The huge recall of Chinese toys is much in the news these days. Holidays
are coming so this might be a good time to use lathe and bandsaw to make
some simple children's folk toys that are safe for children, a relief
for parents, nostalgic for grandparents and usually played with more
often than battery powered plastic toys that have very short half lives.
My grands preferred brooms, pots and pans.

I don't have a camera, but the net is full of sites to give you ideas.
Dick Schnacke's "American Folk Toys" is a classic and there are many
more. Many of us remember rubber guns made from bicycle inner tubes and
clothes pins. Younger kids pulled or pushed home made trains and trucks
made from wood blocks. Older boys made slingshots and popguns that shot
china berries or little parachutes, whistles and turkey calls, put &
take spin tops. There's no limit and folks, these toys are art (folk
art) and they become heirlooms. It's just a matter of getting started in
our turning shops. I bet worried grandparents woud snap em up ....or buy
one to copy! Just don't paint them, even with lead free paint!


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Arch
For a while we were making spud guns from abs pipe. They had a spark system
at one end and a potato stuffed in the other after filling the tube with
inflammable hair spray or the like. Aim and spark and off goes the potato.
And of course there was the water balloon sling shot made from inner tubes
and saplings... Good days those. Do you think the toy safety people would
let me play with them now. Of course I was younger then. Somewhere in my
40's I believe. Ah, summer camp.

Darrell

God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS, Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com


--
Ðà
"Arch" wrote in message
...

The huge recall of Chinese toys is much in the news these days. Holidays
are coming so this might be a good time to use lathe and bandsaw to make
some simple children's folk toys that are safe for children, a relief
for parents, nostalgic for grandparents and usually played with more
often than battery powered plastic toys that have very short half lives.
My grands preferred brooms, pots and pans.

I don't have a camera, but the net is full of sites to give you ideas.
Dick Schnacke's "American Folk Toys" is a classic and there are many
more. Many of us remember rubber guns made from bicycle inner tubes and
clothes pins. Younger kids pulled or pushed home made trains and trucks
made from wood blocks. Older boys made slingshots and popguns that shot
china berries or little parachutes, whistles and turkey calls, put &
take spin tops. There's no limit and folks, these toys are art (folk
art) and they become heirlooms. It's just a matter of getting started in
our turning shops. I bet worried grandparents woud snap em up ....or buy
one to copy! Just don't paint them, even with lead free paint!


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message
news:Bt6Li.98614$Pd4.66914@edtnps82...
Arch
For a while we were making spud guns from abs pipe. They had a spark
system at one end and a potato stuffed in the other after filling the tube
with inflammable hair spray or the like. Aim and spark and off goes the
potato. And of course there was the water balloon sling shot made from
inner tubes and saplings... Good days those. Do you think the toy safety
people would let me play with them now. Of course I was younger then.
Somewhere in my 40's I believe. Ah, summer camp.

Carbide cannons and cleaner bags filled with hydrogen generated with
aluminum and drain cleaners, even the chemistry set with potassium nitrate!
Of course you know what we did with that.

Do you think they could sell woodenware made of exotic woods if the
chemicals that kept it from decaying weren't "natural?"

"George" wrote in message
. net...

"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message
news:Bt6Li.98614$Pd4.66914@edtnps82...
Arch
For a while we were making spud guns from abs pipe. They had a spark
system at one end and a potato stuffed in the other after filling the
tube with inflammable hair spray or the like. Aim and spark and off goes
the potato. And of course there was the water balloon sling shot made
from inner tubes and saplings... Good days those. Do you think the toy
safety people would let me play with them now. Of course I was younger
then. Somewhere in my 40's I believe. Ah, summer camp.

Carbide cannons and cleaner bags filled with hydrogen generated with
aluminum and drain cleaners, even the chemistry set with potassium
nitrate! Of course you know what we did with that.

Do you think they could sell woodenware made of exotic woods if the
chemicals that kept it from decaying weren't "natural?"

OMG - Ya mean those pacifiers I turned from PT 4x4's don't have natural
preservatives????

(smirk) just my odd SOH, I guess.....

NGA