Wooden Toy/ Model Airplane for Decoration

A fun toy airplane that is both durable and can hang via a string!

Step 1: Cutting and Measuring

Find a ~.25 inch thick board of plywood (can measure with ruler) and cut it down to around 3 by 3 ft. This will make it easier to draw on!

Step 2: Drawing the Basic Body

Here you need to draw all of the parts with a pencil on the plywood sheet. Start by using a ruler to measure the length of airplane body (picture #2), which is 9 inches, horizontally down the plywood board. Then draw a 2 inch vertical line for the height of the body at one end of the 9 inch line. After, draw another 9 inch line for the top length of the plane. After this, draw a triangular nose at the far side of the body that has a length of 2 inches and a width at base of 2 inches. By now you should have a bullet looking object similar to what is shown in picture #2!

Step 3: Finishing Up the Body and the Wings

Now at the far, flat end of the plane add a tail wing. This should only add around ~ 1 inch to the plane's horizontal length while being 2 inches higher than the main plane body. Furthermore, the length at the top of the tail wing should be 1.8 inches. See image #1 for details! It is also important to cut two holes for the two wings that we will be adding to the plane. The first hole should be around half way down the plane's body with enough clearance to fit the wing's thickness, which in my case is around .25 inches. The second hole should be slightly elevated around the portion of the plane where the tail wing is.

Now it is time to draw both wings! Draw the main wing just above the body. It should be 24 by 1.75 inches. At either end add a slight curve to the wings to improve aerodynamics, although, in this case, it is mainly for aesthetics. The smaller side wings should be 3 inches in height and 1.75 inches tall. See the second image above for exact shape!

Step 4: Cut Out the Parts

Now its time to cut each individual part! Find a saw or, as in this case, an automated band saw to cut the pieces. Start off with the main wing, as it is the easiest to cut out. Don't worry about cutting the curves precisely, this can be done later with the sander. Also remember to make relief cuts in the wood in order to make it easier to cut the more complicated parts, such as the body (picture #2).

Step 5: Sanding

At this stage the rough outlines of the parts are done! Now it's time to use either sand paper or a sanding machine to smooth the sides of each part. As you can see in the example above, I am using a mechanical sander, so all I have to do is put the part up to the sheet until the sides are smoother (see the image above)! It is important that all parts are as smooth as possible to make the final product both aesthetically pleasing and safe for handling.

Step 6: Cutting the Wing Slits

Use a drill to cut holes in the wing slits. From here use a manual sander to connect these holes are eventually form the wing slits themselves. See the first couple images to see what this is meant to look like! Now slide each wing into their allotted holes so that half of each wing is on each side of the main body. This is just a test to make sure they fit.

Step 7: Spray Painting the Plane

Take the wings back out for this step. Now find a fume hood, some spray paint of your desired color, a fume mask and safety glasses/goggles. In the fume hood lay all three pieces down and spray paint one side. After approximately 15 minutes tun them over and spray paint the other side, and then let that side dry.

Step 8: