10-4 good buddy - wood Semi Truck

My first attempt at semi truck took this form. The trailer and the cab were contructed from the re used church pews that my Opa had built. The hymn book holders were cut to length and joined face to face to make the " box" and cab.
The bumper was sort of an after thought because it is proud of the chassis. Actually, I had to glue a small spacer to make the bumper clear the front wheels.

I use water based coloured dyes for the finish. On this particular unit I rubbed in wax to seal the blue dye.

When I first started to experiment with finishes, I applied the coloured stain and let it dry. Next I applied water based Varathane. The Varathane would make the coloured stain run.

I've learned that you can mix water based Varathane with the coloured dye solution. The ratio is not critical but start with 50/50 and add dye as required to achieve the colour strength you are looking for.
When this coat is dry, apply the water based Varathane. The Varathane that was mixed the coloured dye will allow the straight Varathane to bind to the existing dye/Varathane mix.

I enjoy working with the coloured stains because of the different hues you can make and using a water based Varathane is easier on the lungs and hands - easy water wash up.

1/2 ton truck

This truck is modelled after a generic 1/2 ton pickup. It was the very first wood truck I had made back in Dec of 2007. I built it for my nephew who was only a few weeks old at the time.

I had some problems with locating axles holes in the chassis. From this project on I use a hand held dowel jig(Wolfcraft) and a cordless drill to accurately locate all the axles at exactly equal distance from the bottom of the chassis. This prevents the toy from rocking on a flat surface.

My nephew has put this toy to the ultimate test and has shown the axles to be less tough than I had estimated. The outboard end of the axles were breaking off - paralell with the grain.
I cut the axles off flush with the chassis and drilled new holes for the new axles. One washer goes under the axle 'hub' ( between the axle and the wheel) and one between the wheel and the chassis. I die cut plastic washers from an ice cream pail lid. (5/16" I.D. and 5/8" O.D.)
Time will tell if this will fix the broken axle problem. June 2009