53 and 83 Woodworking projects

For awhile now I have wanted to get out to the garage and begin working on making some toys for the kids.  Melissa's mom got me a book for Christmas that had some good ideas for toys.  This week I got started on a couple of projects.  I am not done with anything yet, but I just wanted to share my progress.

Here are a few pictures of my progress so far:

I have had this wood for 5 or 6 years now.  It was passed down from Melissa's grandfather.  It was wood that he had collected over many decades.  Some of it dating back to the farm that he grew up at.  They are all different sizes but most are at least 7 feet long. I'm excited about finally putting some of it to use.  

 Here's my first project. It's for Charlie. I have only cut out the wood so far.  I have a couple more cuts to do before it is finished.   It is a fish.  I plan on attaching the tail with a wire connection and adding wheels to the bottom.  I will then put a rope through the front lip and Charlie will be able to pull it around.

This next project is for all three kids. I made three of these.  It will be a piggy bank. This is not really a toy, but something I would love to see sitting on their shelves for years to come. Here are the pieces apart. 

Here is the side view of what it will be like.

Here is the front view.

I still need to add a tail and ears (both using some leather scraps).

I just thought it would be fun to share some of my progress. I still have plenty of work to do. I have a few more ideas for future projects. Probably two or three more and I will consider the goal done.