WOOD TOY NEWS

Wood Toy News

February 4, 2014 Tuesday

How to Super Simple Play Pals

by Toymaker Susan Burkhart

Quickly Make
Multiple Toy
Parts Using
Router Bits.
by Imants Udris “Udie”
Even if you’ve never used a router bit or
are not familiar with routers you’ll want
to read this article. This may be a tool
you’ll want to add to your wood shop!
Some toy projects require making multiples of many Udie prepares to cut multiple
pieces. You also may want to make multiples of
specific toys. You can save a lot of time and reduce
Play Pals car bodies using a router bit.
the repetition of some steps and processes by
creating templates you can use with a router.

Watch the Video!

How to Quickly Make

Multiple Toy Parts Using Router Bits

Watch the step-by-step video on our

For this article Udie used the FREE* Super Simple Play Pals website at: http://ow.ly/tclO0
*The Play Pals plan set is free for a limited time.
plan set available on our website at www.toymakingplans.com.

1 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...

 Wood Toy News
I’ll be describing and demonstrating the use of Making a Set of Router Templates STEP 1 - Make the Plywood Blanks
Flush Trim Router Bits. These are router bits with a
I’ll first make a set of router templates with 1/2” Start with 1/2” plywood to make your router
bearing on the top which follow a template, trimming
plywood sawn on a scroll saw, then I’ll use these templates. Check your scrap bin for pieces. Cut
the attached wood below it to the exact profile of the
templates to cut multiple parts with a 1/2” router. I’ll some blank boards
template. The template will be first created with my
explain all the steps in this article. to accommodate the
scroll saw. I’ll then use my scroll saw template to cut
maximum size of the
multiples of each part using my router bits.
These templates will be used with a router and paper pattern this
Let’s first start by taking a closer look at the router router table to make multiple Play Pals VW cars, plan set requires. In
bits. Here’s a 3/8” and a 1/2” bearing mounted flush Pickup Trucks, Mini Vans, Tractor Trailers and Bat 1/2” thick this case the finished
trim router bit: Cars from common 3/4” pine board stock and 3/4” plywood plywood blanks
MDF. scraps needed to be 2” x 4”.
Why was 1/2” plywood
selected for the
1/2” thickness of the Play
3/8” dia.
dia. Pals templates?
The thickness of the
template was driven
Above: 3/8” dia. flush trim router bit.
Right: 1/2” dia. flush trim router bit.
by the characteristics
of the selected router bit. A “Bearing Mounted
I’ll be making templates and then will cut multiple Flush Trim Router Bit” is required. This is a bit
parts from the templates using the Super Simple that has a bearing attached to one end. I could’ve
Play Pals Free plan set. These plans are free to set of router made templates out of 1/4” and 3/8” plywood, MDF
templates cut
with a scroll saw or hardboard if desired. I’ll explain why below.
plywood
Above: A set of Play Pals templates cut with a scroll saw from template
1/2” thick plywood.
VW Bug
by Toymaker Susan Burkhart 1/32”
bearing router cutting
blades

