing your stock, make the briefcase frame as thin as possible without sacrificing solidity. If you are using walnut or cherry, the stock should be at least A inch thick. The side panels of the briefcase should also be sturdy, since they help hold the unit together and keep the frame square. A good choice is /4-inch hardwood ply­wood. The side panels of the case shown in the photo at right arc made of solid white cedar boards edge-glued togeth­
er...

A jewelry box should do more than keep the dust off valuables. It should also suggest strength and security—and express the elegance of its contents. The box shown in the photo at left satisfies these requirements in a number of ways. It is made from an exotic hardwood—

pau ferro—and is joined at the corners by through dovetails, a sturdy joint that adds visual interest. The half-mortise lock protects the contents from prying fingers and accents the design of the piece. The tray inside the box features dividers for sorting smaller items and is assembled with finger joints.

For a box of the proportions shown, use ‘A – to %-inch-thick stock for the the

box and %-inch-thick wood for the trav.

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To protect the jewelry from scratches, you can line the inside of the box and tray with a so...

Л A J hcther your goal is to V V produce a keepsake that will endure as a testament to your woodworking skill or make a gift for a loved one or friend, the projects featured in this chapter will test your abil­ities and delight the most dis­criminating audience. The jewelry box shown at right and on page 116, for example, relies on classic joinery techniques to transform a basic contain­er into an attractive and use­ful treasury. The corners of the box are dovetailed and the tray under the hinged lid is assem­bled with finger joints. A half­mortise lock and an inlay recessed into the top of the lid add the finishing touches. With the same basic techniques and the right dividers or shelves, you can make custom boxes to hold anything from cigars to artists’ supplies.

Making a Shake...

MAKING AN ALL-WOOD JIGSAW PUZZLE

Cutting out the main elements

The method shown here and on page 113 allows you to create three puzzles with the same basic design, but with different colors and cutting patterns. Plane three boards to a thickness of / inch and trim them to the same length and width. Aligning the edges and ends of the boards, bond them together temporarily with dabs of epoxy glue at the corners. Then draw your design directly on the top piece with a pencil, starting with a ‘/*- to {£-inch border on all sides. The design should have the same number of elements as layers—in this case, mountains, sun, and sky. This enables you to mix and match the elements, creating three differently colored puz­zles. Install a fine blade in your scroll saw; a 0.016-inch-thick and 0...

Although making a three-dimen­sional jigsaw puzzle like the one shown in the photo at left would chal­lenge even the most seasoned wood­worker, producing a flat version (below) is a relatively simple undertaking. You can select any image for a puzzle: a draw­ing, postcard, map, or photo. If you do not want to cut up the original, make a color photocopy. In either case, the image should be on a fairly heavy-weight paper. For the base of the puzzle, use hardboard or Baltic birch plywood. Softwood plywoods made from Western fir or Southern pine tend to splinter and require meticulous sanding.

The number of pieces in a puzzle determines its difficulty—both in mak­ing it and reassembling it...

MAKING A CHESSBOARD

Gluing up the strips

Set your bar clamps on a work surface and lay the strips on them, alternating dark and light pieces. Use as many clamps as necessary to support the stock at 24- to 36-inch intervals. Mark the end grain orientation of each strip, then experiment with the arrangement of the strips until you have a visually pleasing pattern, mak­ing sure that the end grain of adjacent boards runs in opposite directions. This will help keep the chessboard from warp­ing. Next, mark a triangle on the strips to help you arrange them correctly should you move them prior to glue up. Standing the strips on edge, spread glue on each one. Butt the strips together and align them, then tighten the clamps to close the joints; use wood pads to protect the stock...

As a toy maker, you do not need to limit your creations to a young audience. The games and puzzles featured in this chapter will captivate adults and children alike— without causing you much expense. Most games and puzzles can be fashioned from wood scraps left over from other projects.

As shown beginning on page 98, a chessboard can be glued up from strips of contrasting wood, such as ash and walnut, cut from two boards. The 32 chessmen needed for the game can be turned on a lathe from small blanks. The crib – bage board illustrated on page 105 was produced from a piece of pur – pleheart left over from another pro­ject. And the layered jigsaw puzzle featured in the photo on page 108

was assembled from small bits of different-colored hardwoods, including bubinga, walnut, and wenge.

The...