# Wood Monster Truck Bank



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Years back I'd made a nice little pine piggy bank, for my grand-dau. It was passed along to my 3yo grandson a bit back, and that's the first I'd seen it in years. Turned out my then dau-in-law had put a half dollar in it, and to get it out hacked the devil out of the coin slot - making it large enough for the grandson to get some of his very small toy cars in it. Really irked me, because I'd made the inside so it was very easy to shake the coins out - the the dau-in-law was too impatient to wait. Well, when I saw it, I volunteered to make another, but my son said he would prefer a monster truck bank. OK, no prob. Found a picture of Gravedigger, and modeled it, loosely, on that. 

You'd think a bank would be simple, right? Not so much. I made masters, so I could rout the pieces out (used 3/4" plywood) to have them all accurate. A total of 8-9 masters, I lost count. A 'lot' of lessons learned on this. 
Don't use 3/4" plywood on the next bank, use 1/2".
Don't make curves on the inside of the bank, you can't cut them really smooth, and the interior is not neat. No one will ever see it, but I know. Next time it's straight lines, and a straightedge tacked down so I can rout straight lines.
The original plan was four bolts to hold a plate in the bottom, to hold the coins in. The final result was two bolts, and the next one will have just one.
Do not glue up without using a glue jig. I got it glued up neatly, motly, but with my mods along the way it made a few pieces stick in, or out, so it needed more smoothing than it should have. The 3/4" stuff is tougher than oak, I couldn't find my sander, had to use a different one, and didn't have any course sandpaper. So sanded until I got tired, it's smooth, but not totally level. Good enough.

Dropped it off today, and he loved it. If you call it a bank, he will immediately correct you and tell you it is a 'monster truck'. My son wanted strong enough so the grandson could sit on it. Well, all the sides are 3/4", and you could probably park a car on it without breaking it. I left it plain, so if he wants to decorate it later, he can. If I make another, the next one will be a little higher on the tires, and possibly 9" wide, so it is a bit more to scale. Don't know what it weighes, but it's heavy, and I'm sure it will hold more than three gallons of coins. It's 15 1/4" long, 10 1/2" tall, and 12" wide. Here's a picture of Gravedigger, and a couple of the bank. Oh yeah, and a copy of the 'detailed' plan - bad picture. Not bad for a half sheet of plywood.

The next project will be a piggy bank, 16 1/2" long, 9 3/4" tall, probably 12" wide again, and should hold about 4+ gallons I figure, and this one will only need three masters.


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## beemor (Feb 29, 2012)

My grand son would love it - hey my son would love it!


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

beemor said:


> My grand son would love it - hey my son would love it!


Well, I've got pictures of the build. If people want to see those, I can post them, then they can make their own version.

Or, I am working up a MarkII version of the truck bank. It'll be 1/2" plywood, and also a half sheet. With the improvements, hopefully it will go a lot faster, and much easier. I am working on canes just now, and the piggy bank design, at the same time, so the truck bank will most likely be 'after' the piggy bank. 

And, if someone is really desperate, I will send them all my masters, for the cost of the postage. :laugh:


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## beemor (Feb 29, 2012)

*truck bank pics*



JOAT said:


> Well, I've got pictures of the build. If people want to see those, I can post them, then they can make their own version.
> 
> Sounds good. I work better from actual pictures than anything else.


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## bosox (Jun 12, 2012)

It looks great. Such a unique idea to make a truck bank.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Looks great? No. Looks good? Yes. OK, I'll post the build pictures. I think they're all in consecutive order. For my masters I cut out each separate piece from 1/2" plywood, get the outside, and inside, all shaped and smoothed. Then mark the outside and inside on another piece of 1/2" plywood, drill some holes in the center, for the saber saw to cut the inside out; glue the two pieces together. Next rout, using the top finished half as the guide. That will give two identical pieces glued together, to make a 1" thick master. The sides are all 3/4", I mark a line all around at 3/8", then drill nail pilot holes 1" apart all around the master. I mark this "master', so it doesn't inadverdently get tossed, or used in whatever I am making. I make a master this way for each different piece. I like the 1" thickness, gives some heft, makes it a lot easier to control, and makes keeping you pinkies away from the whirly part much easier. 
OK, masters, not necessaryily in the order I made them:
Body.
Frame - part the body and wheels are glued to.
Wheels/tires.
Inner piece. 
Center piece - with a brace running end to end, to keep it from flexing after cutting
the coin slot, and coin dump. I cut the coin dump first, it's narrower, then glue
some inner pieces on each side to the width I want the coin slot, then cut that.
Then more inner pieces.
Partial wheels/tires - this is cut so the wheel/tire is glued to it, got to flip two, so
they aren't all for either the front, or back. Done right this will let you glue up
the wheels and slip them right into place. 
I made a master for a piece to go on each side of the coin dump slot also, angled at 
both ends to help guide the coins being removed. I also drilled them, so I could
put a T-nut into two, to hold the bolt holding the coin holder inner plate, then
glued one on each to insure the T-nut never came loose. 

I use 1+" sinker nails to hold my masters on. Works very well for me. On a couple of the masters, particularly body, frame, partial wheel, I mark on them to make one, or two, depending on what part it is, then flip it, and make the rest. That will insure that the nail holes are not on the outside, showing. I mark instructions on both sides of the masters, then don't have to remember anything, just read instructions. 

I really should have used a glue jig, but I didn't. It would have helped, but as I was making changes as I went along, there are a few odd lumps and bumps on the outside that needed sanding. I highly recommend starting with the center pieces, do the holes, then the inner pieces, best glue in the coin guides at this point, then more inner pieces to the desired width, the frame part, then the body, and tires.

That is about as detailed instructions as you're going to get just now. Picture time. Feel free to ask questions after.

My Gosh, looking at those pictures confuses even me.


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## tmnt2210 (May 10, 2013)

that is cool- great work!


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

tmnt2210 said:


> that is cool- great work!


Thanks. I'm (very slowly) on version II, which will be bigger, and better. Lots of priorities over it tho, so it's going to be a long time in coming. In the mean time I will be going along with my large piggy bank, slowly.


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