project 31

TOOLS: A big heart, patience,

THREE OF A KIND
determination, sense of humor Tackle this trio of tiny trucks and start your own
TIME: The rest of your life fleet of gifts for those on your list with a love for wheels.
MATERIALS: Frogs, snails and You’ll discover how getting small can reap big rewards.
puppy-dog tails
By Ken Brady

WHAT IS IT ABOUT LITTLE BOYS

AND TRUCKS? My grandson has
been fascinated with wheels since his
eyes first started to focus; and at age
two, his preoccupation with all things
wheeled is uncanny. Whatever it is, it
works on me, too. It got me started
back into woodworking after being
away from it for over 20 years.
I spotted some small wooden toy
trucks in a large retail store (which
shall remain nameless except to say
that the first letter of their name has a
lot of angles in it). I was intrigued for
two reasons: They were very small but
still wooden, and they were fairly well
designed (though not that well con-
structed). So I immediately purposed
to be a hero to my grandson and a help
to our magazine by producing my own
versions of these tiny trucks, and writ-
ing an article about the process.
Here’s hoping it worked.

Setting up
To make these small toys, I needed
to think small, so it was only natural
to enlist a small arsenal of miniature
tools – the Micromot series of bench-
top power tools from Proxxon. This
German company offers several small
machines – table saw, shaper, band-
saw, planer and more – that can be set
up on a space the size of a card table.
Being a gadget fanatic, I was excited
to use these tools, plus I was sure to
score some brownie points with my
PROJECT PHOTOS: KEN BRADY

grandson.
A goal of this project was to pro-
duce toy trucks in a size not often seen,
and in a manner different from meth-
ods used in your garden-variety toy
plans. I used basswood because it’s easy

54  W O O D C R A F T M A G A Z I N E | 1 2 . 0 5
to work, reasonably inexpensive, and precautions. Gluing the patterns to the
comes in a variety of sizes. Another stock should make it easier, no matter
goal was to reduce the need for the use what tools you use.
of measurements during the construc-
tion process. The directions and visual Hood and radiator
information offered here are intended assemblies
to be a general guide through the pro- The truck hood is simply a section
cess, with a large part of the instruc- of 1" dowel with three sides cut off.
tion coming from the drawings. You’ll Follow the pattern on as long a dowel
probably think of a number of ways to as is comfortable, and just cut off
add style and variation to your versions. lengths of hood in whatever number
you need. To make sure the first cut is
flat (the dowel could twist while being
A basic foundation
cut), glue a couple of large popsicle
Most of the design time and energy 2.The popsicle sticks helps ensure one sticks to the bottom of the dowel to
for this project was spent coming up flat side. Cut the sticks off with the keep it from spinning (Fig 2). The
with a way to easily make the fender second cut.
radiator is done in the same fashion:
assembly, because I thought it would
the easiest part to make. It’s the foun- Start with ¾" stock, cut to the pattern
be the most difficult part of the truck
dation of the entire truck, and multiple specs, and lop off as many as you need.
to make. As it turns out, the fender is
copies are easily cut out of a single Notice how these processes lend them-
piece of ¾" stock. selves well to mass production.
To start, copy, cut out and glue the Henry Ford would be proud.
fender profiles below to the edges of
your ¾" board (Fig 1). Do as many on Headlights and cab
a single board as your equipment can The proportions of the parts of this toy
safely and accurately handle. This helps truck are exaggerated for two reasons:
reduce time and waste when making sturdiness at a small size, and cuteness.
more than one set of fenders. And as a Yes, I said “cuteness.” Just as Mother
general rule, sanding multiple parts is Nature gives youngsters large eye and
easier when they are attached together head proportions to help elicit nurtur-
at various stages of construction. ing responses from parents, I've given
Let me say here that I designed the these trucks some exaggerated features
1. Do whatever is necessary to remove parts and the steps using the Proxxon to give them kid appeal. Even though
the “non-fender” material. Don't just miniature tools, so using other tools we’re not making these for ourselves
cut to the line, cut it out. may require different procedures and (right?), the cuteness factor will be

