Waldorf Style Wooden Animal Toys

Waldorf-style Wooden Animals

Materials:

½ or ¾ inch hobby board (something like this)

Watercolor Paints (Non-toxic. I use Van Gogh tubes)

Wood Oil (I use this kind when I use store-bought)

 

Equipment:

Paint Brushes and rags

Band Saw or Scroll Saw

Carving knives (NOT a box knife or x-acto knife!! You will break the blade and put your eye out. Try these.)

Sand paper (course, medium, and fine)

Optional: Wood burner (I have this one)

 

Overview:

Trace template onto wood

Use your saw to cut out the shape

Use your carving knives to shape the edges and details

Sand edges and corners

Burn and/or paint details

Finish with wax

 

Time: 3 days

Introduction: We like wooden animal toys. We like them a lot. As far as my pre-schooler is concerned, 12 little wooden ducks is way better than two. They can have parades. They can all go to a restaurant and eat noodles together.  They can pile into a bag and get carried up and down the stairs over and over again for no apparent reason. You just can't do that with two (for some reason...).

So I have found that designing and creating them on my own is far more satisfying - and interesting - and bank-friendly - than spending untold sums on the Ostheimer varieties that I covet in the stores. Shortly after making the first batch or two for my kids, I started selling these on Etsy – they have been far and away my most popular item. Unfortunately, people love them so much that it’s been impossible for me to keep up with demand – they are very time-consuming to make, I have two small kids and a full-time career that isn't making little wooden critters, and I simply don’t have the time to do it all. So, I figured that if people love them so much, maybe a tutorial would be helpful to those looking for similar toys for their children, without the Ostheimer prices.

Maple Hedgehog

I did not own a single power tool until I started making these, which tells you how much of an expert I was.  So to get started, I tried searching the web for a good tutorial, and found surprisingly little. I’ve now made over a hundred of these, and experimented with all sorts of paints, polishes, wood types, and tools, so maybe I can provide some assistance to others.  I hope that some people find the information useful!

 

Step 1: The first step is to draw out your pattern on a piece of paper. You can draw pretty much whatever you want, but here are a few tips. (1) First, any long thin pieces - think tails, antlers, horns, skinny legs - are likely to break if they are too long and thin. This is disappointing for an older child, and potentially dangerous for a small child since the broken parts could be a choking hazard. So, aim for chunky designs. (2) Next, any narrow openings (e.g. between ears) are very difficult to carve, sand, and paint. This isn't a huge problem, but might make the finished version look less polished if you are going for a nice finish. So again, keep the design simple. 3) These get heavy when they are larger than about 3 x 4 inches….this is fine if your child is not inclined to throw things or drop them on their toes. If they might get thrown at a friend or sibling, keep them small and light.  If you will only be making one of a given type, you can cut out your paper design and trace it directly onto the wood. However, if you may want to make multiple copies, it is worth tracing your pattern onto something sturdier like cardboard (e.g. cereal or cracker box), then using that to trace onto the wood.

 

Step 2: Trace the outline onto your wooden board.  If you do have some longer, thinner parts (legs, tails, etc.) your figure will be sturdier if the length of these parts goes along with the grain of the wood, not across the grain.

Depending on the size of your figure, you’ll want to use either ½ inch or ¾ inch wood. ½ inch is about right for small animals that are less than about 3 inches long/tall. Anything bigger than 3-4 inches is more balanced in ¾ inch thickness.

 

My favorite is poplar – it is soft enough to be reasonably easy to carve and sand, it has an even light color that takes paint well, and it is stronger than pine (it doesn’t scratch or chip as easily). I sometimes use maple, which is harder than poplar.  Maple doesn’t take detailed carving or painted color as easily as poplar, so I tend to use it for larger, simpler shapes that will be polished naturally without painting. It’s perfect for wooden teething toys for babies, for example, that will not be colored and have smooth, simple shapes (and the harder wood stands up to extra abuse). I do not use pine because it’s too soft for my taste, and it paints unevenly – it takes scratches and dings when dropped. However, pine is very cheap and it’s easy to work with, so it might be a good choice for a first try or a practice run. Harder woods also tend to be heavier, so pine and poplar are safer if you are worried about a toy being thrown or dropped. You can experiment with the type of wood that you prefer – but poplar is a safe bet for getting started.

