# Making little people



## fishlore (Oct 28, 2007)

I want to make some simple peg figures for toy vehicles. These seem to be a 2 in length piece of 7/8 dowel with one end turned into a ball (the head). What is the best way to make them? Wood crafter supplies company sell them ready-made quite cheaply, but I want to use wood to match the rest of the project.


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Assuming you have a lathe and jaw chuck, you would do best simply putting one end of a dowel in the chuck and rounding the head with a skew chisel or detail gouge. Fairly simple task, but you could also buy the pre-made ones and stain them to match your project.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI fishlore

If you don't have a lathe you can make a jig and do it on the router table with the bit below.


http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...tml/pages/bt_bull.html#train_track_bit_anchor


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fishlore said:


> View attachment 16778
> I want to make some simple peg figures for toy vehicles. These seem to be a 2 in length piece of 7/8 dowel with one end turned into a ball (the head). What is the best way to make them? Wood crafter supplies company sell them ready-made quite cheaply, but I want to use wood to match the rest of the project.


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## fishlore (Oct 28, 2007)

Thank you, gentlemen, for the helpful suggestions. I'll try the skew chisel (haven't used that one before).


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## philland (Oct 3, 2008)

fishlore said:


> View attachment 16778
> I want to make some simple peg figures for toy vehicles. These seem to be a 2 in length piece of 7/8 dowel with one end turned into a ball (the head). What is the best way to make them? Wood crafter supplies company sell them ready-made quite cheaply, but I want to use wood to match the rest of the project.


You could also turn them between centers and do 2, 4, 6, or 8 at a time by doing them end to end.

Hope it helps.


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## fishlore (Oct 28, 2007)

*turning little people*

Would you lay them out like this? Would I turn them and then cut them apart?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI fishlore

I was going to just for kicks go out in the shop and make some on the router lathe but I could not find my bit to do it with..

But I'm sure you will get it done on the normal lathe.

Just in case you say what the heck is a router lathe, the last 3 snapshots show the lathe.

Little People Duplicating Templates: Set of 3
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/TPL101.html

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lathe-duplicator-attachments.html
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/universal-duplicator.html
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## philland (Oct 3, 2008)

fishlore said:


> Would you lay them out like this? Would I turn them and then cut them apart?




Kind of. But I would make the bodies twice as long with a head on each end. 
(if one is --o then o----oo----oo----o) Where the two heads come together make them two heads long with a little bit extra. You could use a parting tool to separate the heads (or nearly separate them) then cut apart and sand away the excess.

Just one idea. The other ideas are good too.

Phil


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Hi Phil,

I like your idea and it saves a lot of individual set up time as well in making quantities of these. Good thinking!


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## fishlore (Oct 28, 2007)

Maybe this question should be in a router forum not lathe questions, but it has to do with my earlier question about making wooden people for toys. Perhaps it is because I am not a very good turner, but I find that making the round heads of the figures is challenging. I can get fairly close with the skew chisel that was recommended but when I cut the heads apart, I get a flat spot on top. I've tried sanding it out but it looks sloppy.

I observed that when I feed the end of the dowel into a round-over router bit, the result is a perfectly smooth spherical top like the figures that are sold commercially. I tried starting on the router and then putting the piece in the lathe jaws to the rest of the shaping. This works OK but the last foot or so of dowel can't be used because I have no way to hold a short piece of dowel on the router table to feed the end into the bit. Is there a jig or holder that I could use.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi fishlore

I'm not to sure how deep you are going to get into making little people but you may want to check out the links below 

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/TPL101.html
http://www.pennstateind.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?

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fishlore said:


> Maybe this question should be in a router forum not lathe questions, but it has to do with my earlier question about making wooden people for toys. Perhaps it is because I am not a very good turner, but I find that making the round heads of the figures is challenging. I can get fairly close with the skew chisel that was recommended but when I cut the heads apart, I get a flat spot on top. I've tried sanding it out but it looks sloppy.
> 
> I observed that when I feed the end of the dowel into a round-over router bit, the result is a perfectly smooth spherical top like the figures that are sold commercially. I tried starting on the router and then putting the piece in the lathe jaws to the rest of the shaping. This works OK but the last foot or so of dowel can't be used because I have no way to hold a short piece of dowel on the router table to feed the end into the bit. Is there a jig or holder that I could use.


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