I carved out this giraffe and some wheels on the X-Carve out of 1" thick plywood. The wheel axles are 1/4" dowels. What’s better than a giraffe on wheels?
30 minutes
Carve out all the shapes in the Easel file.
I found tabs helpful for keeping everything in place while carving, but you may want to use double-sided tape on the wheels to make sure the tabs don’t impact how smoothly the wheels roll.
5 minutes
I used the holes in the wheels to estimate how long each dowel should be. Insert one end of the dowel through the axle hole and into one of the wheels. Mark how long the other part of the dowel should be in order to account for the other wheel to go on the other side of the dowel. Cut the dowel with a hand saw, box cutter, or your preferred cutting method.
To make sure the dowels moved freely in the hole on the giraffe, I sanded down the middle of each dowel so it was slightly more narrow than the holes in the wheels and on the giraffe’s body.
Make sure to test how smoothly the dowel spins inside the axle hole before proceeding to the next step!
30 minutes
I used a variety of acrylic paints to decorate my giraffe. I found it easier to paint the wheels before they were glued to the giraffe. Plus, this way
I finished everything with an acrylic sealant so the paint wouldn’t chip. A polyurethane would work for a protective layer as well.
15 minutes
Once your dowels are cut, glue one end of the dowel into one of the wheel holes. Wood glue or Jet super glue works great! Do this with the second dowel and another wheel. You should have two dowels, each with one wheel glued on and one end with nothing on it.
When the glue dries, insert the dowel into the axle hole. Glue on the second wheel and clamp securely to make sure the axle stays straight.
All done! Enjoy your new toy :-D
These are easy toys to make in a variety of sizes, animals, and types.
