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How to Make a Toy Super Stock Tractor

Take the tractor off the farm and transform it into a super stock tractor in the racing arena. At about 8,500 pounds, these modified tractors are one of the heaviest used in these types of tractor-pulling competitions. Fabricate a toy super stock tractor by carving it out of balsa wood, which is a soft wood often used in beginning woodcarving. It can be carved with a plastic knife, but a pocket knife or craft knife works best.

Things You'll Need

2-by-5-by-2-inch balsa wood
Pocketknife or craft knife
Medium-grit sandpaper
Wood glue
Wooden spool
Vise
Drill with 1/4-inch diameter drill bit, 12 inches long
Hot glue gun with glue sticks
2 wooden buttons, 1-inch
Bamboo skewer
Scissors
1/4-inch dowel
Handsaw

Instructions

- 1
  Carve out a 1-inch seat for the tractor at one end of the 2-by-5-by-2-inch balsa wood. Cut 1 inch from the edge on one of the 5-inch sides a widthwise channel that is 1 inch thick using a pocketknife. Dig into the wood at a 45-degree angle and carve in one direction. Then turn the wood around and carve in the opposite direction.
- 2
  Round out the block's edges at the opposite side of the seat by carving the edges about 1/8 inch for the front end of the super stock tractor. Sand these edges to further round them out using medium-grit sandpaper. Smooth the seat with the sandpaper.
- 3
  Cut out a channel underneath the seat for the back wheels that is 1 1/2 inches wide across the entire width of the back end of the block. Sand this area. Squeeze wood glue along the long side of a wooden spool. Press it into this channel area. Allow it to dry for at least 30 minutes.
- 4
  Place the block on its side into a vise so you can drill into the front bottom of the tractor for a wheel axle. Drill 1 inch from the front and 1/2 inch from the bottom using a 12-inch long drill bit that is 1/4 inch in diameter. Remove the wood from the vise.
- 5
  Hot glue a 1-inch wooden button onto one end of a bamboo skewer. Wait for it to fully dry in 15 minutes. Thread it through the drilled hole. Trim the bamboo skewer with scissors so only 1/2 inch of it comes out of the drilled hole. Hot glue another 1-inch wooden button to this end of the skewer
- 6
  Cut a 1/4-inch dowel so it is 2 inches tall using a handsaw. Insert it 1/2-inch deep into the top middle of the block as the tractor's engine pipe with the cut side into the wood. Remove it and squeeze wood glue into the hole. Replace the dowel.
- 7
  Saw the remaining 1/4-inch dowel into three 4-inch pieces. Sand the edges with the sandpaper. Insert them at the bottom back of the block 1/2-inch deep and evenly spaced. Remove them and squeeze glue into the holes. Press the dowels into place and allow to dry for 20 minutes. Toys are tied to these dowels for the stock tractor to pull.

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