Kiddie Tools

I'm building as much of my kid's Christmas this year as I can. The younger ones are always wanting to help as much as they can in the shop and get quite dissappointed at times because they aren't old enough as of yet to even try their hand at power tools. So, I thought they would like their own version of some of them. So, for Christmas, they will each get their own drill, skillsaw, and jig saw.

This is one step in my idea for equipping them with their own play tools. I also hope to complete a little tool box with hand tools for them by Christmas.

If anyone would like to build some of these for their own kids, the plans for them can be purchased here

Trebuchet

For anyone unfamiliar with a trebuchet, it is a medieval offence weapon that was designed to hurl objects at castle walls with great enough force to break them down. The original design back hundreds of years ago was very complex for the time. It takes quite a bit of fine tuning to get the weight ratio and sling release timing just right for maximum distance and force.

This one, of course, is on a much smaller scale. My trebuchet was actually built for my kids. This is what "santa claus" is bringing them this year. I love this for several reasons. I've wanted to build one for a long time and this is something I can use as an excuse to have fun with my kids. I think they will really get a kick out of it.

The trebuchet here stand almost three feet tall at the tallest point of the frame. The swing arm is close to four feet long. The counterweight on it consists of a bucket that holds four one liter coke bottles filled with wet sand. It is designed to launch tennis balls about two hundred feet. With some fine tuning though, I am possitive me and my boys can get more distance out of it though, especially since we will be more concerned with distance than knockdown force.

Peace Overload

I designed this clock for a little girl that loves peace signs. It's for the daughter of a friend of mine. The back is made of mahogany. The large peace sign for the face is made of oak. Although I usually don't use anything but wood on my projects, the small peace signs that mark the hours are of course metal. I call it Peace Overload.

Rocking Horse Chair

I'm always looking for new ideas for rocking toys. I seen the plans for this one at Meisel Hardware Specialties website and just had to order it. This is the Rocking Horse Chair. It is designed for infant children from age twelve to twenty-four months old that can at least hold themselves up without assistance. I believe it is much safer for the smaller children than my other rocker toys.

I made this one for a good friend of mine. His daughter is soon turning one year of age. There is no finish on this one because he wants to paint it himself. It is made of cottonwood. I have to say that although it may not look like it to some people, this is by far the easiest project I have done in a long time. As a matter of fact, I built it from start to finish in less than a day. Now of course, considering my health, I did have a good day today compared to most. However, if I can do it in a day, then most people could. If any of you are looking for an easy Christmas gift to make yourself for a small child, this is perfect. I highly suggest ordering the plans. They cost less than twenty bucks. They are good plans with all parts drawn full scale. I done most of the cutting on this one on a scroll saw. One could absolutely be constructed though using only basic hand tools.

Lucky Charms the Unicorn

Lucky Charms is made of cottonwood and painted with latex paint. This was a custom job I done for a friend. I really enjoyed building it, but will be happy to get back to something that doesn't require painting. I don't mind staining so much, but I hate painting.

Apparently, my wife likes this very much. She is also a unicorn lover and is already talking about what colors she wants on hers. So I guess that as soon as I can, I'll be building another on of these.