1/2” dia. bearing

mounted flush trim
router bit
download and use from the ToymakingPlans.com
website for a limited time. Look for the “5 Free Full
Here is a 1/2” bearing mounted flush trim router bit
Size Wood Toy Plans” box on the website home
My VW Bug went from a rough cut piece of wood to positioned on a piece of 1/2” plywood. Two (2) lines
page and click on the “Download Now” button.
a finished cut out vehicle using the following steps are drawn on the green tape, one is 1/4” from the
Enter your email address to download your FREE
and materials. bottom edge of the plywood and the upper line is
Super Simple Play Pals plan set today.
2 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...
 Wood Toy News
3/8” from the bottom edge. Notice the gap between radius. For example, the rear section of the Bat Car stock material for cutting.
the bottom edge of the bearing and the top of the requires a smaller diameter router bit. You can try
router cutting blades. On this bit the gap is quite the 1/2” router bit first and change to the 3/8” router STEP 3 - Attach the Paper Pattern
small around 1/32”, and the distance from the top bit if necessary. Safety is the main reason these This step is very straight forward and you may have
edge of the bearing to the top of the cutting blades templates were made from 1/2” plywood. Plus the done it hundreds of times. Different methods involve
is about 3/16”. What this means is there would be fact my scrap bin had no 3/8” stock, only 1/2”. brushing glue on to the back of your paper pattern,
no problems using this flush trim router bit with any printing on peel-n-stick labels or spraying on an
1/4” , 3/8” or 1/2” thick template. The bearing has a Bat Car
by Toymaker Susan Burkhart adhesive. All of these methods work successfully.
sufficient amount of wood to make contact with and
ride along the edge of the template for safe use. Here’s a tip to save a little money on pattern
adhesion. Thanks to Ken Martin, another
Below is the 3/8” Flush Trim router bit positioned ToymakingPlans.com woodworker for passing this
against the tip along. Ken likes to use this method regularly.
same piece of Whether you are applying glue or using a spray
marked 1/2” adhesive stop looking for old newspapers and use
plywood. a magazine. Why use these magazines such as the
Remember, the It’s very important to always remember it’s
1/8” SAFETY FIRST when freehanding stock on the Renters Guide magazine
3/8” dia. lower line is 1/4”
bearing router table. shown here?
mounted flush from the bottom
trim router bit edge and the They’re free! Most grocery
upper line is 3/8”. STEP 2 - Prepare the Wood Blank for stores have racks of free
the Paper Pattern advertising magazines for
This is where it is important to understand the renting, home buying, etc.
characteristic of each of your router bits. Notice Here’s a tip: Apply a strip of clear packing tape to
the surface of the stock before attaching the paper located at the exit doors.
the gap between the bottom edge of the bearing in Pick up one or two and keep
relation to the top edge of the cutting blades. pattern. The packing tape acts as a lubricant for
the scroll saw blade when cutting. them in your workshop for
On the 3/8” flush trim router bit, this gap is much your next gluing project.
larger, at least 1/8”, and the distance to the top of When removing
the bearing is 1/4” to 5/16”. A 1/4” thick template the paper pattern,
it’s much easier Watch the Video!
should never be used with this router bit. The
bearing doesn’t allow for a sufficient amount of to peel the paper
wood to make contact with and follow safely around pattern and the
the template profile. packing tape off
at the same
It is much safer to use a piece of 3/8” plywood for time. There is no
the templates if using this router bit. The bearing will residual adhesive
have a safe amount of wood to make contact with to remove. This How to Quickly Make
and follow the template. process works not Multiple Toy Parts Using Router Bits
When creating toy templates the 1/2” Flush Trim only for making
router bit works great and does the job. Change router templates. Watch the complete step-by-step video
router bits for template profiles with a smaller It can be used for attaching paper patterns to any on our website at: http://ow.ly/tclO0

3 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...

