Table Of Content

TREMENDOUS TOY TRUCKS With Step-by-Step Instructions and Plans for Buildin 12 Trucks Tremendous Toy Trucks Les Neufeld The Taunton Press © 2001 © 2001 © 2001 Text by Les Neufeld 63 Photographs by The Taunton Press, Inc. 5506, 06470-5506 Illustrations by The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. The Taunton Press, Inc., South Main Street, PO Box Newtown, CT e-mail: [email protected] COVER DESIGNER: Mary McKeon INTERIOR DESIGNER AND L/AYOUT ARTIST: Carol P etro p. FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: Scott Phillips BACK COVER PHOTOGRAPHERS: Les Neufeld and Scott Phillips INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS: Les Neufeld and Scott Phillips 1. ILLUSTRATOR: Les Neufeld LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA: Neufeld, Les. Tremendous toy trucks Les Neufeld. cm. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 ISBN-13: 978-1-56158-399-7 ISBN-l0: 1-56158-399-5 1. Trucks--Models--Design and construction. 2. Woodwork. Title. TL237 .N477 2001 629.22'14--dc22010 1027151 Printed in the United States of America About Your Safety: Working with wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don't try to perform operations you learn about here (or elsewhere) unless you're certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn't feel right, don't do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety foremost in your mind whenever you're in the shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . .. . . . . . . . Contents ... 2 0 . . 88 Chapter 0 Introduction .. . . Skidder ... 4 . Chapter a .. 1 04 Monster Truck Chapter 0 . .Log Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter .... 118 24 Pickup with Chapter � e . . . . . . . . . Semi Truck Fifth -Wheel Travel Trailer .. 136 . 40 Chapter 0) Chapter 0 . . . . . . .. . . . . Low-Bed Truck Dump Truck 146 . . . . . .. 5 8 Chapter ® Chapter 0 .--'-'-.- . . . Tow Truck Forklift e;r�� . . 1.5. .8 , 69 Chapter Chapter 0 Tandem Cabover Truck Flat-Deck Truck . . 1 72 ........ ... .76 Appendix I Chapter Equipment Needed Log Truck Appendix II Finishing Recommendations To my wonderful children: Eric, Kevin, and Lisa. Without you, it would never have occurred to me to make these toys or write this book. Acknowled ments g Many people have worked on thisM yb ofoakt,h eirn iosn ea wcarya fotrs man who has always believed that another. if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right: "It may take My wife, Corrinne, helped ina al ivtatrliee tlyo nogfe rw,a ybsu.t Sihte will be better." He spent many frus took photos, worked on the protjreacttisn gw hmiolmee nIt st oaotkt epmhpottionsg, to pass on this philosophy to and provided me with advice onh iwsr icthiinlgd raennd. tTooy tdhees iegxnt.e nt that these toys and this book During the writing process, shteu rtnoeodk oouvte rw eelxlt,r ah eh oautsteahionledd some success and should duties to allow me extra time rteoc ewirviet ec raenddi tb.u ild, mTain remendous Toy Trucks tained her own day job, continuSetdr ohtehre rc oPlulredgye weadsu ctahtei oend,i tor at Taunton who first and published her own book. Itw eonctc utros btaot mfeo rt htahti st hbioso ki sa nd for me. Although he has left fairly impressive. As with mosTta utnhtionng st,o Cpourrrsiunen eh,i sI ocwonu lfdinn'et woodworking endeavors, have done it without you. he was instrumental in getting this book off the ground. Corrinne and I have three chTilhdarnekn y,o aul,l S otfr owthhoemr .h ad an active part in this book. Eric,T oKme vCilna,r ka nidn hLeirsiat eeda ch snapped from the shutter a few times and prSotvriodtehde ra asnodu nhdaidn gt hbeo ajrodb foofr putting the book together each toy design. Kevin broughta nad sctoroeradmi noaft ifnrgi etnhdes moyvreira,d details. I have found that and together they played with ctahpea btloey sa nfdo ru nmdaenrys thaonudrisn.g editors are vital to the process This gave each design a good woofr kworuitt ianngd ar ebsouolkt.e dM yi nt hanks to Tom, Suzanne, and the many suggestions and improvemernetsst. o f the team at Taunton. Introduction Making Toy Trucks-and More You will not likely read this type of book as you would a Although I have built projects from kitchen novel. You may start with the skidder in chapter 7, then cabinets to Queen Anne reproductions, few have been as build the dump truck in chapter 3. For this reason, there is enjoyable and rewarding as these wooden toys. Part of this some repetition from chapter to chapter. I have dealt with has been the pleasure that comes from seeing children's each chapter assuming it was the first one you decided to eyes light up as they receive taancdk lpel.a yH owwietvhe rt,h et hteo ytso yasn da re grouped together when