How to Make a Toy Tortoise by Seth

How to make a toy tortoise out of wood

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Tools you will need:

1. Bandsaw

2. Drill press

3. Drill bits

4. Belt sander

5. Router table with round over bit

6. Safety goggles

Supplies you will need:

1. Axles and wheels (use wood ones from a hobby store)

2. Wood glue

3. Pencil

3. Paint (color will vary depending on what you want the final product to look like)

4. 2”x6” stock (or scrap) wood

5. 1/8” plywood or MDF

Step 2: Find a Picture

Find a picture of an animal that you wish to make

· Preferably a side view as this will make it easier

Step 3: Print Your Picture

1. Place your selected picture in a program where it can be resized

2. Resize it to the size you want your final toy to be

3. Print it out

4. Trace around the picture and exaggerate the more important features of the animal to make it look more like a cartoon

5. If both legs are visible in the front or the back combine them into one

6. Select where you want the wheels to go, and draw a dot for the axle holes

Step 4: Creating a Template

This is done to create a stronger more lasting template that can be used multiple times without the drawback of ripping or damaging it. To create one, follow these steps:

1. Cut out the picture that you traced in the last step

2. Trace it onto the 1/8” plywood or MDF

3. Cut it out with a bandsaw

Step 5: Cutting Out Your Toy

1. Trace the template onto your piece of 2x6” stock

2. Cut it out with a bandsaw

3. After it has been cut out, use the original paper template to determine where the holes for the axles will go

Step 6: Drilling the Holes for the Axles

1. Use the axle to determine what size the holes will need to be

2. Use a drill press, with the correct size of drill bit, to drill the holes

Step 7: Routering the Toy

1. Place the round bit in the router table

2. make sure that the edge of the bit is level, or lower than the edge of the table

3. Test it with a scrap piece of wood, and adjust the bit as necessary

4. Router the edges of your toy

Step 8: Sanding the Toy

1. Use the sander to round out all the edges that the router could not reach

2. Sand out all the imperfections in the toy

Step 9: Painting Your Toy

1. Using a pencil, draw all the details you want your toy to have

2. Paint your toy while using the details you drew as a guide

Step 10: Attaching the Wheels

1. Check to make sure the axle still fits in the hole (it’s possible the hole got paint in it and the axle no longer fits)

2. Drill it back out if the axle no longer fits

3. Put a small amount of wood glue in the axle hole

4. Put the axle through the wheel

5. Put the axle, with the wheel on it, into the hole with the glue

6. Leave the axle out far enough for the wheel to spin freely