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Making a Wooden Toy Car

The wheels definitely didn’t come off this project created by Michael Essam

Wooden car toy with assembly pieces on table

In an age of computer games, the fun of push- along play with toys is often forgotten. The simple pleasure that can be shared with friends, racing cars across a flat floor to see who wins, can’t be beaten. If you’ve ever been a scout, then you will inevitably have taken part in a ‘pinewood derby’ following a ‘crash and bash’ session furiously putting racing cars together for competition. These models would be perfect for that kind of thrilling, high- speed racing activity. They are enjoyable and fairly simple to make and I think the use of the moulding produces a more satisfactory shape. Hope you like them.

Two wooden toy cars with ruler for scale
Inset A – These cars and the next two photos are left unpainted to show construction. The car at the top of the picture uses a square section centrepiece with a large ‘half’ round moulding for the bonnet and a smaller section of the same for driver’s head fairing. The sides are ogee moulding. I attached the wheels with round-head screws as an alternative to a solid axle. The lower car is made from two pieces of staff bead and two pieces of half round of different sizes
Wooden toy car with metal ruler on table.
Inset B – This is the only hardtop in this set (no driver’s head required) and uses four pieces of staff bead. It is a simple design and construction but it does show the advantage of using the curved shapes you get using mouldings. This photo shows the scale that I am working to. The car can be any size, depending on moulding pieces available, but it is best to have some idea of the size of the wheels to help set the length of the car
Wooden toy cars with ruler on table.
Inset C – The top car in this picture uses two pieces of strip wood glued in a T-shape. The sides are then filled in using scotia moulding to give a scalloped effect. The head fairing is cut- down scotia. The car below uses two pieces of staff bead glued together for the ‘chassis’ and a strip wood top. The wings are cut from the top of some shiplap cladding. The cars could be made in a larger size by using bigger section moulding

Open-Topped Car

Wooden sticks and wheels on a workbench surface.
1. This shows the wheel size and the three pieces of moulding required for the body of the car. Note that all three pieces have been made slightly less wide lengthways, but this is not essential. The top part of the body, to the right, has been made smooth. Once again this is not essential. I think it looks a bit better but asymmetric design was quite common in racing cars of a few years ago
Scroll saw cutting wood in workshop.
2. The driver’s compartment being cut using the fretsaw, if a driver’s head is to be used it is as well to know the size of it as it becomes more difficult to cut the compartment with a fretsaw when this section is glued to the base. A coping saw would be OK
Drill press making precise holes in wooden piece.
3. The axle holes should be drilled before the top section is attached. Once again the size and type of axle to be used should really be known before this is done. I tend to drill the holes a bit oversize, at least 1mm or 2mm larger than the axle. With a fairly loose, wobbly fit I find you get a bit of ‘suspension’ effect and it can compensate for minor inaccuracies that will occur if you are working with a group. There is a photo at the end of this sequence which says a bit more about attaching wheels and axle types
Wooden flute pieces on a workbench
4. This shows the three components of the body of the car, including the driver. The head is a bought item and has a peg at the base, but they are available plain and will do just as well. Flat discs of ply cut in a circle can look OK, particularly if people want to draw features on them
Wooden block with grooves in a vice.
5. The top glued and clamped to the base
Woodworking clamps holding pieces together on workbench.
6. This shows measuring and cutting the axle. A reasonably accurate measurement for the length of the axle is required.(a ‘wobbly’ axle is a bit beneficial but one that is either too long or too short is not much good). I tend to use callipers but it can be can be done with a ruler or a bit of adding up
Hand tool filing wood in workshop vice.
7. The cut ends of the axle should be smoothed and chamfered slightly. A push-fit is the best solution in many ways for the axle into the wheel, but there is a danger the wheel can split. If the hole in the wheel is the same size as the axle and the end of the axle is reduced slightly with emery cloth it should be OK. Otherwise the hole can be larger and adhesive such as araldite could be used. ‘Plastic’ wheels are sold for craftwork and are reasonably priced. They don’t look so good but are colourful and roll well. There are other homemade alternatives as well, such as plywood
Wood crafting tools and pieces on a workbench.
8. Shape the nose and tail of the car either with a saw and rough then smooth abrasive, or you could use a sanding disc/belt. If this option is chosen a simple jig would be useful as the car shape has become more difficult to hold on its side
Wooden toy car on workshop table
9. The completed car, which looks fine as it is but some people would choose to varnish or paint the cars and this is best done before assembly. There are also lots of stickers and decals available and the numbers printed out from the computer look good if cut out and stuck on

Handy tip

Wooden toy cars on a table

The car at the top of Inset A has its wheels secured with round-head screws, which is a good alternative. I always find with this method that it is best to fi t three wheels, set the car down on these and then add the fourth – a bit like a milking stool. I would also add that I tend to use steel axles but aluminium rod is easily available and dowelling might be easier in some situations.

Woodwork toy with painted figure inside block

I also mentioned about alternative drivers’ heads and this shows a ‘flat’ driver cut from 6mm ply. It is a larger car but it is just an example of how alternatives can work quite well

Closed-Top Car

Wooden dowel joint clamped in a vise
1. The pieces of staff bead 120mm in length are glued together and two more pieces 50mm in length are also cut and glued together. So the rounded section of the beading if removed is 50mm shorter than the length of the car
Wooden block with drilled holes on workbench.
2. Once the two 120mm pieces have dried, drill the axle holes. I put the front ones quite near the front of the car, the rear wheels are about 25mm in from the back
Woodworking table with wooden joints in progress.
3. Once the 50mm pieces are glued in place (the driver and passenger compartment), shape the front of the piece like a windscreen. Don’t do the back at this stage
Wood vice clamp on workbench in workshop.
4. Glue and clamp the sanded compartment to the main body of the car
Wooden tool handle in workshop vice
5. Shape the front and rear of the car. Shape the underside as well as the top and try not to lose the ‘double bubble’ roof of the passenger/driver compartment
Handcrafted wooden toy cars on workbench
6. The completed coupe, ready for Le Mans

Further Reading

German Ring Turning

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