Here's a really nice old-fashion set of lathe turned dolls that are quite easy to make.

Lathe Cut Dolls

These wonderful little dolls are made from 2 x 2 scraps or 1½" diameter dowel left-overs.. This project is so simple, I think it does NOT need any explanation. Simply download the drawings and get going. The dolls are turned on a wood lathe then hand painted. I did mine as a butler & maid set. This was a Christmas present I made, back in the 70's, for all the little girls in my (very large) extended family. The boys got the various cars and trucks from this page. Several still have their toys and often tell me how they have loved them all along..

Right-Click here for drawings. The drawings are full scale drawings. These plans are created in Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf) files.

Detailed Instructions
*********** WARNING***********
Read my page on safety before building this item.Construction:

Materials needed:
Any choice of woods will work. I use hickory dowels and they turned quite nicely.
Be sure to use ONLY child safe paints on these iems.

Construction:
This is a pretty simple project. Simply use the drawing as a guide (click on the drawing, above, for a larger picture or just below it for a full-scaleAdobe pdf file). You can turn to the scale I used or enlarge the drawing/turnings for a larger set. You can even make a nice set of carolers, soldiers, a marching band, .... Be creative. Mix and match the curves and shapes of the various pieces to add a greater variety. When you go to paint the dolls, mix and match the clothing, the mouths, hats, hair, etc for a wide selection of finished items.