it is part of it is the enjoyment ofn atthuer atlo yf-omra ktihnegm ptroo cbees su sietds etlofg.e ther: For example, the log It is reassuring to find out ttrhuactk ,i ns kai dwdoerrl,d aonfd blaotgt elroyader are in consecutive chapters. powered, remote-controlled toysT,h eartet riasc tniov ed,o uhbatn dtmhaadte accomplished woodworkers will Ih6 wooden toys still hold great khiadv ea poptehaelr. wNaoyts oonfl yd oairneg tcheer tain things. Similarly, you may toys popular, they are inexpenfsiinvde daensdi grne aasdodniatbiloyn se aosry cthoa nges you would like to make as make-a sort of "no pressure" pyroouj egcot .a lTohnegr.e Iafr et hneo thoaynsd are intended for very young chil cut dovetails and no mortise-adnrde-nt,e nyoonu jmoaiyn twsa.n tB etcoa uosmei tt hseo me of the smaller parts or parts are small, if one is cuts huonrdteerns itzhee ae xnheawu sotn es tcaacnk sb et o cab height, for example. made quickly and inexpensively. Furthermore, the under Machine setup size part may very well work anyway-does it really matter Although expensive machines are not required, the good if the exhaust stack is in. or 1/8 in. short? Not likely. setup of each machine is required. This is especially impor The projects in this book are toys, not models. Models are tant in the absence of a jointer or planer. Take time to set wonderful things to build-and where possible these toys the disk-sander table exactly square to the disk and to set look like models-but the first goal of this book was always the bandsaw table exactly square to the blade. In this way to make durable toys that kids love to use. Our two younger the parts can be squared up as accurately as needed for any children, Kevin and Lisa, along with their friends, played of the toys. (For that matter, a jointer is not much use with the prototypes and supplied many comments and sug either, unless the table and fence are set accurately.) gestions along the way. Kevin was and is an active, ener getic lad, to put it mildly, sGol ueiancgh aonfd tchleasmep itnogy s has gone through repeated design cyclesT huen ttioly si ti ni st h"iKse vbiono kp rwoeorfe. "a ssembled using common white Short of repeatedly hurling thec atropyesn taecrr'oss sg ltuhee (rPoVoAm) .( wThhiicsh glue does not need extreme Kevin never tried), they shoulcdl almapsitn gm apnrye syseuarres- iann df aecvte,n eax cessive pressure produces generation or two. a weaker joint than moderate pressure. If the parts fit The second goal is to make itt opgoestshiebrl en ifcoerl ya wtiotyh omuatk ecrl aomfp ing, then I generally do not limited experience to have succcleasmsp itnh emma.k iRnugb bqiunagl itthye tpoayrst,s with a small side-to-side using a limited amount of equimpomteinotn. wTiol lt hsaqtu eeenzde, tthhee gsltueep st hin enough that you can sud are detailed clearly, using phdoetnolgyr afpehesl tiot isltlaurstt rtaot eg raalbl. bAutt this point, the part can be left the simplest steps. Some experatl ownoeo,d waonrdk etrhse wrielSlU lftiinndg mjoorien t will be very strong-generally photographs than they really nseterdo,n gbeurt tnhoa no nteh es hwoouoldd iftisnedl f. fewer than he or she needs. 2 This being the case, much of ptiheec eass soefm belxyo toifc twhoeosdes tcoayns be purchased from a variety of is greatly simplified because csoommpea npiaerst ss uacrhe aosd dL eseh aVpaeldl eayn.d The toys look much sharper cannot be clamped easily. with a few accents. When the glue surface is large, such as in a laminating Wood supply operation, clamps are needed to eliminate gaps in the joint. Ideally these toys are made from quality hardwoods. This In these cases clamping is required, but use only enough will reduce the wear and tear that forms in the way of small pressure to bring the parts together. Where the parts join dents and chips as children play. Also, assuming you may be snugly without gaps, clamping is generally not necessary. making these toys without the use of a thickness planer or If in doubt, glue a few small scrap pieces together with jointer, you will want some wood that is already sized. out clamping, then try to break them. You will likely be There are several ways to obtain this wood. impressed with the strength of the joint. Many cabinet shops and even high-school shops have Template use small scraps of hardwood. Since many parts are only a few Some toy parts have curves or imnacnhye sh olloen gl oocra twiiodnes, tshmaatl l scraps are useful. Often lumber can be marked out much easier biufi lad itnegm-psluaptpel yi ss tuosreeds. wAitl lt hset ock small boards of planed hard end of each chapter, you will wfoiondd. tAesm pmleantteiso niefd rbeeqfuoirree,d ,s ome hobby stores and wood although the measurements are wgoirvkeenr isnu ptphley