Any Ideas? Toy for a 1 year old

[Reece]

hi all,

my nephew is turning 1, and when i asked my sister in law what would be a good present, she asked if i could make something.

so, i have a lathe, a drill press, a belt and disc sander, and not many ideas.

the only thing i've thought of is a six pin bowling set.

Any ideas?

[funkychicken]

Anything that will make a noise or move

[corbs]

captured ring stick, ball in a box?

[tea lady]

Anything wheely.:D

[issatree]

Hi Reece,
I think a String Pull Spinning Top may fit the bill.
Handle needs to be 7" or 180 - 190mm long. Just drill a 1/2" hole, eyeball the centre of the hole on the T/stock end, do a nice bead or two / coves, to give it a look.
A bit of 2x2 or 3x3in. 50x50mm / 75x75mm timber, Red Gum is good.
Grab with the Jaws of your chuck, I use 35mm Spigots for my Nova Chuck, turn the ball end, or what ever design, drill a hole pointy end with escutcheon pin, cut the head off, & I find that by hitting the new pin in while the Lathe is traveling at speed, ( me 3000rpm) it is easier, as the pin does not seem to bend.
After you have turned the stem to 1/2in. & then sand, drill a hole towards the chuck end for the Shoe Lace, 630mm to fit in, which will need a knob to pull the top, it should be right to go into the handle.
I finish both handle & top with an soybean oil & beeswax finish.
You'll get more fun out of it than the nephew will. Probably clear as mud, but hard to describe in words.
Regards,
issatree.
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[funkychicken]

Anything wheely.:D

Maybe we could get rid of Ray:p

[mick61]

G`day Issatree`s Idea is great he makes really nice spinning tops.
You could also buy the one year old an OMEGA STUBBY for when he gets older.LOL:U
Mick:D

[Scribbly Gum]

I don't know if you have a coping saw or a jigsaw, but a flat panel with cut out animals or shapes that fit into the correspondingly same shaped recess or hole is good. Helps the fine motor skills and also teaches visual discrimination and matching skills - great preparation for reading later on.
See here for free plans:
http://www.freewoodpuzzles.com/
Cheers
SG

[Ed Reiss]

A baby rattle

Woodturning Online - Turning Projects : Baby Rattle (http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Projects/baby-rattle.html)

[Allen Neighbors]

Ed -- I just saved a copy of that file, and made a pdf of it for my shop.
I'll be glad to share with anyone that wants a copy of it. Email me.
amneighborsATSIGNsbcglobalDOTnet

[wheelinround]

Anything wheely.:D

:~ almost anything :q

[wheelinround]

Maybe we could get rid of Ray:p

:o thanks Andrew and i thought you a nice fellow :C

[wheelinround]

Rocking horse I made our grandson one :2tsup:

[BozInOz]

I always like little turned people.
I'm keen to try some segmented ones to get different coloured sections.

[artme]

Turn a cone, then turn different sized doughnuts to fit over the cone. Paint doughnuts bright colours.

[tea lady]

How about stackable blocks that make a castle or tower? With doors and windows and everything. My 7 year old would still be playing with that with all his lego men.:cool:

[Rum Pig]

I made my so a mini baseball bat when was about 1 year old:)

The worst thing I could have done I did not know small kids could be so violent:o:doh:

[Allen Neighbors]

Turn a cone, then turn different sized doughnuts to fit over the cone. Paint doughnuts bright colours.
Bright idea, Artme. :)

[munruben]

Push along or pull along toy, Kids love to pull or push something along. maybe a toy lawn mower or just a cart with some blocks in it.

[thefixer]

G'day Reece

A few good ideas here.
One Piece Spinning Top - Creations in Wood (http://www.creationsinwood.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=242)

[funkychicken]

:o thanks Andrew and i thought you a nice fellow :C

There there Ray, I'm sure the little 'un will treat you well:D

[NCPaladin]

Here is one I plan to make for my grandson when he turns one year old.

http://www.teknatool.com/projects/NOVA%20Toolbox_Project_Toy_Tractor.pdf

If the link does not work go to teknatool and to the projects section, then Toy Tractor.

I'm not sure where I copied the airplane from.

Mike

[Reece]

thanks for your help and suggestions everyone. in the end i made a set of three little wooden men. pretty simple, just a head and a fat little body (similar in shape to a bowling pin, just smaller).

nothing too complex, just some things that he can throw around and be rough with without the worry of them being broken.

[tea lady]

thanks for your help and suggestions everyone. in the end i made a set of three little wooden men. pretty simple, just a head and a fat little body (similar in shape to a bowling pin, just smaller).

nothing too complex, just some things that he can throw around and be rough with without the worry of them being broken.:2tsup: Simple is best sometimes. More room for imagination that way. :cool: (What? No pics? :C:D )

[Gil Jones]

Here is a nice baby (?) rattle plan.
Sturdy too.
Gil

[NeilS]

thanks for your help and suggestions everyone. in the end i made a set of three little wooden men. pretty simple, just a head and a fat little body (similar in shape to a bowling pin, just smaller).

nothing too complex, just some things that he can throw around and be rough with without the worry of them being broken.

Good move, Reece.

Simple and robust, with plenty of room for creative play.

The attached pic of a pull along trolley with pegs and stacking rings has been a big winner in our family. That's my grandson playing with the trolley which was made by his G-Grandad almost 70 years ago. Has been used extensively by three generations without a repair.

Hmm... thinks.... must check to see if that paint was lead based...:q

.....

[Timbre Surfer]

second the option of a pull string spinning top. i made a larger one and used a bit of dowl to go right through the centre after gluing up a section of scraps as a segmented form. used a bit of food colouring in the glue on the segments. i can get the spinning top to almost reach 5 mins of continuous spinning. when my son was crawling, he used to chase it everywhere and it just bounced of everything.