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Another toy for a youngster - the tumbling ladder. Lacking the artistic tallent,
I printed clip art figures and glued them to the tumbling blocks. Rubber bands temporarily hold the blocks from tumbling in
the wind for the photo shoot.
Ethnic diversity can be a learning incentive.
Dozer has a removable driver - possible choking hazard for the very young.
The blade moves forward and back as it is pushed or pulled.
Teddy-Bank has a coin slot between his legs. It is blocked until the lever
is pushed down. The coin drops and he raises his arm in a Thank You salute. A plug in the bottom allows for retrieval of coins.
It is easily removed for recycling.
The folding step stool started in a CAD program. Pivot points and interferences
soon become complex in two-dimensional drawings. It seemed simpler to resort to minature model making; standard processes
with cardboard and toothpicks saved a lot of time over CAD manipulations.
I was about to discard the model when I thought, "Wait, I can check out a paint scheme." Adults
may prefer muted wood tones, children like things bright. Result: I included the minature model with the gift and it became
Barbie's Step Stool.
This was an early attempt at furniture design and construction. The time
was before I had a personal computer so it was done the old fashioned way, Tee-squares, triangles, scales, and lots and lots
of erasers. I forewent drawers for a hinged lift up top. I thought that was safer for little fingers.
Made for first granddaughter, it got passed on to grandaughter #2, her cousin.
From there it went on to grandsons. Construction held up pretty well.
Table and chairs were made from a counter top shop's sink cutouts, purchased
for $1 per piece. Made for a neighbor's young daughter, it was sturdy enough to survive a few years until her brother came
along. Hopefully, it is still usable.
The photo is labeled KDTable, the KD stands for Knock Down. The set is easily
disassembled for storage as the connections are by confirmat screws. Color was limited by the top shop's inventory. I needed
a large cutout for the table, smaller ones would do for the chairs. I think the red goes well with the red oak.
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