Norm Marshall’s creative toys stimulate the imagination
Norm Marshall, retired Naval aviator, husband and father had a happy passion: making toys for children.
Norm passed away in 1982, but it’s fitting that he was born on Christmas Eve in 1932 because, based on the quality and “playability” of his toy plans, we’re certain that Jolly Old St. Nicholas smiled down on Norm a lot!
There’s nothing Norm enjoyed more than making toys designed to bring long-lasting smiles to the faces of children and their parents. Interestingly, he refused to sell one of his toys. “I’ll build them to give away.” he said as he leaned back at his drawing board, “but I’ll never sell them.” “I’ll gladly teach someone how to make them…but I don’t want to get into mass production.”
A 1978 graduate of The Shopsmith Woodworking Academy, Norm sat down for an interview with “Hands-On!” shortly before his passing in 1982. This series of projects begins with that interview.
The interview: I started this little hobby of mine under doctor’s orders. I guess that 25 years of military service, more than 5,000 flight hours and over 500 landings on aircraft carriers for the Navy left my nerves a little strung out. I needed some relaxation.
In casting about for a hobby, I read Peter Stevenson’s book, “The Art Of Making Wooden Toys”. I really liked what he had to say. I started making toys with hand tools but found that it took just too much time. In 1978, I bought my Shopsmith MARK V and attended Shopsmith’s Dayton-based Woodworking Academy. I’ll never forget the fun that we had in that class. That’s when the woodworking hobby really started opening up for me.
I’m having a ball, now. In my opinion, toymaking is perfect for novice woodworkers. The Bandsaw or Scroll Saw will take a lot of the tedious labor out of it. They’re easy tools to use…someone who knows how to use a sewing machine can learn the basics…in a few minutes.
When you actually get into the workshop, making a toy should be a leisurely, inexpensive four or five hour project. It should let you unwind. The idea for the toy can ripen in your mind for days or weeks. Then, it mellows on the drawing board and finally evolves under your hands on the workbench.
There are no big secrets to it. Well, on the other hand, maybe one: HANG LOOSE! Just remember that when you’re making a toy, you’re not working on something that’s going to change he world. You should be happy to make it, happy to give it away…and the person who receives it should be happy to get it.
We’re all kids at heart. When I see a train locomotive, a bulldozer or a crane, I ask myself: “Where are the things on it that I’d like to play with?” Then, I go home and doodle with drawings.
I’m always thinking about toymaking. That’s why I carry a little notebook with me. I use it to record thoughts and flashes of inspiration. It helps to have the Angel of Serendipity looking over your shoulder, too. Serendipity is unexpected good luck.. I remember, for instance, the day I walked into a hardware store and noticed a little pulley. It was the tiniest one I’d ever seen. Right then I knew that I’d make a toy that used it. It was going to be either a toy wrecker/tow truck or a crane. It ended up on a crane.
Then, there was the time my wife and I were looking through a gift store in Northern California. I happened to notice a little Christmas Tree ornament. Really, it was kind of crude. Someone had decorated it with tiny slabs of wood, all the same size. That’s where I got the idea for how I’d make the treads on my bulldozer: little slabs of wood glued onto an elongated oval.
I strongly feel that you have to be sensitive to the child when you’re making a toy. That’s why I don’t spend a lot of time making one toy…and why I always use pine instead of hardwood. Use hardwood and you’re tempted to put too much detail into the project. It turns into a model and not a toy…then ends up on the mantel collecting dust. The unwritten message on it is…“Don’t touch this. You might break it.”
Toys are meant to be played with…even to be broken. If you took too long to make it or it cost too much and then the child breaks it, three things happen. First, you, yourself are crushed. Second, the child is unhappy and feels guilty. Third, the child’s parents overreact with embarrassment.
That’s not what I want to happen. Toys aren’t meant to last forever. If it took four or five hours to make, then five or six hours of pleasure for the child will more than compensate me for my time.
A toy starts with a thought or a child’s request. Next, you should take the time to draw out your ideas on paper. I doodle until I get some good ideas then I scale the toy out with an eye for proportions. One easy way to keep a toy looking right is to ask yourself, “How many wheels high is the real thing?” Work in short segments and stick to one project. I also get a kick out of really delving into ‘the real thing’ behind the toy. If it’s an old sailing ship, what’s the history of it? How many guns did it carry? How many battles was it in? Who were its famous Captains? All of this research may not go directly into the toy, but it makes it more fun to build.