Here's another thing that has been popping up on my Pinterest feed every so often!
That's right: wooden cameras!
Obviously, not a functioning camera; rather a toy for a small child to play with and use their imagination!
My daughter is fascinated with my Mother-in-Law's DSL camera; she smiles every time it's pointed at her! Next week, we are heading to Orlando for Spring Break! We are planning to hit the Disney parks, Sea World, and maybe even Universal!
I thought this would be the perfect time to try this project out. That way, Olivia can feel real tourist-y on our Spring Break getaway!
Let's get started!
Like I mentioned in the Tic Tac Toe post (check it out!), I got wood from my guy in Sanford, FL that had some milled wood pieces that were glued together. I've been at a loss for what exactly I should do with them. So, I figured this would be the perfect project to use some of it up!
I traced a 3.5" X 5" rectangle onto the piece of wood. Then, I cut it out using my table saw!
Turns out that the wood is too thick! It would be like a solid brick, way too heavy for a 2-year-old to be running around with!
So, I sawed it in half using my table saw right down the middle.
That seems like a good thickness!
Now comes sanding. Not only do I want to sand down the jagged edges and remove all splinters and cracks, but I also want to give the camera a unique shape so it doesn't look so "blocky."
I did this by using my bench sander. I took the corners in and created an octagonal shape with it. It took some checking/re-checking to make sure each side matched the corresponding side as best as possible. Because...symmetry
Next came the "viewfinder!" (AKA: the hole you look through)
To get the viewfinder hole cut out, I used my router and the smallest bit I had. I drew an outline of the shape and routed it out, approximately 1/2" deep.
My router is full sized, so it was a bit unruly; it was difficult to manipulate and control to cut into something so small. A smaller router would have come in handy on this one!
But I digress...
After routing out the hole, I sanded down the edges by hand using 120-grit sandpaper. There were a couple chips near the top of the hole because the material was stretched a little too thin. No big deal, I'll just use some wood filler before paint/stain!
On to the viewfinder hole that goes all the way to the back!
I used the biggest drill bit I had with my drill press to make the hole. Then, I sanded the hole to smooth it out.
Next up is making the lens!
I used some 3/4" scrap wood and traced out a circle; then I cut it out using my scroll saw.
The circle shape isn't perfect by any means! It's a little "wonky" and I had to sand it down using my belt sander slowly but surely to get a mostly round shape...
At the end of the day, this is for my little girl, and it's homemade! I know she won't mind if the lens isn't a perfect circle!
Moving on!
I used a small wooden "bowl" to make the shutter release button...
I had these left over from a previous project! Glad I hung on to them!
Now I have all the components of a simple camera! Obviously, I could add more features to make it look more involved and realistic. But, for my 2-year-old, I think it's perfect!
After looking at some different Pins and pictures, I decided that I wanted to stain the camera. Since it's made of wood, why cover it up? I want people to know it's wood!
A lot of the Pins also showed different stains for each component of the camera...
...so I went ahead and did just that!
I used Minwax Provincial stain for the body, Minwax Golden Oak for the lens, and I left the shutter release button natural wood. I wiped the stain on using a rag for each piece.
After letting them fully dry, the next step was to put the whole thing together!
I used wood glue to secure the pieces to the body. I clamped them using small clamps and let the whole piece dry for 24 hours before handling.
Once I removed the clamps, I applied a coat of water-based, gloss polyurethane to give it that nice sheen. I let it fully dry overnight.
Next up was to add a strap! I want my little one to be able to have it around her neck so she won't drop it or lose it!
So, I asked my wife if she had any old belts that didn't use anymore that I could maybe re-purpose into a strap!
She had a couple options, but this is the one I liked the best! The rope is nice and soft, so it won't irritate the back of her neck. Plus, it has some good leather accents that I want to try and keep!
The only problem: The belt was way too long for a toddler neck strap. So, I modified it a little bit. I cut off the belt fastener and added another leather loop to the end. I definitely wanted to make sure the leather was the thing anchoring the strap to the camera because leather is so strong!
To attach the strap to the wood camera, I positioned it and started pilot holes with my awl. After marking the holes on the camera, I drilled the holes to about 1" deep.
To secure the strap to the sides, I used 1.5" screws with washers under the heads. This was just for added security and I wanted to make sure the holes in the leather wouldn't tear. I only used 1 screw on the other side, since I didn't have quite as much leather to work with over there...
And that's it!
I decided to leave the opposite side "frilled" rather than taping it or cutting it off. I think it looks more homemade and unique.
The hardest part about this project was the viewfinder hole; the routing was quite difficult to do! But, like I mentioned before, if I had a smaller handheld router, I think it would have been a little easier. Overall, this was one of the easier projects I've done recently, and it was a lot of fun! I might make a couple to put up on my store with the materials I have left over and see if someone else will get a kick out of them! We shall see...
I gave it to my daughter to try out, and she loved it! She kept saying "cheese!" and smiling. That was the whole idea, so I'm glad she liked it so much! So, into the suitcase it goes for Orlando!
Until next time!
-Kevin
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