Two pillars of this site are about wooden toys: how to make them, and which ones to buy. This third pillar — LEARN — is about everything else: the finish you put on the toy, the saw you use to cut it, the way you sand it smooth, the way you keep your shop safe with kids in the house. Skim the guides below before your first build. Come back when you hit something you don't know.
Finishes & toy safety
Child-Safe Finishes
By Jess Reid. Which finishes are genuinely safe for toys a child will mouth — beeswax, milk paint, ECOS — and which to avoid.
Choosing Wood for Toys
By Jess Reid. Which woods are safe and durable for kids' toys, which to avoid (cedar, walnut, cocobolo).
Toy-Safety Standards Explained
By Jess Reid. ASTM F963 and EN71-3 in plain language — what they test, what they miss, what parents should actually check.
Tools & technique
Beginner Tool Kit
By Tom Hartley. Under-$200 starter kit + upgrade path. What to buy, what to skip.
Sanding Fundamentals
By Tom Hartley. The grit sequence, the technique nobody teaches.
5 Woodworking Joints for Toy Makers
By Tom Hartley. Butt, dowel, dado, screwed, magnetic — the only five joints you need.
Wood Glue Showdown
By Tom Hartley. PVA vs Titebond III vs cyanoacrylate — the three glues every toy maker needs.
Workshop Safety With Kids
By Chris Bell. Four zones of workshop safety, PPE by age, what we don't do.
12 Beginner Mistakes That Ruin Toys
By Chris Bell. The list I wish I'd had when I built my first push car. Read this before your first build.
Wood care & woodworking answers
Our older woodworking-tips library — finishes, glues, dimensional lumber, deck care. Answer-style posts for the questions every weekend woodworker eventually Googles.
Ready to build something?
Once you've picked your tools and your finish, the workshop is calling.
Browse build plans