 

Two geese, fresh off the band saw

Step 3: This part is pretty self explanatory. Using a scroll saw or a band saw, cut out the shape from the wood, leaving a little extra space (1/16 inch or so) for sanding. If you don't have power tools, but have a lot of motivation, you could hand-cut using a jigsaw instead. Then you'll decide you never want to do that again, and that it's worth it to go find a band saw. Try Craigslist.

Baby Chicks, before and after carving

Step 4: This step, for some reason, was the trickiest for me to figure out. Somehow I made it this far in the world without being aware of carving knives. Just sanding the sawn edges works, but doesn't give the nice contours that I wanted - much less the little details like spaces between ears or paws. Realizing that there must be something obvious I was missing for ways to shape wood, I finally stumbled on what was, indeed, obvious. Carve it. Please use strong, sharp knives designed for the purpose, rather than risking your fingers and eyeballs with an X-Acto knife. I use Flexcuts like  these and love them! The guy in the woodworking store would not let me leave with my new knives unless I also got a glove to keep from cutting off my fingers. These woodworking guys turn out to know their business, and should be listened to. Protect your hands. Use your carving knives to safely trim all of the edges and corners. You can also use them to add details too small for your saw, like a notch between rabbit’s ears, the outline under a paw or a chin, etc.

Baby Chicks, sanded

 

Step 5: Sand, starting with the coarsest grit (either 60 or 80). This step is the longest and most tedious part. It may take 30 minutes or more to do each grade of sandpaper, especially on larger figures.  While I have an oscillating belt sander, my experience is that these really just need to be sanded by hand (feel free to try your sander if you have one).  In the first pass, get all of the blemishes, edges, and marks that you want to get - do NOT leave them thinking that the next rounds will smooth them out. If 60 grit doesn't do it, nothing will. Once everything is smooth, do a round at medium (100-150 grit) then fine grit (200+) to make it silky smooth.   You can go as fine as you like (400 grit or higher), but unless you are working with a very fine-grained wood, there will be diminishing returns past about 220.  Now,  if you didn't listen and still have saw marks, go back and clean those up with your 60 grit, then go back over with all the others to clean up the scratches you made. Your critter should be incredibly smooth now.

Christmas Mouse with
burned details and paint

 

Step 6: You can use a wood burner, watercolor paints, or other paints to decorate your animal. I always start with a wood burner because it makes nice details like eyes or whiskers that will not fade or get smudged. A wood burner will also help make dividing lines across the grain, where paints are likely to bleed along the grain (burning a line helps to prevent the bleed). A wood burner isn’t completely necessary though, especially if you are not doing small details. I use watercolor paints because they soak into the wood, and won’t chip or peel like acrylics. They also look more natural to me, allowing the wood grain and texture to show through. If you prefer a strong, bright, opaque color, you could use acrylic paints instead. Be sure to let your paint dry completely – leave it overnight just to be sure.

A batch of baby chicks, 
basking in wax

 Step 7: Last, you’ll need to finish the wood. There are tons of options here, from polyurethane (very safe once cured) to plain old mineral (baby) oil. Too many options to review them all. However, my favorite is a home-made blend of beeswax and oil. The oil soaks into the wood, and the beeswax provides an outer protective coating - and all are food-safe and nontoxic. Which oils? There are various options, like mineral oil (often used for chopping block and salad bowl conditioners), jojoba oil, coconut oil, or walnut oil. In an ideal world, I would use beeswax with walnut oil - but walnut oil  can be difficult to get a hold of, so I often use coconut oil instead.  Melt them together in a double-boiler, and let them cool. A good substitute for a hand-made wax is a butcher block oil that you can pick up from a hardware store. 

Mama Duck, all done

I like to use a simple oil/wax finish because it leaves a natural, smooth finish on the wood. However, it is not watertight. If you want a more durable and waterproof finish, you can pick up a polyurethane or acrylic sealer that will do the job. I don't like using these on toys, even though some of them do cure to a food-safe finish. A simple spray-on polyurethane is a solid choice if you want your toy to be water resistant for some reason, like making a bath toy or something for outdoors. If you use anything other than butcher-block oil, be sure to do your research to make sure that it will be satisfactorily non-toxic.

 

If you use an oil/wax finish like mine, you’ll want to rub in a thick layer, and let it sit overnight. The next day, use a clean, soft cloth to wipe away the excess and polish it - then apply a second coat and let that one sit for at least an hour. Wipe off the extra finish and rub the wood to a shine with a soft cloth.  If you choose some other finish, just follow the directions on the package.