About a month ago, I wrote about Mike’s new woodworking hobby. Well, he finally got the saw he had been eyeing and made his first project…a colaboration between the two of us. And I have to say, this is probably the best first project that I have ever seen! He did such a great job, smoothing the edges to make it safe for baby mouth contact, and shaping the whole thing perfectly.
So what is it? Its a teething ring! Made out of untreated oak and finished with walnut oil.
Turtle Teething Ring
- 5″ square 1/4 inch untreated wood
- walnut oil
- turtle teething ring pattern
- scroll saw (if you don’t have one, you may be able to borrow or rent one)
- drill
- sandpaper in medium, fine, and superfine
- tacky cloth
- old towel
- Cut out pattern and trace with a pencil onto wood.
- Using your saw, cut around the turtle. Take your time! And use safety precautions (ie. goggles, gloves, etc.)
- To cut the middle out, drill a hole in the center. Unplug your saw, insert the blade into the whole and attach the blade properly to your saw, and plug it back in.
- Cut around the circle. Unplug saw, remove blade and toy.
- Starting with the coarsest sandpaper, sand the toy fixing any small mistakes, and rounding all the edges. Work your way to the superfine sandpaper, making sure the whole toy is smooth. Keep an eye out for rough or pointy edges, and smooth them down.
- Use the tacky cloth to remove all the fine dust covering the toy.
- Take the towel and dip in some walnut oil. Smooth oil evenly over the surface of the toy. Wait 20 minutes, then repeat. Repeat applying oil until the turtle is well oiled (it may need more coats as it gets used by your little one).