Wooden Toy – Alligator

We decided to make a special present for our teachers at school. One of the teachers really loved alligators, so we decided to make one for her out of wood.

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Cutting the wood for a toy wooden alligator

So we set out to make one out of wood. First we cut the wood into the rough shape of the toy.

Using a drill press to create a wooden toy alligator

Next, We drilled the wood that we cut. We cut lots of little pieces so the tail could move. We also  drilled a small hole in the center of each small piece.Planing the wood for a toy wooden alligator

To smooth the edges we used a wood plane. Then we sanded each piece with fine grain sandpaper. For the details on the head we made rough cuts using an alligator saw then sanded repeated to get the shape we wanted.

A handcrafted wooden toy alligatorWe laid out the final design before threading the wire through the holes we drilled.

Threading a pipecleaner through pieces of wood for a handcrafted wooden toy alligator

Here we are threading the wire though the holes.  We used pipe cleaners to get a snug fit.  This will make the toy alligator flexible but will also hold its shape well.

Finished toy wooden alligator

Here is the  completed alligator! We named him Claude after the alligator in the San Francisco Academy of Sciences.

Happy Creating!