Fender profiles - side and front

1 2 . 0 5 | W O O D C R A F T M A G A Z I N E   55
 appreciated by kids and adults. they leave plenty of room to sand away elements is an easy way to add visual
The big “eyes” or headlights can any glueup mistakes. These toys are all interest without a lot of work. When
be done in a variety of ways. Drill 1/8" about looking good! you set your saw at an angle to under-
holes in the sides of cylinders cut from cut for a bevel, you can turn your
dowels (drill a bunch before you cut Axles and other parts workpiece around and bevel the other
them off ) and in the sides of the radi- Note that a lot of the measured parts side without changing any blade or
ators (again, more than once before use a ¼" dimension, so using ¼" stock fence settings (Fig. 5).
you cut them off ), and glue together. takes you a long way toward complet- Make axles from dowels or buy
For something a little more chal- ing many of the parts. Shave (curve) actual 5/32" wooden axles from any craft
lenging, do the same thing with wood- supplier.
en balls. The trick is to drill the sides There’s no end to efficiencies you
of the wooden balls: Plow a groove can dream up when you’re doing these
in a piece of scrap deep enough for kinds of small projects. Solving prob-
the wooden balls to just touch on the lems is a large part of the satisfaction
that comes from working in wood.

Making different trucks

Once you’ve made the basic truck body,
it’s time to have fun making a variety
of “beds” that will transform the basic
body into different kinds of trucks.

4. The cab offers a chance for variety

in design and construction methods.
Always consider making multiples.

3. Use a shim to support the glued up

“headlights.” Drill off-center for a more the edges of a ¼" x 2" length of stock
realistic headlike look when cut off. and lop off as many bumpers as you
need. Shape the edge of 1/8" stock for
material for seat backs and the top of
bottom and sides of the groove, and the cab, according to the illustration.
glue them in. This support allows you Rip lengths of ½" stock and cut to 6. Visit old truck enthusiasts on the
to first drill the holes and then cut off length for the axle housings. Adding Web to find ideas for additional truck
the finished headlights (Fig. 3). a bevel to these simple rectangular variations.
Once again, since the raw materi-
als here are generally inexpensive, it’s Three variations are presented here
a good idea to glue up, cut out, and (Fig. 6): a utility stake bed, a dump bed
chop off more parts than you need to and a log truck rack (I used different
allow for the inevitable errors. A gen- sizes of dowels for the logs). Use simi-
eral rule of thumb would be, for five lar construction methods and stock
or fewer pieces, cut at least twice the proportions to make these additions.
number you need. Refer to the exploded drawings for
The cab is simply a box made of inspiration, or just design your own.
cut profiles. You could use a big-boy
tool and a 1" Forstner bit, and cut Does the fun ever end?
the hole for the “C-cab” window out The intent for this truck and parts was
of solid stock, slice off wall sections to produce a basic truck body, and
and glue up cabs from the pieces. Or differing truck parts to make a variety
use a bandsaw and some sanding − 5. An undercut bevel is a cheap fix for
of trucks. Make a bunch of each. Stain,
whatever works (Fig. 4). Thick walls boringdesignelements.Dooneorboth
sides, depending on the application. paint, mix-and-match and start a fleet.
here (1/4") are an advantage because Now how about concealing some

56  W O O D C R A F T M A G A Z I N E | 1 2 . 0 5
 project 31 11/4"
11/2"
/ " x 1" x 17/8"
3 16

1" x 1" cutout

/ " x 11/2" x 13/4"

14

17/8"

/ " x 11/4" x 21/4"

14

/ "x 3/4" x 11/8"

34

/ " diameter
12

headlights
/ " diameter
18

hole to
accept 2"
dowels

/ " x 3/4" x 3/4"

14

/ " x 5/8" x 13/16"

12

/"
14
1 8/ " x 1/2" x 1"
seat back

14 /" / " x 1/2" x 1"

38

seat

/"
34 1/8" x 11/8" steering wheel column
21/4" with 1/2" diameter steering wheel
/ " x 1/4" rabbet
18

2/"
58
12 /"

38 /"
12/"
11/2" 1/" 14 21/8"

/"
14

38 /" 11/8"

/"
38 /"
12

17/8" / "
3 16 23/8"
diameter /"
14

11/2" / " x 1/8"

