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How to Create a Toy Car

Making wooden toy cars for a young boy can be simple and require few tools. Almost any size of scrap lumber will suffice Once the car is made, you can use brightly colored, nontoxic paints to make it look more realistic, or you can allow the child to paint the car himself and have a toy he will truly treasure.

Things You'll Need

Heavy cardboard
Pencil
Scissors or Utility Knife
2” thick piece of lumber
1” thick piece of lumber
2 wooden dowels – 1/2” X 3” long
Scroll saw or Band saw
Sandpaper
Drill
3/4” Drill bit
5/8” Drill bit
1 1/2” hole saw or
1 1/2” Forstner Bit and Drill press
Rubber mallet or
Hammer and scrap wood
Non-toxic paints

Instructions

- 1
  Draw a basic outline shape of a car onto heavy cardboard. A popular shape for young children is one similar to a Volkswagen Beetle. Use scissors or a utility knife to cut out the shape you have created.
- 2
  Trace the outline of the cutout car-shaped stencil onto a 2-inch piece of lumber large enough to fit the desired size. Use a band saw or scroll saw to cut this shape out of the lumber. Sand down any rough edges.
- 3
  Use a three-quarter-inch bit and drill to make two holes one-half inch from the bottom of the car for the wheels. The appropriate place for the wheels can be judged from the shape of the car.
- 4
  Use the 1 1/2-inch hole saw or Forstner bit to cut four wheels from the one inch board. Drill a five-eighths-inch hole in the center of each wheel.
- 5
  Pound a half-inch dowel into the center of one of the wheels. Thread the other end of the dowel through the holes in the car body and pound the second wheel on the end. Use a rubber mallet or a hammer with a scrap piece of wood to do the pounding to protect the wheels. Repeat with the second set of wheels.
- 6
  Paint the car and let dry.

Wooden Toys