I made a whole set of toy tools for my son, and even wrote a book about it. They were all a pleasure to make, but there was one that definitely stood out for me. My son loves them all, buy my favorite handmade tool toy is the Dovetail Saw.
My Favorite Handmade Tool Toy
The Dovetail Saw was a last minute idea that came to me when I was working on the set of tools for my book, Wooden Tools for Kids. The tools were easy to make in the beginning, but as time went on, I needed to come up with more ideas.
The Dovetail Saw Toy was one of the final tools that made the book, and it’s full of detail and style. It was important to me to make a toy tool that was very realistic, but also something I was not worried about my son playing with. This saw is a very real looking design, but it also has blunted teeth and is light weight, which makes me feel good about my son playing with it.
Dovetail Saw Design Inspiration
The inspiration for the toy dovetail saw came from searching Google. I really like the older style designs that have fancy handles and very squared looking blades. After viewing several of them, it was easy for me to come up with a design idea.
Once I had the idea, I marked it out on paper, and worked out my sizing. The dovetail saw in the book is a little larger than the other tools, but not to large. It’s smaller than normal size, and fits in well with the rest of the tools in the set.
One of the hardest design challenges was getting the handle to set well with the blade inside, and then making sure they never fall apart. I explain everything really well in the book, making it easy to build the saw.
Making Toys For Kids
I really love making toys for my kids. It’s so much fun to bring a toy out of the shop and hand it to my son. He just explodes with joy, and there hasn’t been anything I’ve made that he hasn’t loved.
As a new father, most of my current projects are directed by my tiny boss. I’ve made him so many things, and they were all lots of fun. I think making toys for kids is really a great project for any woodworker, even if you don’t have your own kids. After all, you can always donate them.
Donating toys is a double win. Not only do you get to make toys for kids, which is really fulfilling, you will also be helping underprivileged kids at the same time. Your good deed multiplies when you donate your toys, and even though you may never see the direct impact, you will always know you are using your woodworking ability to help out.
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- More than 20 Years Woodworking Experience
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- Bachelor of Arts Degree from Arizona State University
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