John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

The wooden toys in this collection were designed and made by Mr. Homer Pittman McNeil in the basement workshop of his residence at 1222 Burnett Avenue, Ames, Iowa.  The majority of the toys were made for his only son, Donald Homer (born in 1941).  They were presented as gifts for Christmas holidays and for birthdays from 1942 through 1946 when manufactured toys could not be purchased due to shortages, rationing, and other restrictions during World War II. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

ZheJiang BanWoLi says: Wooden Toy Factory is a private enterprise specializing in toy manufacture and processing. Owning many years of experience in manufacturing and distribution has cultivated the basic principle of  innovative techniques and a regard for production efficiency. The factory emphasizes talent as a base and treats customers with honor. The Factory covers over 4000 sq.m and has 80 employees. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

Jenn McKee, AnnArbor.com: I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for well-crafted, wooden toys, so Russell Fullone’s booth on State Street, a booth that is part of the Summer Art Fair, made me stop and stare a couple of times. Fullone makes old model fire engines, trucks  that sometimes are carrying small barrels or crayons, cars, golf carts, and more. The toys that more obviously are appealing to an adult audience have a small clock built inside. Here’s Fullone, who hails from Hamburg, New York, talking briefly about how he began making his toys and why he focuses on older model vehicles.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

Lisa Allmendinger, Heritage Newspapers: His first toy was a wooden duck that he continues to sell to this day. “Every time I’d come to the market to sell furniture, I’d sell toys,” he says. Now, the toys dominate his sales at the Sunday Artisan Market in Ann Arbor.  Turbyville sets up his booth to be inviting to children who might want to stop and play with one of the 50 different types he sells. Many of them are moving pull toys. “I want children to come in and play with the toys, walk around dragging them,” he says.

He believes that if people see children playing with the toys, perhaps they’ll want to buy one. The toys are made from a variety of woods, including cherry, birch and oak. There are buses, cars, animals, trains, airplanes, farm equipment and race cars, to name just a few.

The toys include four types of planes and a duck with an egg on its back that moves when the toy is pulled around. In addition to the kids playing with the sturdy toys, the men come into the booth to look at the planes and say they are buying it for their kid, but Turbeyville knows it’s really for them he muses with a broad smile. He says he has two tubs full of toy patterns and makes everything from a Model T to a road grader. The toys range in price from $5 to $50.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

For 10 years, Jack drove truck for a Lorain, Ohio, construction firm. During his 34 years as a paid volunteer firefighter, he drove and operated fire trucks. His truck-driving avocation afforded Jack insight into trucks and their varied capabilities. With the inherent woodworking skills gained from his father, Jack began building model toys for his children. “I made very simple toys at first. They were a lot like my dad’s, robust and durable. While I still make them for children’s play, I also make shelf model units for collectors,” Jack related. Jack builds a wide variety of children’s wood play toys, including: trains, trucks, tractors and more. But his craftsmanship shows through his 1/12-scale model replicas.. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

Nova Natural says: We are a family owned and operated business. Our goal is to create a trusted source for toys and craft supplies that allows children to follow their imaginations.To that end, we offer a carefully chosen selection of products that encourage children’s creativity and spirit. We hope you appreciate the beauty and quality of the toys we’ve presented here and encourage your children to play to their heart’s delight. Your trust is extremely important to us. For that reason, we make the following commitment to you: We will never sell any product that we believe is not developmentally or socially appropriate for children, is harmful to the workers who produce it or is not durable enough to last. Further, we will not directly market our products to your children at any time, ever. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

Playwoods produces wood toy trains, animated creatures and other unique wooden toys in an assortment of whimsical wooden toys and collectibles. The product line included items for children, executives and for the serious collectors. The meticulously designed gifts and collectibles are attractive to all ages, especially those who appreciate wood or collect fine, expertly handcrafted wood toys. All Playwoods toys are manaufactured in the USA. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

This beautifully designed and playful Pintoy Wildlife / Safari Park Set includes a park vehicle, 4 rangers and 1 lion and 1 lioness. The zebra striped park vehicle has a removable roof and opening hatchback, and can seat 4 dolls. The park rangers are wearing helmuts & cotton safari suits, accessories included are: backpack, flask and binoculars. The lion set includes 1 lion, 1 lioness, a rock set and 1 plant. Read More.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans

The enchanting world of medieval court life unfolds with this beautifully detailed folding wooden castle with painted trellises, two removable turrets, balconies, a flying buttress, working drawbridge, secret staircase and lots more to discover and explore.  It is well designed for lots of imaginative play.  The castle is easy to store because of the unique fold-up features. See more about this product at Melissa and Doug.  Dimensions: 17.5″ x 27″ x 15.25″ for Ages 3+.