 Wood Toy News
paper pattern
Open the magazine, place your paper pattern
and apply your adhesive with glue or spray to the
backside as you normally do. The tip is to simply
flip the page over and now you have a new clean
surface to glue or spray your second paper pattern.
Keep the magazine in the shop on standby for the
next gluing or spraying job. When all the pages
are stuck together discard the magazine and start
a new one. There is no cost to you because the
magazines were free. You have eliminated that
pile of old newspapers in your workshop. You don’t
have to look for a clean spot to work and you’ve
contained the mess. These magazines are also
handy for painting jobs.
Here, the spray adhesive is applied to the VW Bug
paper pattern.
4 February 4, 2014 Tuesday
The paper pattern is attached to the 1/2” plywood STEP 5 - Transfer Template’s Footprint
template wood blank. to 3/4” Stock Pine
Check your scrap bin again for a piece of 3/4”
thick pine board and some 3/4” MDF. Rather than
adhering cut out paper patterns to stock wood,
save time by tracing the template footprint of the
VW Bug multiple times. These will become rough
STEP 1 - Cut the Template Pattern
The VW Bug router template shown below has been
cut using the scroll saw. The template has been
sanded to ensure a smooth edge for the bearing of
the flush trim router bit to follow.
cut patterns that will be sawn to exact size later
when using your router bit.
Multiple patterns can be quickly laid out for the
best usage of the wood and preferred grain
directions hence reducing waste. If you know you’ll
be making many of these toys a solid template will
come in handy for quick rebuilds.
STEP 6 - Cut Out the Rough Shapes
But … there are a couple of other handy things you
can do to this template at this stage.
Using a 5/64” drill bit, drill holes in the template
where the center of the axles will be and the
center location rough
for the vehicle’s cut parts
window. The drill bit
diameter selected
allows you to use
1-1/4” finishing nails
in a future step.
www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...
 Wood Toy News
Using a band saw or a scroll saw with a coarse
tooth blade, a rough outline of the VW Bug can be Why Use Router Templates? I used a router template to make these
cut out quickly. Extra cut outs can be made while at wagon bench wheels with complex interior cuts and NO sanding!
This simple template cutout demonstrates the steps we’ve been
discussing. The time and effort you can save is more obvious when
you have to duplicate multiple items that are more complex, larger
patterns as well as toys
notice the interior
that include inside cutouts. radiuses from using
no interior By using the router you’ll a router bit
radiuses eliminate or greatly reduce
the time needed for sanding.

In the photo on the left notice

the rough cutouts for the wheel
spokes. The template cutouts
near the hub and on the inside
rough edge of the outer rim are not
cut parts
rounded. They don’t have to
be. The bearing mounted flush
the saw. I like using a band saw for rough cutting. trim bit will do that for you.
Above: My rough cut wagon wheels
It’s a wonderful tool that cuts through thick stock This is where a lot of time and
effortlessly. My rough cut stack of Play Pal cars effort can be saved. The router makes a clean cut and practically
and trucks are ready for the next step. I’ll be using eliminates any additional need for sanding. You can go right to the
my original sanded scroll saw template to quickly painting stage.
and easily convert these rough cut parts to finished
parts ready to be painted or stained.
STEP 7 - Attach the Template to the Rough Cut Out
Attaching the template is quite simple: a couple The wood template is now securely mounted to the
Watch the Video!
strips of double-sided tape does the job. rough VW Bug cut out. Notice the ledge of visible
wood around the entire template.
template

rough
How to Quickly Make cut part
Multiple Toy Parts Using Router Bits

Watch the complete step-by-step video

on our website at: http://ow.ly/tclO0 ledge

5 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...

 Wood Toy News
STEP 8 - Route the Rough Cut with the the cutting blades don’t extend past the diameter While keeping a constant pressure against the guide
Wood Template of the bearing. You will not cause any damage to pin at point ‘C’, pivot the work piece into the spinning
your template because the diameter of the bearing router bit shown by the direction of arrow number ‘1’.
WARNING: Using a router mounted in a router is exactly the same diameter of the diameter of the By gradually applying pressure into the router bit, the
table with an exposed high RPM spinning bit can cutting blade. Lock this setup in place. wood of the rough cut part will be removed until the
be quite dangerous. If you are uncomfortable Install the guide pin (below). This is a very important router bearing makes contact with the template. The
with this – DON’T DO IT! Freehand routing and step. The guide pin provides a solid contact point dot at the tip of arrow number ‘1’ is the starting point.
small template routing can be very dangerous. allowing you to pivot the wood piece into the router Feed the wood towards the guide pin (to the left). You
This method is not for a novice, but for more bit safely, while maintaining total control. Without the can refer to the video to see this action more clearly.
advanced toymakers who have experience guide pin there is a high possibility small pieces could wood
using a router table and understand its torque be ripped out of your hands as you feed the wood into template
potentials and dangers. the router bit. Your fingers could easily be drawn into
router
Novices should always start with much larger the spinning router bit during the same occurrence. bearing
size templates first. Gaining experience,
understanding the process and getting a feel for
guide
their tool and its strengths and hazards is critical. pin
I offer a tip at the end of this article on how you can
router
make a jig that adds additional safety measures blade
when cutting smaller parts such as the Play Pals
cars and trucks bodies.
Install the flush trim router bit in the router following
the manufacturer’s instructions. Raise the router
bit so that the entire thickness of the bearing will
be making contact with the wood template. You
will notice that a small part of the router bit cutting Position the edge of the rough cut blank against the rough cut part
blades should be above the thickness of the stock guide pin, making a solid contact at point ‘C’ (below).
material you will be routing. That’s okay because
wood
Watch the Video!
template

