WoodMarvels Blog

American Folk Toys: Easy-to-Build Toys for Kids of All Ages

This book is written in a very clear manner with great illustrations and easy to follow instructions for any child to follow with a parents guidance. Each project begins with a preface as to how the wood toy came into being or why the author decided to make a project out of it. American Folk Toys has a number of woodcraft projects that are sure to interest just about any child.

Making Animated Whirligigs (Woodworking Whirligigs)

The author of this book is credited with single-handedly bringing back whirligigs from the recesses of history, he studied and worked for many years to perfect his designs and this book is the result of those efforts. The instructions are laid out in an easy to follow manner along with many pictures to keep you on track when building your very own wood whirligigs.

Making Heirloom Toys

The woodworking projects found in the book "Making Heirloom Toys" range across a number of skill levels, including a jet plane, trucks of various functions and even a tugboat! The author’s focus is on child safety so things such as hooks are replaced by magnets and the like. This is a fantastic book to really get down and dirty into the craft of woodworking in your own shop. You will use a number of tools for each project and some take several days to complete.

Making Mechanical Marvels In Wood

This is a fascinating books whose patterns and plans are designed to show how wood projects can create sounds, move and create more complicated assemblies. The wood machines you can create using the instructions in this book will improve your creative use of wood in future projects for sure! Be warned that this book isn’t for the beginner, there are a number of advanced projects that require a good understanding of the tools of the trade and how to use them safely.

Great All-American Wooden Toybook (Reader’s Digest Woodworking)

This is a well written book that shows how to build things from airplanes to bulldozers, steamrollers to trains using mainly your power tools for the building process. There is also a preface that introduces the user to the world of woodcraft related to the projects within this book. The skill level required to complete wood projects in this book range from beginner to very advanced but the shear variety should keep you busy for a long time.

Each project comes with step-by-step instructions, detailed drawings and pictures of the finished project you are working on. There is also an extensive section giving tips about wood selection, tools needed for the projects in this book, clamping, finishing, gluing and a host of other topics that are surely going to be of interest to you.

Creating Wooden Villages: Designs for 18 Miniature Buildings

An interesting book if you have an interest in building your own wooden village within the confines of your own woodworking shop. This book has 128 pages of content that will make this process a little easier.

Woodworking Centre K-3

This is a fantastic book for children wanting to learn a bit more about the woodworking craft. Ideas are explained in clear to understand terms and come along with sharp photographs and great sketches. The author of this book has taught design and technology classes to gradeschool children for decades and the layout of this book shows that in flying colors.

Making Wooden Dinosaurs: Plans and Instructions With Notes on Each Species

This is a great book for anybody interested in building their own wood dinosaurs! Each project features a number of pictures, plans that can be modified to fit any scale and step-by-step instructions that leave little to the imagination (which is a good thing in woodcraft for beginners). You also learn how to build several plants in addition to dinosaurs in this book but be sure you have a belt sander, band saw, drill, router and a few other power tools as you will need them to produce these wood projects.

Wind Toys That Spin, Sing, Twirl & Whirl: Wind Chimes, Windsocks, Banners, Whirligigs, Mobiles, Wind Vanes

With over 35 woodworking projects to suit all skill and interest levels, this book has a lot to offer to just about any child interested in woodcrafts. Each project has an extensive step-by-step building method that is both easy to follow and clearly written. From making Dragonfly Windsocks to a Hummingbird Toy, you are sure to find a wood project that interests your child.

New Wood Puzzle Designs: A Guide to the Construction of Both New and Historic Puzzles

Featuring easy to read step-by-step instructions of 12 original puzzles that are sure to get your creative juices flowing in no time! Of course, these instructions have great illustrations and color photography as well. As the author is both a physician and woodcrafter, this book also has an extensive section relating to safety in the woodshop. The book also has a section about wood selection, glues and finishes that give your project just the right visuals for any event.

Scroll Saw Toys and Vehicles: Complete Patterns and Instructions

Each tool in a woodshop has its place, the scroll saw is no different. The projects in this book use the scroll saw extensively, as a result, you will gain a new grasp of this really under-used tool that will hone your skill and make you that much of a better wood craftsman.

Folk Toys: Patterns & Projects for the Scroll Saw

The book "Folk Toys" has over 68 drawings with full-sized patterns so that there isn’t any need to play with scale. The project is focused on toys from the 19th and 20th century that have left their mark on millions of children of the past, and now, well into the future. There are toys that use hand-cranks, gravity, pull and a host of other mechanically inclined movements. This toy will not only teach your child the benefits of woodcrafts but also about the greater world around them. This is also a great book towards getting better acquainted with your scroll saw, better yet, build them along with your child so they learn the tools of the trade!

Amazing Vehicles You Can Make: Complete Plans and Assembly Drawings for Eight Different Models (Vehicles You Can Make Series)

With this book, you can learn how to build pretty realistic wood vehicles such as a bulldozer, pickup truck, motorcycle, backhoe, airliner and even a train! There are some smaller parts so adult supervision is necessary if your child is playing with these or participating in the building process. The book features full material lists, detailed plans and full-sized cutting templates. Building a few of these wood vehicles will teach you the mechanics and techniques required to build more of your own.

Making Marble-Action Games, Gadgets, Mazes & Contraptions: Designs for 10 Outlandish, Ingenious and Intricate Woodworking Projects

This is a great book to learn about the laws of gravity, engineering and other forces that bind all of us in our daily lives. With this book, you can build woodworking projects such as a marble deceleration honeycomb maze, number shuffler, marble rotator finger and a host of other really neat contraptions. Luckily, the author provides very helpful step-by-step instructions with photos and detailed to plans so that you can also create these amazing wood marvels.

Easy-to-Make Whirligigs (Woodworking Whirligigs)

This is a great book to learn how to make 30 wood-driven toys! Each woodworking project includes a complete set of patterns, an easy to follow instructional guide from start to finish in addition to helpful tips that novices are sure to find useful. Projects within this book include a signaling trainman, Halley’s Comet, submarine and even an Indian in a Canoe. The use of tools required to complete these projects can be found in any basic woodshop and with great illustrations, you cannot go wrong with this book!

Making Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw Puzzles have been a human challenge ever since they where invented long ago, with this book, you will acquire the skills to make your very own! These make fantastic gifts for any occasion and will improve your creative skills for future wood projects to come!