Should I start a wooden toy business?

Sure. Here are some pointers:

  • Make sure all the materials you use are non-toxic. Woods such as cherry, poplar, birch, and maple are great BUT pine, spruce, fir, walnut, oak, and mahogany are not, and should not be used. Plywood should be made in your shop so you can control the materials and adhesives;
  • Make sure that all the toys meet CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) guidelines BEFORE releasing them. Don’t worry, the guidelines are only about a hundred pages long and only need a few carefully calibrated tools. Of course, the documentation is a bit troublesome;
  • Make sure that every exposed wood part of every toy has a hard finish on it. Not vegetable oil, not unfinished. The finish also has to meet toxicity rules when dry;
  • If you are using wood axles pay special attention to how they join the parts. Axle pegs are generally NOT sufficient for meeting CPSC guidelines. Unfinished axles will shrink in time and will come loose from the other parts even if glued. Finishing before gluing will make a bad joint to begin with. I used to use oversized hard maple dowel that we then used a press to reduce the size of the axle to fit in the wheel. We applied glue, inserted it into the wheel, and the glue made the wood swell and locked it in forever. The trick is to find the correct size of axle and the maximum amount of ‘squeeze’ on the ends before you start breaking wood fiber;
  • If you use anything that is NOT wood (string, hooks, etc) those have to meet separate strength requirements in addition to the CPSC toy guidelines. Wait’ll you see the rules for pull strings;
  • Do not sell or give away ANY toy unless you have iron-clad insurance. You should look for an umbrella policy that has a liability coverage of at least $2 million. No, a $2 million policy doesn’t cost $2 million.
  • https://gfwoodtoys.com/
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