point C

How to Quickly Make

Multiple Toy Parts Using Router Bits

rough cut part Watch the complete step-by-step video

on our website at: http://ow.ly/tclO0

6 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...

 Wood Toy News
Once you have completed following the template the job is done. Inspect your work to ensure it’s acceptable
and that you did follow the template. If not go over the area again and clean it up. Remove the wood
template from the final part and attach it to another rough cut part and repeat the process.

template removed

wood template
final part routed with paper template
from the rough cut removed

Once the bearing is in contact with the template, STEP 9 - Sand the Edges
router the rough cut part in the direction of arrow The only things left to sand are the edges of the car body profile and a light pass over the routed surfaces.
number ‘2’ until you reach the beginning of the curve Using 150 grit sandpaper I removed the sharp edges of the profile. The router does a wonderful job
(above). Remember while doing this you are still following the template and keeps all the surfaces nice and smooth. Prior to painting there will be an
keeping a constant pressure of the rough cut part inspection of the cutouts and additional sanding if necessary.
blank against the guide pin. This greatly reduces
the risk of the wood from being ripped out of your Now, let’s get this VW Bug finished! In the next steps I’ll drill the holes for the wheel axles and car window.
hands. And I’ll share more router tips.
Once you have completed this step you can safely
remove the guide pin and continue routing, following
the template. Take your time. You can move the
rough cut part away from making contact with the
router bit at any time. Reposition your hands for a
better grip. Take a break and then gently feed the
rough cut part until the bearing makes contact with
the template where you have previously removed
wood and continue from that point.

This is very important to remember: Do not try to

feed the wood into an area that has not been routed. VW Bug
It could easily be ripped from your hands. The by Toymaker Susan Burkhart

bearing must make contact with the template before

you continue following the template.
7 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...
 Wood Toy News
STEP 10 - Mark Locations of Axle and Now these parts can be drilled for the axles and Each time you drill a hole, move your work piece
Window Holes window.
Marking the hole locations for the axles and windows
is straight forward.
Insert the 1-1/4” finishing nails into the pre-drilled
holes from Step 1 and give each nail head a tap
with the hammer. Remove the nails and remove the
wood template from the final part and repeat the
process on the next cutout part.
My actual process is to mark the locations just after
routing the part while the template is still adhered
to the cutout. The video shows me doing this after
each piece has been routed and before the wood
template was removed.
to a new location on the backer board. Try not to
drill through and into an existing hole in the backer
board that defeats the purpose of the backer board.
Watch the video to see how I use the backer board
to prevent tear out.
You will know when you have drilled through the part
and are beginning to drill the backer board because
the wood chips of the backer board will spiral up and
out of the hole. You can watch me doing this in the
video. Usually these chips will be a different color.
If there is any tear out after drilling the axle holes,
this is not a big deal. The wheel will hide this small
imperfection. But ‘tear out’ after drilling a window
detail is not a result you want to see. That is why
you must drill from both sides of the cutout.

