Hi! We are so excited to open this blog up to parents, teachers, friends, neighbors, relatives and grandparents who have use train table plans to build a play table because of the love they have for their child / children. Over the last 5 years we have have over 1550 people worldwide use our plans to create an amazing play space so their children could have hours of creative play.
This is so important because as Virginia Mae Axline reported in her landmark study, Play Therpay, “a child’s play is his work”.
2 Comments »
In less than two weeks it will be Memorial Day. This is the time when families get together and the first barbecues of the summer season are held. This holiday is also a great time to work on a family woodworking project. One woodworking project that you can complete is a toy train table project.
To complete a toy train table you will need to first find toy train table plans that you like. There are dozens of different plans to choose between. Your best bet is to look for plans that have the size and shape that work for your space and use needs. If you don’t know exactly what you want then you can try out tables at high end children’s furniture stores and education stores. Here you can see what design features work and which ones don’t.
After you select a design that you like you will need to pick up your supplies. You will need lumber, fasteners, sandpaper, paint brushes and paint or stain. When you select items for finishing your table remember that this table is designed for kids. This means that you will want to look for paint products that are non-toxic, lead free and that are designed for kids.
To get the most out of this project have the whole family help complete it. Even young children can help with portions of the project. For example, they can apply the primer which doesn’t have to go on evenly or look pretty. Older kids can be promoted to activities like sanding, drilling holes and painting the table.
Posted in holiday ideas | No Comments »
With the economy struggling to recover a lot of people are looking for ways to make a little extra money. If you are handy with tools or if you have an eye for a bargain then you can turn toy train tables into a profitable side business. There are a few ways that you can make money with toy train tables.
The first money making opportunity that you have is to use toy wooden train table plans to build toy/activity tables to sell. You can sell then finished or unfinished. Unfinished tables can be sold for a lower retail price and can help you to capture a share of the DIY market. If you have an artistic side then you can custom paint train tables.
The second option that you have is to find old toy train tables that are being sold at second hand shops and yard sales and refinish them. These tables were built to last so they can usually be stripped, patched and refinished in just an hour or two. You can then sell the refinished tables for a considerable profit.
Your third option is to offer refinishing services for toy train tables and other furniture. Refinishing a table is much cheaper than buying a new piece of furniture. Since people are looking for bargains during times of economic downturns, this can be a great opportunity to make money by applying your refinishing skills to freelance jobs.
Do you offer one of the above services? Advertise your services for free by posting your name, a brief description of your services and a link to your website below.
Posted in money | No Comments »
Spring is just around the corner, which means that a lot of people are going to start cleaning out their attics, garages and storage spaces. It is because of this that the spring time is a great time to attend toy train shows. Whether you are selling or buying Brio trains or other brands of toy trains these tips will help you at a spring train show.
If you are in the market to buy toy trains then you don’t want to attend a train show without educating yourself first. You will want to select one or two types of trains that you are interested in and then research a little bit about each type of train. This will give you an idea of what pieces are valuable, which ones are common and what prices are reasonable. Make notes about the trains or pieces that you want to find. These notes can be printed on a note card or they can be printed out on a regular sized piece of paper. It is a good idea to include a color photo with your notes to help you identify key pieces.
If you are trying to make some money or just clean out your storage units then you too will want to research the toy trains that you have. You will want to get the background information for each piece you intend to put up for sale or auction. This background information needs to be printed out and mounted neatly on a display board. This will not only help your items to sell faster, but it will also help you to get the best price possible for your items.
Posted in making money | No Comments »
Spring is only four weeks away so now is the time to start planning your spring activities. One activity that fits perfectly into a spring weekend is the building of a toy train table. For this project all you will need is a set of plans for a toy train table, some lumber and a few basic tools.
The first step is to find a set of plans that will fit your activity needs. For example, if you want to build a table for your Brio trains and accessories then you will want to look for designs that have the dimensions that will accommodate your favorite track layouts. You may also want to look for plans that are specifically designed for Brio model trains. These toy train table plans will have all the features that you will need to keep your trains on the table.
If you are not up to building a toy train table from scratch you can also refurbish an older toy train table. This too will take about a weekend. To refurbish your toy train table you will need to strip the paint of finish, fill any holes and scratches, sand the surface of your table, prime it and finish it. You can also add a clear coat protective finish to your table. This will help you to protect the top of your table from dings, scratches and other damage. It will also protect the table from moisture and food spills.
Share your toy train table with our readers by posting it below.
Posted in spring train activities | No Comments »
Last week I talked about the fact that January is a great month to buy your building supplies and plans for your toy train table project. This week I’d like to give you a few tips for putting together your toy train tables. These tips will help you to customize your toy train table designs so that they compliment the activities that you will be doing on the table.
The first tip is to figure out what activities the table will be used for. The table top design will need to work with these activities. For example, if you will be playing with Name Trains on your activity table, then you will want a nice flat open table top. You will also want to create a painted insert that has track design on it. You will also want table top that is surrounded with a slight lip to keep the rolling train pieces from rolling off of your activity table.
The next tip is to be smart about the finishing products that you select. To start with you will want to select products that are kid friendly and as non-toxic as possible. If you will be working on your toy train in a basement then you will also want fume free products. Finally, since your table is designed for kids to play with you will want to use a finishing product that will not scratch easily. This may mean adding a special top coat or sealant to your table.
Posted in projects | No Comments »
While there is a huge push for people to shop during the months of November and December, January is actually one of the best months to find deals. If you put off buying your toy train table plans during the holiday, now is a great time to look for deals on these plans. Many retailers, especially this year, will be slashing their prices in order to make up for a disappointing 2008 holiday shopping season. This means you will be able to find toy store coupons and discounts and building material deals that will cut the cost of building a toy train table by 60 or more percent.
