Scrap Wood Toy Dinosaur

Are you stuck at home with a dwindling supply of material in your shop for the next project? Me too! But I do have some scrap wood piling up and so do my friends. So we’ve pulled together some awesome talent for a Scrap Wood “Build at Home” Challenge. We’ve got some great projects we’d love for you to try and share with us as you build along! What did I make? A walnut wood toy Parasaurolophus! A what? One of the dinosaurs with the weird horn/sail thing on his head.

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What You Need

1x6x10″ piece of scrap wood
1/2″ wooden dowel
5/16″ wooden dowel
Jig saw or scroll saw
Drill
1/2″ drill bit
5/16″ drill bit
1/8″ drill bit
Hand Saw
Random orbit sander
Sand paper or sanding sponges
Wood Glue
Food Safe Oil (because kids eat toys…)

Dinosaur Sized Tips & Tricks

Whether you’re scroll sawing with your homies or getting jiggy with your jig saw, take it slow. Make sure your dinosaur isn’t too difficult of a design to cut out and that there are no sharp edges. I free handed my dinosaur design but there are plenty of vector images you can print and cut out for a template.

Sand and then sand some more. It’s okay if the edges are almost round in this case. Wooden toys are going in the hands of little hands so the friendlier the surface the better.

When attaching your arms and legs with the dowels, use a spacer like a paper towel or sheet of paper between the body. It will help with glue squeeze out and leave room for mobility.

Use a food safe finish on the final project. Cutting board oil like the one Walrus Oil sells is a great option. If the kiddo puts it in their mouth, at least the finish is rated as FDA Food-Safe.