A Treasury of Wooden Toys, Volume 2

Description

This is a detailed "how-to" book in which the home workshop craftsman will find full-color, illustrated chapter instructions on building a varied collection of wooden toy projects. Included in this second volume of "A Treasury of Wooden Toys' are play aircraft from the Golden Age of flight like the Waco biplanes and the pair of Gee Bee air racers. An Indianapolis race car from the 1940's is presented as a pull toy. Then there's an iconic John Deere farm tractor with huge wooden tires, a toy tough enough for the playground or the sand pile. there's a chapter on building hand-made jigsaw puzzles that settle and delight youngsters on rainy days and family evenings. Girls are not forgotten as two chapters feature a Norman Rockwell doll bed and also a charming doll bunk bed, both big enough for Barbie dolls. The grand project at the end of the book is a unique Noah's Ark that provides hours of quiet play on a soft rug.

Jim Humphries is a retired U.S. Air Fore command pilot with 10,000 hours of flying time. In 1956, he earned his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University and continued his graduate engineering education at the University of Michigan while on active duty with the US. Air Force, eventually earning master's degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Using his engineering an aviation background, he designs and builds quality wooden toys, many of which have survived through generations. He has been married to his wife, Marsha, for over sixty-two years. They have two grown sons, nine grandchildren, and have begun having great grandchildren. As a military pilot, he served for 23 years on active duty, including a combat tour in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He retired as a full colonel in 1979, and flew as an engineering test pilot with Fairchild Aircraft Corporation in San Antonio for fifteen more years. As a writer, he has published articles in military and civilian magazines and newsletters. Writing is a special joy and when he's not designing and building wooden toys, he can be found at the computer crafting a new story. Jim is a long=time Bible teacher in United Methodist Church Sunday schools. He has been a featured speaker at military, professional and Christian events. Now, in his mid-eighties, he is about the business of getting years of toy projects out to the public through colorful how-to-books.