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Push and play noisemaker toy
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This noise-making mower is sure to be a hit
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By Art Mulder, photos by Roger Yip, illustration by Len Churchill
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Fine-tuning all of the mower mechanism parts ensures that they work together smoothly and that noisy fun comes effortlessly
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Get it Together
Use epoxy to glue the four dowels into one of the wheels, mount the noisemaker blocks, and then glue on the second wheel. This is one toy that will probably get dragged all over the house, so strong joints are essential.
With the wheel assembly complete, turn your attention back to the curved uprights. Clamp them together, mark and cut them to final length, then cut a gentle curve at both ends to soften the look and reduce the number of sharp corners. Next, glue the uprights together where they meet at the top. Once dry, drill four 1/4"-dia. holes, glue in some dowels and chisel them flush. The dowels are both for reinforcement and decoration. I chose bloodwood here, to give a nice sharp visual contrast to the light-coloured maple uprights.
Mounting the crosspiece is rather finicky. First, measure about an inch above the wheels on the uprights, to mark where you want the crosspiece to sit, then trace the curve of the uprights onto the crosspiece board. Also, draw a curve on the crosspiece from side to side to reduce its thickness and visual weight. The board is 2 1/2" wide at the ends and tapers to 1 1/2" wide in the centre. Carefully cut out these curves, then glue and clamp the crosspiece into position with 1/4"-dia. dowels. Glue them in place and chisel flush.
To add handles to the toy, I used some 5 1/8"-long Shaker coat pegs. If you have a lathe, this is a good opportunity to turn an interesting spindle to serve as a handle.
Most ready-made Shaker pegs have a tapered dowel section, which needs to be modified for strength for this project. I adapted mine by trimming the pegs to a cylindrical cross section where they plug into their mounting holes. I secured mine with epoxy.
The final step of the project is to attach the wheel assembly to the uprights. Again, I bought some ready-made wooden project parts and used them in a new way. Stovepipes intended for toy locomotives make great axle pins, or you could turn your own.
Drill a pair of 5/8" holes, one at each of the lower ends of the uprights, about one inch in from the ends. Dry-fit the stovepipes into place, measure and trim the excess “axle” length to ensure a tight fit. Use epoxy to glue the axle pins in place. For finish, I applied Danish oil.
I built this toy a little over six years ago, and it has borne the use well. Our kids still enjoy playing with it. It's my hope that this is one workshop project that will be treasured for years to come and truly become an heirloom.
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