Elephant-Shaped Piggy Bank

My girlfriend is slightly elephant-obsessed, so I made her this "piggy" bank in the shape of an elephant for Christmas.  I've seen some of these customized wooden coin banks on the internet, but they cost somewhere in the $30-50 range (not including shipping), whereas the one I made can probably be built for $10-15.  I ended up spending absolutely no money on this project because I had all the materials in my shop to begin with.

Because this instructable is a bit more complicated than my previous ones, I'll include a list of materials:

1'x2' 3/4" thick board (any hardwood)

Plexiglas (enough for the two side walls)

1/2" long flathead screws (x5)

1" long 1/4"-20 Phillips head bolt (x1)

Stain/paint (as per preference)


As for tools, I just used a jig-saw, power drill, and power sander.

Step 1: Find a template pattern

I found this minimalistic design of an elephant silhouette somewhere online (this piggy bank can be any shape, depending on the recipient's interest).  I blew up the image so that the elephant would stand approximately 5" tall, and then printed it out.

I suggest finding and printing out the paper template first before picking out the wooden board, so that you don't buy more wood than you need.

Comments

[McChubs]

Cool. In construction class I am making a duck version, do you have an idea to get the coins out through like a coin slot?

[guyzo35]

Like I wrote in Step 7, I found the easiest way to get the coins out was to just have one of the plexiglass panels swivel or get unscrewed completely. Any holes in the wood for coin removal need to be plugged initially anyway, so having the glass as a means to remove the coins kills two birds with one stone.

[erhapp]

Great project. It inspired me to make to a duck version for my son.

[guyzo35]

It looks great! What material did you use for the body?

[erhapp]

I used two layer of wood. Afterwards the body was spray-painted and got a high-gloss finish.

[ChrysN]

It's so pretty!

[iMakeItHappen]

i would suggest also using a hand file for this part, one with a rounded edge and one with a flat edge, it will make your sanding job alot easier...

[nickodemus]

Nicely done :)

[sgtsnyder88]

This is a really cool concept. My older cousin made one like this shaped like a teddy bear for me when I was younger. On his version, the plexi glass was cut to cover the entire shape, not just a small area. Also, this actually makes it easier to cut because the hole is oriented the other way, spanning from one side of the bank to the other