DIY Wood Pickup Truck Bank

 

Photo by Henry Will

Someone's birthday was coming up and they wanted a bank. I asked what types of things they like. The answer was dinosaurs, trucks and helicopters. I had an idea! I could make a wood bank that is in the shape of his dad's pickup truck!

So, I asked for a photo and received this:

I had some wood wheels that I wanted to use. I found from my experience with past projects (see other posts here in my blog) that wood wheels are a bit difficult to make, so I just buy them at the craft store.  

Looking at the picture of the pickup, I measured out the proportions of the real truck with respect to the wheels in the photo. I made a stencil out of paper using the same proportions to the wheels that matched the size of the wood wheels I had. I then traced from the paper stencil onto cardboard and cut it out. 

I saw a wood pickup truck online that was made with layers of wood and decided to follow that method so the middle section could hold coins.

I had a nice piece of oak to use to cut out the left and right sides of the truck. I decided to use some scrap 2 X 4 for the middle section.

I had to create a shape for the 2 X 4 to go in the middle of the truck that would allow coins to be put in the top and be stored toward the back. This piece also had to have a spot to drill holes for the axels for the wheels. Here (below) you can see the two shapes.

Part of the way through cutting out the two sides, I ran into an issue with my jig saw. It gave out. As you can see in the picture below, I wasn't quite done. Isn't amazing that even without planning, the two sides fit together like a puzzle so I wasted very little wood? Thank God!

Our nice neighbor, who makes wonderful wooden furniture, let me borrow his amazing scroll saw to finish the cutting of the 2 sides. 

The scroll saw didn't seem to be willing to cut through a 2 X 4 so I used a jig saw. My good neighbor also loaned me his jig saw (Thank you, you know who you are). I cut the 2 X 4 to the shape. The space between the two wheels was very difficult. There was nothing to sit the jig saw on. So, I cut grooves and then broke them out with a screwdriver. You can see that a file was also helpful and I used my protective eye wear even though I also wear glasses (my grandfather was a carpenter and had a mishap with his eye, so I'm careful).

I used some brown finishing nails to nail it together. Because this is hard wood, I had to drill holes first for the nails so I didn't split the wood. Not shown in this picture was the challenge I had on the other side. A finishing nail broke and split the wood. I had to glue it back together and put in a nail nearby.

I carefully cut a piece of oak to fit exactly where the tailgate was and carefully measured holes for a "hinge". I made a little handle and had to bevel the edges of the tailgate so it fit tight when closed, but allowed space to tilt open. I guess there has to be a way to get the coins out, right?  The file and Dremel tool were very helpful tools for this work.

I was looking into acrylic to cover the windshield, back window, and bed. But, after looking into the tools I would need to drill holes and the issues I've had in the past drilling holes in acrylic, I decided to use my wife's good idea. She suggested using the plastic that held some apple cider donuts we bought at a local farm stand!  It worked very well and doesn't scratch as easy as acrylic!  I just bent it to shape, drilled some holes through it and into the wood so the oak didn't split, and used a screw with a washer. 

All in all, I think it came out well.  Solo Deo Gloria! 

I prayed and God helped me with this. I kept reminding God that Jesus was a carpenter and I needed his help.

 

Please like and comment with your thoughts and stories about DIY projects!