The pleasure of toys

[Tony Pisano]

Nothing brings pleasure like seeing grandkids play with the toys you've made. The crane is from last Christmas and the lincoln-like logs from this year.355687355686355688

[David Sloan]

Tony, that is impressive work and a very precious photo. I couldn't agree with you more. I have made Christmas and birthday presents for my 4 adult daughters (eldest is 36) since they were born and am now doing the same for my grandchildren. I have stayed up all night on quite a few Christmas Eves finishing things up! The expressions of delight on Christmas morning are priceless. Thanks for sharing and I'm thinking lincoln logs for next Christmas! Something I have never made.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nicely done! Great reward!

[Gail Ludwig]

ok - I will have to share too! I made this Adirondack chair for my grandson. The chair is built like a tank. As a two year old does, he can stand on the arms or the back of the chair and it won't tip over. He really loves it and I love seeing him use it.


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[John C Cox]

That's really beautiful stuff there.

Growing up - one of our favorite things to play with were our "Blocks". They were 1"X1"x12" long rectangles that Dad had sawed up from some sort of wooden dunnage.

Blocks and cheap masking tape.... We got thousands of miles of fun making everything under the sun out of those.

I recently made a little wooden mallet out of a branch for the shop.. And it's the kids go-to fun thing in the shop now.

https://s28.postimg.org/jenr9z0zx/image.jpg

[Tony Pisano]

Nice projects all around. Thanks for sharing.

[Frederick Skelly]

Nothing brings pleasure like seeing grandkids play with the toys you've made. The crane is from last Christmas and the lincoln-like logs from this year.

Wow! That set is so nice that I want to sit down and play with them! I love the double length ones.

Grandfather, any chance you'd adopt a fully grown boy? :D :D :D One of those cranes and a few lincoln logs for me too???? Maybe a bulldozer?

Freddie

[John K Jordan]

Nothing brings pleasure like seeing grandkids play with the toys you've made. The crane is from last Christmas and the lincoln-like logs from this year.355687355686355688

Most excellent! I especially love the crane. (And the smile!) I've been planning to make one myself - now I'm inspired by the smile to get started on it.

I cut a bunch of "lincoln logs" with an older son and we played with them for a bit, then we "ruined" that fun but had some different fun making shingles and collecting rocks for this, all open in the back so it has been used for some doll house play:
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Now with young grandkids I want to make some more logs like yours (and keep them as logs). It looks like you made quite a set! Are those routed, dowels, ???

I too cut simple rectangular blocks and wedges from 4/4 shelving pine and the kids used those for years. Just price some of the sets of wooden blocks, ack.

Hey, something else my grandsons love to do in the shop - drill holes in wood. I keep gimlets in various sizes and the boys will sit on the floor with a piece of wood and drill hole after hole. For those unfamiliar with them, I use these gimlets for a variety of things, mostly at the lathe:

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JKJ

[Tony Pisano]

John, I love the little cabin, and yes kids love to drill holes and pound nails. When my son was young, he and his cousin would come into the shop and scrounge through the scrap wood, come up with ideas and ask me to cut pcs of wood. I bought him a small set of tools, a saw with interchangeable blades, a hand crank drill, rasp etc. Eventually I showed him how to use the scroll saw, band saw, drill press, etc. He ended up going to trade school and can now teach me a few things.
Freddie, For a while, I pondered over how to make the logs. I ended up cutting 3/4 inch square strips from 6 ft boards. The thing with the logs is they aren't actually round. Next I set up a quarter round cutter ( I think it was 1/4 " ) on the shaper and made 4 passes. It went fairly quickly once I got going. Once that was done, I cleaned up with a quick pass and fine grit on a palm sander. I cut into manageable lengths then used a dado blade on the table saw with a double stop to do the notches on each end, cut to finished lengths then did the last notches. The whole thing was so enjoyable to do. I visited my daughter last week and every day they kids wanted to play with the logs. And there is something about hooking the "cable" to a log with the crane and cranking the handle to hoist it in the air that makes you feel like a kid again. I still have the scrapwood bulldozer I made for my son about 30 years ago.