18

rabbet on /"
14
11/4" back

14/"

/"
38

1/8" x 1/4" 23/8" 11/4"

rabbet on
/"
38
2" sides
SHANE WIERSMA

/"
38

21/2"
11/2"
1 2 . 0 5 | W O O D C R A F T M A G A Z I N E   57
 Maybe most kids would rather
have three complete trucks, but there’s
plenty of pleasure in swapping out the
beds, especially that satisfying clack
when the magnets find each other.
A suggestion: don’t do final sanding
with steel wool after you've concealed
the magnets.
So have at it, if you’re into wheels.
And remember, when working at this
scale, it’s all about fun; for you and
7. You can conceal or show the mag- the recipient of your labors. Be careful
nets, depending on how devious you and drive safely!
are. Be sure to dry fit before fastening.

/ " rare earth magnets (Fig. 7) on both

38 —Ken Brady, production manager, art
the basic truck body and on the parts director, illustrator and photographer for
so you can use one body and just swap Woodcraft Magazine, would seem to have
parts? Sneaky, huh? too much time on his hands. He wishes.

Proxxon Tools - On Getting Small

I was pleased when Proxxon offered to send me some of their Micromot bench-top power tools to use in making the
toy trucks for this article. But it was like Christmas morning when they sent practically their whole line. They fit neatly in
the small area I used to “get away from it all” and play with my new toys.
I was fairly impressed as I unpacked each of them. Most were miniatures of their big cousins. The disc sander and the
scroll saw didn’t seem much smaller or more compact than other tools of the same type. The drill press, router table and
band saw, while truly small, had the look and feel (after working with them) of their larger counterparts. They scored pretty
high on the “cuteness” meter also. I have yet to use the lathe, milling machine and planer (a planer that you can hold up
with one hand!).
I got the power miter saw last and in a separate shipment. It’s not even on the market yet, but it’s a dandy. I ended up
using it a great deal and was very impressed.
But what about the woodworkers’ staple, the table saw? The first thing that popped into my head when I unpacked it
was “Easy Bake Oven” – small, simple and probably couldn’t cook much. (I suppose that comes from having four daugh-
ters, who by the way are also crazy about wheels.)
Was I ever wrong! This little beast was the workhorse of my project. Its small carbide blade and dado set could make
repeated, accurate cuts that were glass-smooth. At one point I narrowly missed setting the depth of the blade enough to
rip a board. I took it off the saw and could see through (holding it up to the light) the sliver of wood holding the two pieces
together along the entire length of the board. I would even opt to resaw to the depth limits of the blade (by cutting through
and flipping end-for-end) instead of using the bandsaw. I could make repeated cuts I could count on, with adjustment
“feel” staying the same throughout the weeks I worked with it.
While the fence stayed true, a better system of indexing would be welcome. I was disappointed with the miter gauge,
and had to true it with more accurate tools, without regard to its angle markings.
The tools I used did very well. Well enough that I’m looking forward to doing a Proxxon tool review in an upcoming
issue of Woodcraft Magazine. Look for it. It’ll be fun.
 FREE YEAR!
2 YEARS for $29.99!
go to woodcraftmagazine.com
and click SUBSCRIBE
-or-
Complete the form below and
mail in an envelope addressed to:
WOODCRAFT MAGAZINE
PO BOX 7020
PARKERSBURG WV 26102-9916

□ Payment Enclosed □ Bill Me

Name
Address
City
State Zip
Country
E-mail
Best-ever DECORATIVE FINISHES Build Better

Send in now to get

LUMBER RACK Done Right with a CUT LIST

2 Years for $29.99!

Projects, Techniques and Products

Build this
classic

SPICE BOX
And learn how to…
■ Dovetail a case
■ Divide a cabinet into

or go to woodcraftmagazine.com and click SUBSCRIBE

compartments
■ Create a cornice

By providing my e-mail address, I am indicating I’d like to receive information

about my subscription and other offers from Woodcraft Magazine via e-mail.
Outside of the U.S and Canada add $30 for postage. Plus…
Foreign orders must be prepaid. Payment in U.S. Funds only. ■

■
4 more projects
Famous furniture