dsrtaowriensg,s siufc h as Lee Valley, sell small blocks of you would rather measure. If yeoxuo tdiecc ihdaer dtwoo oudsse, tpheer fteecmt for small parts. As you will notice plates, there are a few optionhse rree gaanrdd itnhge rteh eiinr tuhsee .b ook, Baltic plywood is sometimes an Some of the templates are fulolp tsiiozne, aanndd stohmies hcaavne bbee epnur chased at most hobby stores. It is reduced. Ideally you can photomcaodpey otfh em arneyd utcheidn tveemnpeleartse sa nd, while expensive for ful2l on a machine that can adjust tshhee estisz,e itso rtehaes onneaebdleed idni mtehne small amounts needed here. sions. This can be a trial-and-Meorsrto ro fp2 rtohcee dtuorye puanrttisl, dtoh en ot requir e planed wood. Gen drawing comes out with the reqeuriarleldy otvheer aplalr tdsi maernes iroonu.g h-sawn on the bandsaw and then The template can be traced uspilnagn ecda robro ns apnadpeedr. or can be cut out and traced around, or you could rub the underside Wheels and axle pins with pencil lead, which transforms the template into carbon Most of these toys use standard wheels, readily available paper. If using a carbon-paper option, a ballpoint pen seems from hobby stores and mail-order companies. They are in. to work better for tracing than a pencil. Sometimes it is easi dia., with the exception of the pickup and travel trailer of est to mark the hole centers and outlines using an awl to press chapter which uses Ilh-in. wheels. Axle pins are available through the template, making small indentations in the wood. wherever the wheels are sold. While these wheels can be These marks are then joined using a straightedge and a pencil. made, it is a time-consuming process if you want them to The best method probably depends on the type of part look as good as the factory-made wheels do. The handmade being made, although it is hard to go wrong. wheels used on the loaders and the monster truck still use Choice of wood the standard axle pins to attach them. These toys are made of hardwood and those types of hard Last words wood that are actually hard. The woods that seems to stand It defeats the purpose of a hobby if the process becomes a up best are maple, birch, walnut, and equivalent-strength chore. There certainly will be moments of frustration, but woods. I made a few toys using oak, but somehow the these can be reduced to a minimum if each detail is not dramatic grain took away from the appearance of the toy taken too seriously. The toys in the photos are not perfect. machine. So in the end, the best woods were the ones that Here and there, if you could inspect closely, you would see were hard but had less visible grain. 3 gaps, misaligned parts, and machine marks not sanded out. To get the dramatic color differences for the fenders of There were times when I cut the part too short, but if it the trucks and other miscellaneous parts, I bought or begged still looked fine I left it alone and just changed the drawing a few small pieces of bloodwood and purpleheart. I hap a little. Even so, I still figure they turned out to be great pened to see these in a joinery shop and chose them be looking toys, almost as good as yours will be. cause they were a nice color and were available. Small INTRODUCTION 0 Monster Truck Chapter '48 This truck is a Ford and a real favorite. The '48 has the distinctive fenders and running boards of the era, and this toy comes quite close to being a scale model. Fortunately it is a toy as well. Monster trucks have a definite if somewhat strange ap Colors are fairly important in the appearance of this peal. If truck appeal is based on the size of the wheels and truck, more so than with most of the wooden toys in amount of ground clearance, this one is a winner. For chil this book. Using contrasting wood for the fenders and dren, the wheels and front bumper are the biggest attrac the running boards is almost a necessity for the overall tion; for adults, it's the classic lines of the truck itself. appearance (and is true to the original paint schemes of The rounded fenders and cab make for a little more old Ford trucks). I used birch for the cab and box and handwork in filing the corners, but since the truck is a toy purpleheart for the fenders and running boards. I used and not a scale model and the exact amount of rounding black walnut for the wheels, but a light wood would be is not critical, it all ends up being quite easy to do. Even fine as well. the wheels are easy to make-although cutting all the The truck consists of a shaped block (the cab) and a treads takes an hour or more on the bandsaw (shorter if rectangular block (the box), glued to a flat frame, with you are using a table saw). the large wheels attached underneath. TREMENDOUS TOY TRUCKS