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used my elf skills to build a special gift and sent my niece a picture of my gift to her first-born (due in july)
a hand made cradle (fastened with glue and pegs-not a single nail or screw in the entire thing)
did not even use power tools!

Any pics? Will like to see how it turned out the old school built.

Building toys the same way, no metal unless it's required

That is some awesome craftmanship. Looks very nice

thank you I intend to teach kids how to do thins like that

Great work!

one thing is an absolute must , you must keep your tool sharp and clean.
hand saws should be sleeved when stored (cleaned and lightly oiled)
silicone spray works good also.
drilling jigs can be easily made to help you drill square to the work if needed, and a handy supply of beeswax for many uses.
you can also make hot pipe bending gear or small steam cabinets should you need to bend multiple pieces.
stock shelves should be kept organised, and paint cabinets kept free of debris
when using paints or stains clean the rim of the lid and the groove of the can top of excess paint or stain.(that can keep the can from sealing)
a large shop vac and extra hose to keep the sawdust under control.

also using wood filler many types of wood fillers you can add dyes to for color change.
take a small amount of filler and add color to it and make a small ball (pencil eraser size) and press it onto paper
write down the amount of dye used! then do the same with a little more dye, record the info,
repeat with a little more dye and so on.
this will make a handy reference chart of how much dye to use with larger batches
start out with the lightest shade for instance using small can of wood filler add dye mix and roll ball. add more dye mix and roll ball, and repeat.

I never get that sawdust under control so I always make a gigantic mess out of these things. I have used filler on an outdoor rail but it is impossible to get the color even whithout a full color coating (which I don't want since I need the wooden structure to show).

Anyway my priority is some maisonary work once the spring comes and the tons of snow have melted away - we have -17 C now so it is way to cold.

I installed a shop vacuum dust collector, piping consisted of 1 1/4 pvc pipe and short sections of flexible hose with ball valves at each machine, connected to a large shop vac. and just have to remember to open and close the valves when i move from machine to machine
since each intake is screened no large pieces can go into the piping.
currently at chopsaw, bandsaw,drill press, and tablesaw. and one extra port with long hose for wand or connecting to a belt sander.
usually any small pieces not picked up in the dust collector are easy enough to sweep up!
nice thing is my shop is heated with a small wood stove so any scraps are saved and used in the stove

viking60 wrote: I have used filler on an outdoor rail but it is impossible to get the color even (which I don't want since I need the wooden structure to show).
Anyway my priority is some masonry work once the spring comes and the tons of snow have melted away - we have -17 C now so it is way to cold.

here's the reason for the color samples i mentioned above (remember though the color of the sample will always be darker when wet).
so the dried sample is what you want to chose for the correct mix of dye and filler paste.

if by any chance you can get a hold of volcanic ash sand mixing it in your concrete will allow the concrete to set under water!
and for mortar mixing in 10 % Diatomaceous Earth will make a strong and sticky mortar.