Toy Pattern: Airplane

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Tools

  • Band Saw or Scroll saw
  • Sanders – Orbital and band
  • Router with round-over bit
  • Drill Press
  • Sand paper or emery boards

Material

  • 3/8” thick wood for wings & rudder
  • 5/16” thick wood for propeller
  • 3/4″ wood for axle support
  • 1-1/8” thick wood for fuselage
  • clothes pin for pilot
  • 3/16″, 1/4″, & 3/8″ dowels
  • 1-1/4″ wheels from the Toy Committee

Instructions

  1. Make full size patterns from print of Airplane parts by gluing to a piece of cardboard. Cut pattern to shape. Draw shape on wood surface and locate various drill centers.
  2. Drill holes as indicated.
  3. Saw items from the specified material thicknesses.
  4. Cut clothes pin to length, drill 3/8″ hole in bottom and glue 3/8″ dowel to bottom.
  5. Glue main wing to fuselage. Glue axle support to wing. Glue pilot through fuselage and wing to axle support.
  6. Glue rudder to fuselage.
  7. Glue 3/16″ dowel through fuselage and tail wing. Sand smooth.
  8. Attach propeller to fuselage with an axle peg.
  9. Cut ¼” dowel for axle to length (axle support width + 2 x wheels thickness + 1/16″ or 3/32″ clearance). It is important to taper the ends of the axles to get them to easily go into the wheels. An easy way to do this is to gently sharpen the axles by turning the sharpener backwards in an old fashioned pencil sharpener-much easier than trying to do this with sand paper.)
  10. Assemble wheel to one end of axle using white or yellow glue (Hot melt will not work.) (An easy way to glue the wheels to the axle is to dip a pencil point into a pool of glue and use the pencil to spread the glue to the inside of the wheel axle hole.) Add second wheel to complete assembly. Test that wheels turn freely. Sand to ease rough or sharp edges. Taper edges of wings as noted.
  11. Rub your hands over the entire vehicle to make sure there are not sharp edges or points. Remove with sandpaper if any are found.

Download pattern here.

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