Last year my son was gifted some wooden cars and he absolutely loves them.

So being the type of person I am, I wanted to make him some more. More cars equals more fun right?

I really like classic VW cars so decided they would be the cars I wanted to make.

In this Instructable I will show how I made some nice simple wooden cars that are styled after some cars I like.

Supplies

Supplies.

Timber stud work. ( I used 38mm x 63mm pine)
Binding posts or Chicago screws. ( make sure these are long enough to go through 2 wheels 2 washers and the body of the car.)
Flat nylon washers.
Paint (optional)
Cardboard box (optional)

Tools.

Scroll saw
Saw
Spray glue
Paper
Drill
Rotary tool (dremel or the like)
Small flapper sanding drums
Sandpaper/files etc.

I may have forgotten some tools or supplies, please read the whole instructable before starting out ( if you plan on following my instructions )

Thanks for looking.

Step 1: Prototyping and Planning.

I found side photos of the cars I wanted to make and traced them out in Rhino, although any photo editing program will do.
Then I printed out the drawings and used them to cut out my wood. These were cut out very roughly and without windows. These cars are just a proof of concept and to make sure that the size I chose to make goes well with the wheels I purchased.
These blanks will also be used to test finishes, layouts and other design choices.

Step 2: Cutting the Designs.

I had four cars that I wanted to make. I chose cars that I feel were iconic VW cars: campervan, beetle, karmann ghia and a mk2 golf.

Using the drawing I made in the planning stage, I printed and cut them out.

I glued them onto blocks of 38mm x 63mm CLS Studwork Timber.

Then using a scroll saw and a fine blade I cut out the outer shapes of the cars.

I then drilled a 5mm hole in each of the windows, then removing the blade from the scroll saw I threaded it through the drilled holes and replaced the blade into the scroll saw and cut out the windows.

Step 3: Drilling the Axel Holes.

While the template are still attached to the wood I used a pillar drill to drill a hole through the blocks for the axel bars.

I used a pillar drill to do this as it is necessary to get the axel holes at right angles to the block so the car doesn’t wobble on its wheels.
You can use a guide block to make sure you are drilling straight. I had access to a pillar drill so I used that.

Step 4: Preparing the Wheels.

The wooden wheels I purchased had 3mm holes and I needed 5mm holes.

So using the pillar drill I drilled out all the holes in the wheels.

The wooden wheels are very nice but I wanted to give them a slightly classic car look, so I painted them white to give a white wall look.

I removed the rubber washer tyres and sprayed them white with white enamel paint.
Then once dry popped the tyres back on.

Step 5: Sanding the Cars.

I removed the templates from the wood by just peeling them off, but some of the paper and glue was still attached, so using a belt sander I sanded the side of the cars until all residue of paper and glue was gone.
I then used a flapper wheel for a rotary tool, and rounded and softened all the edges of the cars.

A larger one for the outer edges and a smaller one for inside the windows.

Once all the sharp edges were sanded I then used a high grit sandpaper to hand sand the sides and curves to give them a smooth finish.

Step 6: Installing the Wheels and Axels.

Using the binding posts and the nylon washers I put everything together.

I put a washer either side of both wheels, to allow them to spin freely.

I tightened the screw on the binding post with a screw driver, to make sure it will stay tight and not come off and end up in my sons mouth I added a drop of tread lock glue. This does mean it will be hard to remove them again so I made sure it was finished fully before doing so.

Step 7: Making a Gift Box (optional)

As this is is a gift for my son I wanted to make a gift box for the cars.

I also wanted the box to be sturdy and something special, something like a heirloom box that he might keep for a long time to come. (he might not but I like to think he will be nostalgic to these toys when hes older)

I measured the toy cars and found a nice gift box online from tinyboxcompany.co.uk that would fit all the cars nicely.

Once I had the box, I worked out an arrangement on how the cars would fit inside.

Using a bit of card I plotted out the placement of each cars wheels and cut a small slot to hold them in place.

I wanted to decorate to top to make it special, so I drew up a sign writing style front with with his name's garage (I am not showing the full name as I don't want to) , and a little pull here tab and some other little extras. The decals were cut with a vinyl plotter and then transferred to the box.