CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 8 SHOOTERS 10 Warp-Speed Penny Shooter Step-By-Step 12 Thumb-Action Marble Shooter 24 Pool Cue Marble Shooter 29 Nickel Spinner 34 Ricochet Shooter 39 U-Control Soccer Player 44 LAUNCHERS 50 Tissue-Launching Crossbow Step-By-Step 52 Ping-Pong Ball Launcher 65 Rapid-Fire Nickel Launcher 70 Quarter Flipper 76 Gold Medal Backflip Skier 81 GAMES 86 Golfinator 88 10c Labyrinth Challenge 94 Mini-Croquet 99 Hand Baseball 104 Hand Hockey 109 Hockey Man Target 115 TOYS 122 The Ultimate Adventurer's Vehicle 124 Mine Shaft Digger 134 Airplane on a Stick 139 Extreme Motorcycle 144 U-Draw Instamatic Camera 149 Ball-and-Socket Robot 156 GUMBALL MACHINES 162 Kicker Treat Gumball Machines 164 Paparazzi Gumball Machine 174 Paparazzi Popper 181 Monkey Toss Gumball Machine 186 APPENDIX: WOODWORKING BASICS 194 Index 223
Bob Gilsdorf works as an engineering manager for a semiconductor company that makes microcontrollers and memory chips, but he make toys, furniture and other wooden projects in his spare time.
...I picked up called Zany Wooden Toys That Whiz, Spin, Pop, and
Fly, by Bob Gilsdorf. It took a while, but managed to get hold of
Bob and ask permission to make one of his projects for a video.
Guys, this is one of the best woodworking books I have ever run
across. All 28 projects are ones I would like to build. In most
woodworking books, I'm happy to settle for a couple that look
doable. These are so creative and clever! I wish I had half the
creativity as Bob. All the projects are designed for the total
beginning woodworker: you can do them all with a few basic hand
tools. But what's cool is that they aren't your typical boring
birdhouses and the like. These all do stuff! No, I'm not getting
compensated in any way for all this praise. I just really like the
book. In exchange for using one of Bob's plans, Fox Chapel
Publishing asked me to link to the book here. If you would like to
buy one, they have also given me a discount code that will save you
20%. When you check out, enter coupon code zany20. It's good until
the end of the year. One of the projects in the book is a soccer
player that you control. Using an ingenious rubber band system, his
legs kick a ball, but I am making two modified versions that
feature the heads of Chuck Norris and Mr.T. so they can have a
fight to the finish. I have no doubt Chuck Norris will win. By the
way, did you know that Chuck Norris can win a game of Connect 4 in
three moves? Yeah man. But this ain't the only amazing Chuck Norris
fact. I digress. The project I chose to do for the video is the "10
Cent Labyrinth Challenge". It's really simple to make, but will
drive people nuts trying to solve! Enjoy the video.
I'll warn you now - this book is a lot of fun. Zany Wooden Toys
that Whiz, Spin, Pop and Fly is a collection of woodworking
projects for making the most dynamic toys you have ever seen:
rapid-fire nickel launchers, monkey-tossing gumball machines,
marble shooters, ball & socket robots and so many more
action-packed, noise-making, motion-propelled goodies. These
entertaining gadgets can be made in just an afternoon's time, with
simple materials from the home store, and the easy-to-follow
instructions inside Zany Wooden Toys That Whiz, Spin, Pop, and Fly.
The handy guide provides readers with everything they need to
complete the projects, including basics like: choosing wood, making
cuts, drilling, and painting with lead-free paints and finishes.
There's a special section on how to successfully make wheels, and
axles, and how to work safely with children. Each project includes
a photo of the finished toy, a tool and materials list, diagrams
and instructions for construction, as well as how to operate the
completed plaything. The guide is colourful, and
charmingly-illustrated - keeping both the woodworker and his young
companions on the edge of their seat for playtime. I can't wait to
get my daughter in the shop to make some of these fun projects. I
think we're going to start with the Tissue-Launching Crossbow.
Written by Bob Gilsdorf, a third-generation woodworker, this
224-page softcover is a collection of woodworking projects for
making all sorts of dynamic toys, like marble shooters and
monkey-tossing gumball machines. Each project includes a photo of
the finished toy, a tool and materials list, and instructions for
construction.
Got kids in your life? Zany Wooden Toys That Whiz, Spin, Pop alnd
Fly by Bob Gilsdorf is as fun - maybe more so - for the parents or
grandparents as it is for kids with its plans for some traditional
and carnival type toys including shooters, launchers, handheld
games, a ball-and-socket robot and gumball machines. It's designed
in comic book style, with tips for success from the cartoon
character toy inventor himself.
Become a master toy builder by checking out this book which
features 28 projects that you can build on your own! Divided into
fun sections like Shooters, Launchers, Games, Toys, and Gumball
Machines, there's something for every creative mind to construct! A
section on Woodworking Basics will help you get started, too!
