A woodworking community of learning and craftsmanship.

Let’s Build Toys!

In one form or another we've been building toys for over 28 years. These toys are made by SDFWA volunteers who give their magic-made-of-wood to causes such as orphanages, children's hospitals, women's shelters, and pre-schools. Two years ago they bundled their 15 favorite toys into a How To book entitled “Constructing Wooden Toys” and soon you'll be seeing it appear on the pages of our website.

Starting in July we'll be posting one toy per month. Our goals are to 1) get more people interested in making toys, 2) grow our toy-maker build groups and 3) encourage people to buy Constructing Wooden Toys. Each month we'll post another chapter from the book and over the next many months you'll find detailed designs for the following:

Small Cars and Trucks
Weedwacker
Circle Animal Puzzle
Duck (Push or Pull)
Doll Bed/Cradle
Honey Bee
School Bus
Counting 1-2-3-4
Hopping Frogs
Car Transporter
Grasshopper
Mouse
Hippo
Rolling Rattle
Helicopter

Every chapter provides plans and step-by-step instructions for making the toys. Each month we'll also provide the book's tips, techniques, and jigs unique to toy making for safely machining small toy parts. Our Toy Build Companion reference is included below as our first installment in the series … to prime your nascent toy-making engine.

Toy-Build-Companion Download

Plan now to build them as they're released!
Add toy making to your repertoire of woodworking skills.
Feel the joy of giving a child the gift of something handmade.

Craftsman Referral Terms

BACKGROUND
The San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association (SDFWA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the education, promotion, and execution of the principles of fine woodworking.
The SDFWA frequently receives requests from people seeking the service of a woodworker. Therefore, although custom woodworking for hire is not the purpose of our organization, we offer this referral service to the public so that they might connect with a woodworker.

SCOPE
SDFWA does not screen or warrant the skills or work of any craftsman. The public should use their own discretion and due diligence before hiring any craftsman, from any source, including this one.
The sole role of SDFWA in this referral service is limited to providing our member woodworkers with your completed form. It is up to each craftsman to initiate a contact with the requester.

PROCEDURE
After a requester submits a project, the form will be emailed to our list of participating craftsmen. If a craftsman is interested in the project, they will contact the client directly, and a two-way conversation can begin.

As the craftsmen themselves choose which projects to respond to, this means that it is probable that some project requests will receive no response. If you do not receive a response in a reasonable time, please submit your request again, using the provided referral form.
Note that contacting SDFWA directly will not achieve the desired results.

DISCLAIMER
By agreeing to these Terms, and by continuing to submit this Referral Form, and by utilizing one or more of the services of any of these craftsmen, you are agreeing to contract exclusively with that individual craftsman and to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the SDFWA Organization, its officers, officials, employees and volunteers from any and all claims, injuries, damages, losses or suits including attorney fees, arising out of or in connection with the performance of this agreement, and any and all failures, damages, or otherwise negative outcomes caused directly or indirectly by the craftsmen you employ to do any project initiated by this Form. This does not preclude you from pursuing legal remedies from the individual craftsman that you employ. But any remedy you pursue is restricted to that individual craftsman, and does not include the SDFWA organization or any of its volunteer members.