Wooden Ride-On Toys: Beyond the Rocking Horse

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When you think of kids' wooden ride-on toys, you most likely think of the venerable old rocking horse, with his yarn hair, and his chipping (probably lead!) paint. Rocking horses are sweet and simple, and they're so... old fashioned!

Thanks to the constant flow of creativity that our customers bring to Rockler.com's Project Gallery, Dave Werden in our Internet department (you might know him as @RocklerDave from Twitter) noticed a new trend that he pointed out to me. Rocking and ride-on toys aren't just horses anymore! Our customers are coming up with all kinds of fabulous ride-on toys for their lucky kids and grandkids (like the happy little Harley-rider at right)! Check out these awesome examples:

First up, the Harley, and various other choppers and bikes:

by Bob Schuster of Lenexa, Kansas, for his cutie-little granddaughter (above, right), who has ridden it just about daily for two years now!

Rocking Hog by Chris Farquhar of Troy, Michigan. Chris used different types of wood to bring color and depth to the different parts of the bike, which was a present for his first grandson.

by Doug Premo, of Salt Lake City, Utah. Doug produces these super-cool rockers for craft shows, festivals and an online store. (He's also got two other examples in our Gallery, so flip over there to take a look!)

How fun are these? I have a feeling they'll be seeing a few of these kids at Sturgis in another 20 years or so! But that's not all – there are other animals besides horses that are fun to ride! How about these?

The Bear Rocker is another one by Chris Farquhar, who used Black Walnut for the body, Poplar for the nose and Pine for the rocker platform.

David Garcia Jr., of Artesia, California, said "No horsing around here!" and made this Buffalo Rocker with bookmatched sides and mahogany hoooves!

Still, the rocking horse will always be in style, and I'll bet that the little girl who found this very fancy horse underneath her Christmas tree hadn't been wishing for a buffalo or a chopper instead!

Don W. Harris of Bayboro, North Carolina, made this fanciful Rocking Horse for his first grandchild based on a picture his wife found! What a beautiful gift for baby!

Our Project Gallery is bursting with wonderful ideas, so next time you're looking for a little inspiration, click on over to Rockler.com and take a look at our customers' creations.

Got something you'd like to show off? Post away! We love to see your projects! And who knows - your project might just be the spark of inspiration that another woodworker has been looking for!

Source : http://www.rockler.com/blog/index.cfm/2010/4/7/Wooden-RideOn-Toys-Beyond-the-Rocking-Horse
Make your own wood working