DIY : DIY- Indoor Wagon – Nick Mazmanian – Medium
Let’s set the Wayback Machine to December 2018, a long time ago, I know.
It’s 1 AM on Christmas Eve, and I am sawing in the garage below my child’s room because some screws were too long on this wagon I built for her so now the front wheels won’t turn 360 degrees. I am using a hacksaw, pressing the blade between the threads of the screw, and I would get four pulls in before the edge locked up.
I would sit in the silence of the garage during these moments, there were many, waiting to hear the doom cry of a 2-year-old waking up above me. See the attached photo for my expression:
Why was I doing this? Why not just buy a wagon from Harbor Freight and call it a day?
Because I wanted to make this gift for my child. I wanted to challenge myself to create something based on my drawings and to improve my skills with my tools. Sure, I could have saved a lot of time and got a wagon from IKEA, but it wouldn’t have meant the same thing.
I am not at all calling out fellow parents who get kits like these for their kids. I would typically do the same thing myself, but for Christmas, I always try to make something fun for my kid, and this was my challenge.
The wagon is pretty basic, but it is built solid, and will hopefully be used, beaten, and giggled over until it bites the dust.
I wanted this wagon to spark some imagination in my kid. Most toys are made to hide how they are constructed, and I wanted her to be able to look at this toy and understand how it works. I left the screws exposed, the countersinks open, nothing is covered up and not because I ran out of time, no, this was planned from the beginning.
Totally planned, even the 1 AM sawing session. Yep.
I used my cordless circular saw, orbital sander, belt sander, and cordless drill on this project. I am satisfied with my improved ability to quickly cut in a straight line freehand and to repeat those cuts. I figured out how to square the sides of the plywood when I did drift off course while cutting. And I was able to problem solve a construction error with the wheels on the fly.
I am happy with this build and will probably make another one that is a bit more refined. Here’s hoping that next time I have a table saw available.
TLDR, I made a wagon for my kid because I wanted her to see how it works and I wanted to improve my own skills. And it was worth it!
She was so happy I couldn’t display her smile.
Thanks,
Nick
