Home >> Toys >> Wooden Toys

How to Make Toys From Plywood

Made from thin sheets of wood veneer, plywood is inexpensive, flexible, reusable and easy to manufacture. Light and thin plywood is actually quite strong and can handle a decent amount of weight and force. In addition to its uses in construction, plywood is also a good option for building simple, and occasionally not to simple, toys for children. These can include solid objects like houses, wooden animal puzzles or even rocking horses and ride-on cars. Making toys from plywood requires the right tools for cutting the wood and some planning for the toy design.

Things You'll Need

Plywood sheets
Pencil
Wood screws or nails
Screwdriver or hammer
Measuring tape
Wood glue
Drill
Circular saw and cutting guide
Scroll saw
Miter saw
Compass
Sandpaper
Paper and scissors or cardboard and a box cutter (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Design the type of toy to make out of the plywood. Before beginning any project, it's important to know what is being made, and this is no different with toys. If working on a rocking horse, draw out the design of the horse, how each of the pieces needs to be cut, where the connections are and so forth. For a puzzle toy, plan what the finished product should be and how each of the pieces connect. Careful planning makes the toy possible.
- 2
  Draw an outline for each cut onto the wood with a pencil. Use a measuring tape to get the sizes right and a compass when drawing curves. It may also be helpful to make a pattern by cutting the shape into a piece of paper or cardboard to place over the wood while cutting. Make sure there is enough wood for each piece of the toy.
- 3
  Make straight cuts into the wood using a circular saw. Put a cutting guide on top of the wood to help with the cut.
- 4
  Use a scroll saw to make any round and curved cuts into the wood. The smaller blade of the scroll saw makes bending cuts much easier than the circular saw blade. The scroll saw should also be used for small and precise cuts.
- 5
  Smooth the wood after cutting with sandpaper. Be especially diligent around the cut edges of the wood; children should not get any splinters while playing with the toy. Make sure every surface of the toy is smooth and clean.
- 6
  Construct the toy using wood glue, screws or nails. Once all of the pieces are cut and sanded, put them all together to complete the toy. Glue is good for joints, nails for holding small pieces and screws for holding big pieces. Whenever using screws or nails, make sure they are completely flush with the wood and that their ends aren't sticking out.
- 7
  Apply a final sanding of the toy to make sure it's completely smooth. Also check that the finished product matches the plans and that all of the necessary parts are in place. Especially for weight-bearing or free-standing toys (like rocking horses and dollhouses), the toy must be able to support itself or whatever is place upon it.

Wooden Toys