About this Product
This is my most complex item to build, due to the steps needed to make the ark with its hull and house atop it with the removable roof that comes off to provide storage for the animals inside. There are over 40 animals, some with different males and females (like the lions or the kangaroos). The animals are made from various hardwoods, depending on what I have in stock at the time I am making one or more arks. The animals are all cut by hand using a scroll saw with a tiny blade, and this is the most fun part of the process for me. • This would be a great item to display in a child's room with a Noah's Ark theme.
• Ark is made from solid oak and measures 8" wide by 8" high by 16" long.
• Ark has been finished with several coats of polyurethane to bring out the wood grain and preserve it for many years.
• Ark features a removable roof so that the animals can be stored inside
• Populating the ark are Noah and his wife and 46 animals
• Animals include include camels, giraffes, kangaroos, elephants, snakes, alligators, moose, walruses, bears, llamas, parrots, and doves
• Animals vary in size from about 3/4 up to 3 1/2 inches in length and 3/4 to 3 1/2 inches in height
• The animals are cut from various hardwoods such as oak, walnut, maple, cherry and mahogany
• Since the animals are small and breakable, we do not recommend letting children who tend to put things in their mouths play with this set
• Since this is a child's toy, I finished the animals with an oil made for toys and food-safe items such as bowls or cutting boards
Bob's Home Woodshop
Meet the Maker
I am a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, and have an MBA with a marketing concentration. I worked in retail management, then outside sales in the HVAC and refrigeration industry. I drove a limo for a year, then went to work at a large for-profit university. I worked as an admissions officer, then moved into student finance. I was also an adjunct faculty member, teaching courses in marketing. I retired in January 2020 and now devote as many hours as I wish per week to my woodworking business.
My wife of 50 years and I live in a rural area about 50 miles southwest of Chicago. Our two grandchildren live in Georgia so we do not see them as often as we would like. Woodworking began as a hobby, then I started selling at local craft shows in this area area and later moved to online sales. I enjoy making wooden toys and home decor items and have shipped over 1,000 orders all over the U.S. and even as far away as Australia. All my products are made from sustainable hardwoods such as poplar, oak, maple, and walnut which I purchase locally.
How it’s Made
This Noah's ark is one of my favorite projects to make. I usually make 2 or 3 at a time because it is more efficient that way. The first step is to cut the three sections of the hull a little oversize. Then I cut a 4 by 8 inch rectangle out of the 1 1/2 inch thick middle section before gluing on the 3/4 inch thick bottom and 3/8 inch rail on top (not shown here). It takes about 10 clamps to keep pressure on until the glue is completely dry.
Once the glue is dry, I move to the band saw to cut the hull at a 20 degree angle. This leaves a fairly rough edge, so I then move to a large disc sander to smooth the sides and leave the final shape. Then I build the walls and roof for the top of the ark and glue the walls in place. The roof is removable so the animals can be stored inside.
The animal patterns are printed out on a laser printer, cut, and then adhered to 3/8 inch thick wood with a double-sided tape made just for scroll sawing. The tape holds the pattern to the wood during cutting, but easily peels off when cutting is done. I use several different woods for the animals: usually poplar, oak, cherry, walnut, and sapele.
The ark and animals are all sanded before finishing. I finish the ark with polyurethane and the animals with a child safe oil finish. Once everything is dry I box up each ark and set of animals and store it until I receive an order, then I carefully package the animals in bubble wrap inside the ark, and wrap the ark in several layers of bubble wrap as well. Since this item is fairly large and heavy I ship it via UPS.
Shop Policies
Most items are in stock and orders are shipped the next business day. If there will be any significant delay, I will notify the customer via e-mail. Small items are shipped via USPS First Class Mail or USPS Priority Mail., and larger or heavier items go via UPS. I do accept custom orders, and terms for those are agreed upon in advance between myself and the customer.
