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Well, after my last project, a large dresser, I decided I needed a break and to do some smaller projects with more instant gratification. That same weekend the dresser was done, I started some toy trucks for my nephew's 3rd birthday. Its not that bad, when you consider I kept 50% of my resolution for a whole several hours!

These are made from plans from the Woodcraft Magazine #73, which was the Oct/Nov 2016 edition. If you check the issue out, you'll see I took some liberties with the design.

These are mad with douglas fir. The wood was offcuts from building my work bench. I had a bunch of pieces planed and squared up, so I modified some of the plan's dimensions in order to work with what I had. The fire truck has some cherry accents - the ladder rails and the sides of the bed. The ladder rungs are made of whatever the white wood dowels are at Lowes. The wheels came from Hobby Lobby. The red light is a pieces of 3/8" oak dowel painted red, and the wheel axles are 1/4" oak dowel.

For the tanker truck, I followed the plan pretty closely. Instead of using a roundover bit on the tank, I turned it on my lathe. My first turning! Not much I know, but still a first! I left it with a good flat on the top and on the bottom.

For the fire truck, I modified their plan a lot. I used the same ladder they drew, but made the bed, tank, and cab differently I added some dowels to the back of the tank to look like hose connections, and the red light to the cab. In the end it is a somewhat more modern looking truck than their old-timey, open cab design.

I hope he likes them. I'll be wrapping them up and sending them down this week. Fun little project, probably had about 8 hours total in the two trucks, and the finish (shellac).

It was good to get a little instant gratification, with a smaller project.

Brian

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· Registered
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4,567 Posts
Nice work on the trucks. he'll love them and they will be heirlooms, too!!
 

· Registered
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1,558 Posts
Hand made wooden toy trucks, you can't beat them…well done sir..
 

· Banned
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5,339 Posts
he should get hours of enjoyment from these fine trucks ….GREAT JOB :<))
 
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