WOOD TOY NEWS. Master Toymaker Bill Walker shares a few of his quality toy projects from his Dairy Barn Workshop. 1 August 20, 2015 Thursday

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1 WOOD TOY NEWS Thursday August 20, 2015 toymakingplans.com Master Toymaker Bill Walker shares a few of his quality toy projects from his Dairy Barn Workshop. We first became familiar with Bill Walker through our Toymakers Forum. Bill is an active Forum member who enjoys sharing his toy photos and posting building tips. So we set out to learn a little more about Bill. In 1966 Bill went into the US Air Force. After leaving the Air Force he pursued a college degree in Design Technology and then got married in Bill worked as a Design Engineer for printed circuit boards and after 31 years he retired happily in 2009 and now lives in Summertown, TN and enjoys building toys. Below are photos of Bill s first toys. He made the Hungry Hippo and Hound on the Hunt pull toys for his granddaughter. Bill now enjoys building toys for all three of his grandkids.... Continued next page My Dairy Barn Workshop Bill Walker at work in his barn in Summertown, Tennessee. Bill s first pull toys for his granddaughter. All of the toys above were built from toymakingplans.com plan sets. If you haven t dropped by our Toymakers Forum you can check it out by visiting: It s a great place to make some new friends and find answers to all your toymaking questions. So my shop is in a barn! The 12 acres I live on was once some 75 years ago, a large dairy farm. When the land was subdivided my purchase included the old dairy barn. 1 August 20, 2015 Thursday

2 Grandkids love Bill s mini Advent calendar tree complete with tiny wood toy ornaments. The wood toys shown above are each built from toymakingplans.com plan sets. They are among Bill s many favorite wood toy projects. 2 August 20, 2015 Thursday

3 Bill s Victorian Christmas Sleigh has been a favorite with family and friends and was built using the Scroll Saw Magic Christmas Victorian Sleigh Plan Set from toymakingplans.com. 3 August 20, 2015 Thursday

4 At first the Woody Wagon shown below appeared to be a real challenge. But once Bill began to cut out the parts he was pleased with how intuitively the building process progressed. The swinging door on the tear-drop trailer adds a lot of fun to an already fascinating toy. Kids love the combination of wood tones and color. The removable luggage on the top rack is a great favorite. The car and trailer parts patterns are designed to be easy to saw to shape and easy to fit together. The Woody Wagon & Trailer toy plan set is very well designed for easy sawing and construction. Bill did a superb job planning the build process. Each part was completed to perfection before assembly. The toy design and full-size line patterns made it a lot easier to control the sawing, clamping and gluing. The side doors can be made from a separate piece of wood to insure a tight fit. The view to the left shows the completed Woody Wagon and Teardrop Trailer with the trailer lid up. There is a lot of room inside the trailer for toting along companion toys. Look closely and you will see the great care that Bill excercised to get every detail just right with fit and finish. 4 August 20, 2015 Thursday

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6 Bill s Medieval Castle wood toy is complete with knights, maidens and dragons and is a labor of love. The grandkids love to imagine being a knight in shining armor or a maiden in distress. The dragon has escaped many attempts on his life and is considered an immortal by the other toys in the set! One of Bill s favorite projects that gives a big bang for the buck is his mini alphabet trains. Toddlers find them great fun and Moms love the educational value. 6 August 20, 2015 Thursday

7 Bill s workshop watchdog is this well-crafted giant Tyrannosaurus Rex. A large sheet of masonite pegboard helps Bill stay organized in his busy shop. 7 August 20, 2015 Thursday

8 We love the honesty of Bill s shop photos. You can see at a glance that he s all about getting the projects completed and that his true focus is on building a quality wood toy. 8 August 20, 2015 Thursday

9 It s enlightening to see all four walls of Bill s shop. He obviously also likes to fish and to watch the stars! The band saw, table saw, scroll saw and sander give up their dust to the big shop vac under a table in the previous photo. Bill can produce any quality, size and shape in this workspace and his output of projects testify to his dedication and efficiency. 9 August 20, 2015 Thursday

10 The Hefty Hi-Loader plus Dump Truck & Lo Boy Trailer are the ideal size for sales at crafts shows. Seasoned craft show toymakers say that a toy should be easy to carry around the show once it is purchased. The truck and hi-loader are approximately 10 long and the trailer is around August 20, 2015 Thursday

11 This play set may appear complicated to make but it is not. The patterns are easy to cut on a scroll saw. Parts are sawn from 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 thick wood. Bill makes his own wheels but wheels can also be purchased at a low cost online at craftparts.com. 11 August 20, 2015 Thursday

12 Kids, friends, family and neighbors love this dandy little camper and station wagon. The wagon and trailer are each approximately 10 long. Ken designed and crafted the mag spoked wheels on the wagon. That successful effort has doubled the charm of the play set! 12 August 20, 2015 Thursday

13 We have enjoyed working with Bill as he shared with his wonderful collection of wood toy projects. If you have any questions feel free to call Bill at or send him an at 13 August 20, 2015 Thursday