January is a rough month for a lot of people. Not only is the weather cold and harsh, but there really isn’t another big holiday scheduled for a while. This makes many people depressed during January. Building a toy train table is a great way to shake the post holiday blues and to keep yourself entertained when you can’t get outside or when road conditions kept you trapped at home.
Building a toy train table will generally cost you between $150 and $200 depending on the current price of lumber. However, during January, lumber prices and toy train table plan prices drop because there is less of a demand for them. This means you can buy everything that you need to build your train table for closer to $100. This is just another reason why January is the perfect month for building a toy train table or activity table.
Posted in save money | No Comments »
Today is December 26, the day after Christmas. If you didn’t have time to paint or finish the toy train table that you built using your toy train table plans, then this weekend is a good time to handle this project. In fact, since the kids are home from school, let them help you decorate the table.
If you have helpers then you can give them jobs that they are designed to handle. For example, since little kids have smaller hands they are better able to sand the small areas around the leg joints and the underside of the table. Next they can also handle priming the table. Just make sure that you are all working in a well ventilated area, that they are wearing a face mask and that the primer is as non-toxic as possible.
The next step is to paint the base coat. Again, this is something that the kids can help with. Select a color that they like and that will compliment the colors that are already in the playroom or their bedroom. Allow this base coat to dry over night before finishing the table with accent colors, decals and other decorative touches. You may want to handle this part of the paint job. However, your kids or grandkids may enjoy painting their toy train table or adding the decals and character stencils to the table.
The final step is to seal the table. This is a step that you need to do, as most sealants are moderately toxic. To seal the table you can use a clear polyurethane or another type of wood sealant.
Posted in holiday ideas | No Comments »
With less than a week left until Christmas, you are quickly running out of time to assembly your toy train tables. Fortunately, most toy wooden train table plans only take a couple of days to complete. That means, that this weekend is the perfect time to build your child or grandchild a toy train table.
Obviously your first step will be to find a toy train table plan that you like. You will want to select plans that have the dimensions that fit both the kids the table will be for and the area in which the table will be placed. Finally, you will want to select plans that will fit the types of activities you will complete on the table.
The next step is to go shopping for your supplies. The best way to get all of your shopping done is to first go into your garage and see what supplies you already have. You can check these items off your shopping list. Then head off to your local building supply or home improvement store. If you know your way around the store you can quickly find the materials that you need for your project. However, if you are not familiar with the store, or if this is your first woodworking project, then you will want to enlist the help of a sales clerk. Give them your shopping list and the toy train table plans and have them find what you need. They will not only be able to find the items that you need, they will also be able to recommend products and tools that will make assembling your toy train table much easier to do.
Posted in gift ideas | No Comments »
The holiday season is the perfect time of year to be giving. However, this year instead of giving gifts that you bought from a store, why not give gifts that you make from scratch. One of the best gifts you can give to the toy train lovers on your shopping list is a homemade toy train table.
If you are interested in building a toy train table for Brio trains then your first step will be to find toy train table plans. These plans will provide you with a list of materials that you will need for your project, the dimensions for each part required for building your table and general assembly instructions. You can use these instructions as they are, or you can modify them to meet your space and use needs.
If you already have a toy train table that is in less than perfect shape, then consider refurbishing the table. Usually all that will be required is the stripping of the old finish, filling the scratch and gashes with wood putty, sanding the piece down and refinishing it. If there are structural problems with the table then you may want to use toy train table plans to figure out what pieces are broken and need to be replaced, or to get ideas for rebuilding the old table so that it is more stable.
Another project idea is to have your kids help you refinish their old toy train table so that you can give it away to someone else in your family or neighborhood. This is a great project for churches, service groups and community projects.
Posted in gift ideas, holiday ideas | No Comments »
A couple of weeks ago I noticed a post from a dad who was interested in tips on expanding toy train tables for extra storage. I thought that this would be a great topic for my weekly blog, so here are some ideas.
The first way to create extra storage for your toy train table is to buy plastic, metal or even cardboard bins that are short enough to slide under your toy train table. These bins are very inexpensive and can be found at department stores, office supply stores and even at craft stores. To help your little ones keep their toy trains, accessories and tracks organized also consider labeling each bin, for example, you can label one bin as engines, one bin as tracks and one bin as bridges and things.
If you are looking even more storage, as well as additional play area, then consider building a second toy train table and fitting it together with your existing toy train table. To do this you will first need to find toy train table plans that are just like your existing table. At the very least it will need to be the same length and height. To connect the two tables you will need to remove the rails on the connecting side of the tables. Then you will butt the two tables together and secure with a bridging system under the table.
If you have tried both of the above storage options and are still in need of extra storage for your name trains and other toy train items, then consider shelving units. These units can be mounted on the wall next to the play area with lower shelves for items that your child or grandchild can use on their own and higher shelves for season items or special items that need supervision.
Posted in storage | No Comments »
thomas the tank engine tracks
toy storage
christmas train sets
brio train sets
train table plans stories
toy wooden train table plans
brio track
lego train sets
articles
maxim enterprises
maxim track
maxim train and accessories
maxim train set
maxim wooden train building and destinations
maxim train accessories
thomas the tank engine
thomas the tank engine adventures train sets
thomas the tank engine book
thomas the tank engine characters
thomas the train
thomas the tank engines
thomas the tank engine buildings and destinations
name trains and alphabet trains
thomas the tank engine DVD videos
toy wooden train sets
wooden train track
affiliate program
hot wheels table plans
Rokenbok table plans
train table plans
|
