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This is a shape-cutting project more than a joinery one: the truck's charm comes entirely from getting the cab's window-and-windshield cutout looking right, not from any complicated construction. The base, bed sides, and cab all go together with glue and brad nails or pocket holes — straightforward box work.
Cut the cab's window shape before you cut the cab pieces down to their final short length. It's much safer and easier to jigsaw a shape into a longer offcut clamped to the bench than into a tiny 5"-6" piece you're trying to hold steady with your fingers near the blade. Round wooden wheel discs (cut from scrap plywood with a jigsaw or hole saw) finish the look, though they're purely decorative — nothing needs to actually roll.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Pine, 1x6, 6 ft | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x2, 8 ftBed sides can also be cut from 1/4" plywood scrap instead. | 2 each |
| Pine, 1x3 and 1x4 scrapFor the cab. | 1 each |
| Plywood scrap, 1/4" and 1/2"Bumpers and wheel discs. | 2 sq ft |
| Wood glue | 2 oz |
| Brad nails or staples, 1-1/4" | 1 box |
| Sandpaper, assorted grit | 2 sheet |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Main basePine | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 28 1/4" |
| Truck bed front and backPine | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 8 3/4" |
| Wheel support blocksPine | 3 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" |
| Truck bed sidesPine or 1/4" plywood | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 23 3/4" |
| Cab backPine | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 5 1/2" |
| Cab sidesPineCut the window/windshield shape before trimming to final length. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 6" |
| Cab frontPine | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 4" |
| BumpersPineCut to a rounded shape. | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" |
| WheelsPlywood3" diameter discs — decorative only. | 3 | 1/2" × 3" × 3" |
Buy 6 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
1 board
2 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Glue and nail the three wheel support blocks to the main base. Add the two bed front/back pieces the same way, or with pocket holes and glue if you'd rather.
Nail the bed side pieces on with glue. If you're using thinner plywood scrap instead of 1x2, switch to smaller nails or staples so you don't blow through the thinner stock.
Cut the window and windshield opening into the cab side pieces with a jigsaw while they're still a longer, easier-to-clamp offcut — cut the shape first, then trim the piece down to its final 6" length. Doing it in the other order means holding a tiny piece steady right next to the blade.
Glue and nail the cab pieces together into a small box.
Glue and nail the assembled cab to the base from underneath. Cut wheel discs and bumpers, and glue them on last.
Sand every edge and corner — this is a shelf that lives at kid height. Paint or leave raw.
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