For the window hole, set the depth stop of the

STEP 11 - Drill Axle Holes and Window
I used a 1/2” Forstner bit for the windows and a 1/4”
Brad Point bit for the axle holes in the drill press.
Using a flat piece of backer board is very important
when drilling the part. The backer board helps
reduce and in most cases eliminates tear out as the
bit passes through the wood.
Watch the Video! 1/4” brad
point bit
1/2”
forstner bit
How to Quickly Make
Multiple Toy Parts Using Router Bits
Watch the complete step-by-step video
on our website at: http://ow.ly/tclO0
8 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014
drill press so that the tip of the brad point bit just
penetrates through the work piece. This makes a
little hole that will assist in aligning the Forstner bit
center tip. Continue drilling from the opposite side.
In the video you can see I experienced a little problem
with the depth gauge not holding its position. I had
to redrill a couple of times after readjusting the
depth stop gauge. But the hole was nice and clean
with no tear out.
If a 1/2” straight drill bit is used instead of a Forstner
bit, it might help to pre-drill a small hole in the wood
template for the window’s location. You can use a
5/64” drill bit. Drill completely through the cutout.
Don’t be concerned about tear out, but still use a
backer board. This will allow you to drill the window
detail from one side. About half way through the
thickness of the wood flip the wood over and let the
5/64” hole on the other side guide the tip of the 1/2”
drill bit into position. Continue drilling from this side.
If your guide hole was drilled correctly, you will have
a perfectly located and drilled window detail.
continued next page ...
 Wood Toy News
NOTE: I used a round 1/2” drilled hole for my VW BONUS ROUTER SAFETY TIPS
Bug window. You may want to drill a small hole and
scroll saw out the car window with the paper pattern If you are uncomfortable having your fingers so
in place. close to the exposed router bit while it is mounted in
the router table, here is a tip for you.
scroll sawed
window • Attach a piece of 1/4 “clear Plexi-glass to your
VW Bug
by Toymaker Susan Burkhart template.
• Screw it down permanently with two or more
screws.
• Now you will be able to run the wood piece along
the router bit bearing … with your fingers safely
away from the bit, while still maintaining total control
over the work piece.
• Don’t be concerned about damaging the template
STEP 12 - Results with the screw holes, it can be replaced with little effort.
Let’s review the steps and the final results:
• From the paper pattern (top left corner in photo
right), we mounted the pattern onto a plywood blank
to make the complete Play Pals template set.
• Then each vehicle template was cut out using the
scroll saw and sanded until the profile was exactly
what we wanted.

• The templates were then pre-drilled for the axle template.

and window hole locations.
• Using 150 grit sandpaper I sanded over the profile
• Each vehicle shape was traced onto the selected removing the sharp edges.
wood and the router wood templates were mounted
• The axle holes were drilled using a 1/4” Brad
onto these rough cut wood parts.
Point bit. The window detail was drilled using a 1/2”
• A 1/2” Bearing Mounted Flush Trim router bit was Forstner bit.
installed into a router table.
• That’s it … the routing is done.
• The proper height of the router bit was adjusted so
• This is how easy it is to make multiple sets of
that the entire bearing was making contact with
the FREE “Super Simple Play Pals” plans from
the template and locked into position.
ToymakingPlans.com.
• Wearing eye protection and hearing protection, the
• The cut out toys are now ready for painting and
rough cut part was routed following the profile of the
final assembly.
9 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...
 Wood Toy News
• Pre-drill the screw holes in the wood template to better than the original template. Notice the nice
prevent splitting. radius where the truck’s cab meets the truck’s bed.
This was not on the original template. A bearing
mounted bit was used routing into the corners.

