Grayson Tewksbury photo

Here's a duck that looks as if he really likes dry land: his head nods and his tail wags and he'll be around for a good long while.

Toys are as much fun to make as for the kiddies to play with. The sailor duck pull-toy is an easy project that will fill an evening, and the result is a sturdy hand-me-down that will far outlast the equiv­alent toy sold in stores.

Use 1/2-inch plywood or other wood for the main body (NJ, and for head (J) and tail (L). For filler pieces (M), (P) and (K), use 5/8-inch thick solid wood. The wheels (O) are of 3/4-inch solid wood.

The use of full-size drawings on heavy paper will be a big help in cutting out the parts.

To start, cut out all parts and then drill 3/8-inch holes for the head and tail dowels in both body pieces (N). To do this easily, temporarily tack pieces (N) together. Then drill 3/16-inch holes for the wheel axles.

To make the wheel axles, bend No. 14 galvanized wire to the shape shown in the drawing. Countersink and counterbore the holes in the wheels as shown, so that or­dinary bottle caps can be used as hub caps. Washers should be used between the wheels and the main body.

For smoother operation, put paraffin on the axles. It is important that both wheel axles be bent to exactly the same shape. Countersink the head and tail holes where the axles goes through, on both sides, just as you would for flathead screws.

Use a lead-free paint on the duck for safety sake. The color scheme suggested in the drawing is, of course, one of many; find out what your child's favorite colors are so as to really personalize the toy. And one way to test him is to let him pick out the ones he likes best from a color chip card, and then try to harmonize his favorites. •

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