Sandwich Stacking Toy/Coaster Set

This is an awesome toy that my third graders make in the wood shop at school. It is a wonderful activity for them to become adept  working with hand tools such as coping saws, hand saws, hand drills, and workbench grips. while producing a fun stacking toy that also doubles as a set of coasters!

Hand saw, coping saw, ruler, hand drill, (Or a drill press if you have access to one) 24" of 3/4 x4" pine (pine is soft and easy to cut, poplar is cheaper and more accessible but very HARD and impossible to cut with a coping saw) wood glue, pencil, paint brushes, acrylic paint (variety of colors) 8" length of 3/4 wooden dowel, 6" wooden plaque (either round or oval, available in many arts & crafts shops for about 99 cents.) and polyurethane.

SIX, 4 inch piece, measured and marked, pine

clamp the wood to the workbench grips if you have them.

The wood can be clamped to a table using a portable grip if you do not have access to a wood shop. Using a hand saw cut six 4 " square pieces of wood. 

draw on the wood a guideline to cut. Two slices of bread, perhaps meat, cheese ( swiss is fun because of the holes, something round, a tomato? an onion? a burger? I want my students to work on at least one round shape. Lettuce is a must because the coping saw is really a hand held jig-saw and I encourage them to maneuver several shapes. 

Sous chef with a coping saw

clamp the wooden pieces to the table and begin to cut the edges using the coping saw ( a hand held jig saw) can be used to maneuver around the curly edges of the lettuce or the rounded areas of the bread or onion. 

After all sandwich contents have been formed, the hole in the center needs to be drilled. Each piece must to have a hole placed in the middle using a 3/4 X4" wood boring bit.  Use whatever type drill you have. An old style hand drill, an electric drill, or if you have access to a wood shop a drill press is great, it also saves time if you are creating swiss cheese.

sand all edges

The plate or platter for your sandwich needs a hole drilled as well, to insert the dowel. Try not to drill all the way through the wood. If you do it is okay, its just becomes harder to secure the 8" wooden dowel. Use wood glue to secure the dowel in place. ( again, I purchase a plaque to use as my plate from Michaels, or AC Moore, or any arts & crafts supply source handy. I'm sure another step could be added to the activity and one could cut their own "serving plate or platter"

Paint

paint

Paint

When all the sandwich choices have been painted, including the plate, cover the work with a coat of polyurethane. I like to use minwax, its non toxic ( just in case someone tries to bite into their sandwich) and it is water soluble, ideal for easy clean up.

Remember when the games end the leftovers can be used for ever more as coasters!

Bon Appetit