Next, mount a new rough cut blank of 1/2” plywood

The best part of using a piece of clear plexi-glass is
you can see exactly what you are doing.
For the Pick Up Truck below I drilled three (3) holes
in the plexi-glass to secure the screws. Then I
placed the plexi-glass over the wood template and
marked the holes to be drilled in the wood template.
I set the plexi-glass aside and pre-drilled the holes
directly into the original wood template to reduce the
possibility of splitting the plywood. I then screwed
the plexi-glass to the wood template.
pre-drill holes in
your template wood template
with double sided tape to the original template.
Finally, adjust the height of the bearing mounted flush
trim router bit in the router table and continue to route
a new template. Your hands and fingers will be at a
safe distance at all times and away from the spinning
router bit. Remember to keep the work piece flat on
the router table when following the template’s profile.
Once routing is completed, remove the screws
holding the plexi-glass to the template and detach
the routed piece from the template.
Quick – easy – and simple – and most importantly,
finished with safety in mind.
This replacement Pickup Truck template is even
You can watch me in the video make the plexi-glass
jig and use the jig to cut the wood toy part on the router
BEARING MOUNTED FLUSH TRIM ROUTER BIT
CHARACTERISTICS
Below is a test piece which includes most of the
profiles commonly found in templates. This piece
includes round cutouts, a square cutout, a triangular
cutout, straight edges, outside corners and a
diagonal outside edge. Let’s see how each profile
was made.
wood template

Watch the Video!

rough cut part final routed part

ready for router

How to Quickly Make

Multiple Toy Parts Using Router Bits

Watch the complete step-by-step video

on our website at: http://ow.ly/tclO0

10 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ...

 Wood Toy News
The first thing you’ll notice is that the square cutout
in the final routed part doesn’t have square inside
corners. The triangular cutout also does not have
a square inside corner in the finished piece. Each
corner exhibits a small radius.
Square inside corners are not possible when using
a bearing mounted flush trim bit. The reason for this
is the router bit bearing diameter is 1/2”. Therefore
mounted flush trim router bit will reduce and possibly
eliminate the need for additional edge surface
final routed
part with inside sanding. So remember your results will only be as
diameter good as your template. Any flaws in the template
will be reproduced on each routed piece.
Making a set of router templates to create the fleet
of Play Pal vehicles can be a big time-saver. We
hope you found this article helpful as an introduction
to the procedure of making router templates and
using your router table to make multiples parts and
original
wood template
profiles. Be sure to watch the video! Download your
copy of the FREE Play Pals plans to make your
own fleet of vehicles at www.toymakingplans.com.

A smaller bit was considered when making the Bat Udie can be contacted at: udris@cogeco.ca
Car tail profile. After comparing the results against the Visit www.toymakingplans.com and download your
original paper template and the wood template, there free Play Pals plan set today!
1/2” dia. bearing
was no need to change the 1/2” bit to a 3/8” bit.
mounted flush The resulting tail section profile for both the MDF
trim router bit
stock and Pine Stock were quite acceptable.

While looking at
the other profiles
the cutting edges of the bearing mounted flush trim of the test piece
bit would also be 1/2” in width. The smallest radius you can see
this bit can produce would be a 1/4” radius in each that the router
square corner. (Radius = diameter divided by 2. In bit followed the
this case it was 1/2” ÷ 2 = 1/4”). Changing to a 3/8” template perfectly,
bearing mounted flush trim bit would reduce the mimicking each
radius to 3/16” (3/8” ÷ 2 = 3/16”). outside corner,
Bat Car rounded cutouts,
using a 1/2” the diagonal edge
A smaller router bit and all inside and
bearing outside straight
diameter edges. This is what a bearing mounted flush trim bit
results in a is capable of producing. When used with a template,
smaller inside the results are 100% repeatable.
3/8” dia. bearing cut radius.
mounted flush The router is the perfect tool when making multiple Play Pals
trim router bit piece parts or outside edge profiles. The bearing by Toymaker Ken Martin

11 February 4, 2014 Tuesday www.toymakingplans.com © 2014 continued next page ... 11