More on the ladder flipper toy

More than you ever needed to know about the ladder flipper! Bob Rhoads made the ladder and supplies these actual dimensions:

• Rungs are 8.5mm each
• Rungs are 61 MM apart at center
• Ladder uprights are 36MM s apart on insides
• Toy hole is 9mm
• Hole is centered 15.5 mm down from each end
• Toy is 28 mm wide and 66mm long

When the toy rests on a rung, you should have a 6mm gap in between it and the edge of the rung above it.*********The "Toy-Making Dad" has detailed instructions on his web site. I really should have put a few minutes of research into this project before I started!*********Lane Steinsultz clued me in on this site that has an actual diagram.
*********And Finally, Rance Rupp, over on LumberJocks, shot this video:

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The toy xylophone

This started out as a simple enough project, but turned very frustrating. I predicted that tuning the keys would be tricky, so I decided right from the beginning that I wouldnt drive myself mad about obtaining perfect pitch. This was intended to be a toy xylophone, after all.
What I didnt foresee was the challenge of attaching the keys to the frame. I spent hours trying many different methods, most of which left the keys producing dull thuds or rattles. In the end, I achieved fairly good results by using felt and velcro. But I am sure there are much better ways to hook them on.
I can tell you with certainty however, that padauk wood sounds great!
*****

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