We are at the end of the first week of November and if as a
woodworker you have not yet given any thought to making Christmas
gifts, here is a friendly reminder. In fact, this week's book
review should be a giant hint for gifts for those younger giftees.
A tissue launching crossbow, a pool cue marble shooter, a gumball
machine, a golfinator and, 24 more imaginative toys for girls and
boys. This is what Bob Gilsdorf's book is all about. The book is
full of colour photos and detailed construction illustrations and
great ideas to keep your kids entertained and gamed for hours on
end. The toys are easily made in any home woodshop from simple
materials that you will find in your scrap wood bin. A little glue,
a couple of nails and a little paint and you're done. Tools used
are very basic and the toys are imaginative and fun. The ping pong
ball launcher will keep a child awed and amused. How about a ten
cent labyrinth? Put a dime in one end, twist and turn the toy and
hope to get it back. Hand baseball can use a wooden ball, a ping
pong ball or even a smurf ball to hit a home run. Ah the fun of it
all! Take the book into your shop and have fun building these great
toys.
A public library isn't usually the place where you envision
pounding hammers, snapping rubber bands or wads of tissue flying
through the air. But that's exactly what kids and their caregivers
found Sunday afternoon at the Sand Creek Library as they got a
lesson in building their own wooden toys. "I normally think of Home
Depot for this kind of stuff," said Zeff Gordon, 10. "But I guess
any place is possible." About 25 youngsters and their parents or
guardians showed up to get a lesson in toy making from Bob
Gilsdorf, local author of the book "Zany Wooden Toys that Whiz,
Spin, Pop and Fly." He's an electrical engineer by day but has been
inventing wooden toys with his five sons for the past 18 years. The
book is an accumulation of the various projects they've made
together. Well, most of the projects, anyway. "It's only the toys
that worked," he said. "There were quite a few that didn't make the
cut." He's put on about four similar events in libraries throughout
the area. He said they're popular in the libraries because while
the kids are having fun, they're also learning about the invention
process, physics and even aerodynamics. On Sunday, the kids screwed
and hammered precut pieces of wood into tissue-launching crossbows,
a cool name for a contraption that uses a rubber band and a
clothespin to send tissue balls flying. Andrew Miller, 11, was
excited to be working with tools. He built a birdhouse once but
hasn't had any new projects since it broke, he said. His mom,
Connie Miller, said she was just happy he could have fun. "It's
nice that they can come to the library and they build something but
receive an education at the same time," she said.
Featuring launchers and things that flip, this funny woodworking
book appeals to all ages. Lots of drawings and exploded views with
detailed measurements make assembly easy. Instruction on
woodworking basics and tool usage is tucked in at the end, as are
tips for working with children. This is a delightful addition for
toy makers. Highly recommended.
Bob Gilsdorf is an inventor of Toys That Whiz, Spin, Pop and Fly.
Picking up and reading this book just inspires one to have a go and
make something. It contains toy shooters, launchers, games, gumball
machines and the list is endless. All the projects shown in this
book contain detailed plans, photographic how-to guides and even
suggested paint schemes. The good news is that wood is being used
as an inventive material. Nothing difficult to make here and most
projects can be made by children under Granddads/Dads supervision
using scraps of timber off-cuts. I can only sum up this book by
quoting: "What do you getl when you combine a creative mind, a
spark of ingenuity, a pinch of engineering and the fun of
woodworking?" - 28 of the coolest, easy to make wooden action toys
ever. This book should be part of any school curriculum and would
benefit many a youth club as all the projects can be made with few
tools and would introduce many a future woodworker to our enjoyable
hobby.
Do you have a child who's interested in woodworking? If you're a
parent who has tools, time, and some basic woodworking knowledge,
then you and your child may enjoy completing the 28 projects found
in Zany Wooden Toys that Whiz, Spin, Pop and Fly by Bob Gilsdorf.
In our current society where we are constantly bombarded with
technology that provides instant gratification, the thought of
actually making a toy sounds appealing. I think woodworking could
provide an opportunity to teach kids about hard work and patience.
Imagine, too, the pride they would feel when playing with a toy
made by their very own hands. The toy projects are divided into
categories: Shooters, Launchers, Games, Toys, and Gumball Machines.
Each project begins with a basic layout of the project followed by
wood patterns, a list of materials and tools, and step-by-step
instructions complete with photos or drawings. The material in this
guide seems organized and easy to follow, but I do admit this is
coming from someone with zero woodworking skills. For those of you
who are like me and not too familiar with woodworking, the appendix
will come in very handy. It contains woodworking basics, such as
selecting and cutting wood, drilling holes, how to nail, and
decorating and finishing your wooden toy projects. The appendix
also has time-saving tips as well as a list of toy-making supplies
that should be kept on hand. Safety and working with small children
are also discussed. Zany Wooden Toys, that Whiz, Spin, Pop and Fly
is the perfect book for those who love hands-on projects and aren't
afraid to use a saw. For just $19.95, you and your child will not
only be building toys but memories as well!
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