
Just before Christmas, Roy Berendsohn at Popular Mechanics published an excellent article called How To Build A Wooden Wagon. As a beginning woodworker, this seemed like a fun project that could be made for under $100 and would make a great gift for my 3-year-old daughter. The wagon is painted to resemble the 1931 Radio Flyer classic, but is heavier and more stable as it is made of solid oak rather than thin steel.
I started by purchasing a 10′ board of 1″x10″ oak, then used a miter saw and table saw to cut the wood into strips of various sizes. I glued the base together, planed it, then glued on the sides.
I painted everything with two coats of white primer and two coats of red paint.
The bumper rail is attached with six batons screwed into the main box.
While the top dried, I assembled and stained four trucks, then used 2″ bolts as axles for the wheels I found online for about $25.
I glued and screwed the trucks to the bottom of the steering yoke and wagon box.
Finally, I made the handle by gluing a long 5/8″ dowel into a short 1″ one.
The wagon runs smoothly on various surfaces, whether carrying her and her best friend or just her baby brother and some toys.
Nice work Mark! looks great! I like the contrast of the red paint with the unpainted wood below!
any problems with tipping?
Thanks! The wagon is pretty stable, although I did try running with it and turning sharply, and it tipped over.
Nice little wagon. I always like to think about building versus buying when I can. Also, bonus for the OK to Wake Owl. It’s probably the best purchase we ever made for our son!