My 10 Donated Toy Boxes... Christmas 2016

[Limitool]

Hey folks...

Here's a couple of pics of the 10 Toy Boxes I'm donating to honer my later daughter and grandson I lost on Feb. 16, 2015. I have to seal the wood yet on each box and slightly level some of the boxes per their wooden feet.

Now I have to contact 10+ area churches that would like to participate in filling each and deliver to needy families w/children or someone in despair w/box included.

All box pieces (90 pcs.) are cut, machined, hand assembled, sanded, stained and finished by hand / me. I'm now trying to find a branding iron to leave my "mark" somehow. I've now built over 100+ of them and am looking forward to some area churches filling these and delivering them to a needy family this upcoming Christmas.

And please... ANY constructive thoughts are welcome and encouraged. I'm just a "one man army" at the moment!

Thanks, Brad

 

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[Mud Hut]

Nice work, Brad! That is a great way to honor you loved ones, and any child (parent for that matter) should be honored to receive one of those toy boxes.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Awesome toy boxes, there are going to be 10 happy families, that's for sure.

 

[against the wind]

Well done, truly a labor of love

 

[Trapper340]

If you will send me a drawing or an idea of what you want I'll see if I can get you something made up and send it to you as a way to say thank you for what your doing.

 

[Mud Hut]

I'm now trying to find a branding iron to leave my "mark" somehow.
Thanks, Brad

I found a good, larger font, rubber stamp with quality pigmented ink works very well. You can spray lacquer or urethane over it to make it more permanent.
I buy my stamps through Custom Rubber Stamps | Address Stamps, Date Stamps, & More - theStampmaker.com and my Brilliance Pigmented Ink Pads through Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Tsukineko-Brilliance-Pigment-Inkpad-Pearlescent/dp/B0013JLDZS

 

[SD51]

God Bless You!!!

 

[dts52]

Great work and a great way to honor a loved one's memory.
I'm sorry for your loss and I know they are smiling down on you.
dts

 

[kingskid1611]

If you lived closer I know several churches that would enjoy that type of project. You could say its right up their alley. Nice work and testament to your family!

 

[Limitool]

Thanks folks and thanks for the information also. I really wish I knew more about marketing and about how to find just the "right" shipping box also. But I probably have to be careful what I ask for because I'll be LIVING in this wood shop 24/7. Two years ago I put one ad in the Nashville Craigslist 3 months before Christmas and was swamped with orders. Got all but 1 filled. But I also know you can only saturate a marketplace up to a certain point before it tapers off to a trickle I'd think. But I probably have a lot of room yet to sell around here.

Gonna start looking up some churches today and I'll have plenty in which to chose from around me. I sure wish some of you folks lived closer.... we'd have a few beers, built and B.S. Later, Brad

 

[releventchair]

Only branding iron i made was from flat stock cut and bent to shape,(edge/thickness of stock being the face ) then circled with flatstock, then a Y shaped round stock handle welded on its reverse side, the Y two shorter ends the attachment points to weld... Bent an eye at other end.

 

[Limitool]

If you will send me a drawing or an idea of what you want I'll see if I can get you something made up and send it to you as a way to say thank you for what your doing.

I want to thank everyone for the kind words. I received some PM's offering help for this endeavor and appreciate them all. While I knew the costs going in I TRULY appreciate the offered monetary help.

Trapper340... This guy has the skill set to help me with a branding iron. He's working on it and we talked this morning on what to do. And thank you Trapper! I hope it works out. If it works out good and if it doesn't I thank you for the effort.

 

[Carolina Tom]

I know it makes you feel good to build these, but it really makes everyone feel good, even I feel better.

Very well done sir, and don't forget no good deed goes unnoticed.

 

[Limitool]

I know it makes you feel good to build these, but it really makes everyone feel good, even I feel better.

Very well done sir, and don't forget no good deed goes unnoticed.

Hey Tom.... NEVER... did I think I'd get offers from other T-net members to help or off-set the costs of donating these 10 boxes. There are MANY good-hearted members here and I thank them all. I wasn't looking for help but was just sharing this endeavor and encourage others with the skill set to do the same toward this upcoming Christmas Holiday. The difference is I'm on a personal mission now and late... BUT I will for as long as I can build these boxes... and will continue to donate each year to needy family's during each Christmas forward.

EDIT: Maybe next year we'll plan how many boxes T-Net member's can help with and "we"ll" knock'em out together. Maybe some of you can spare some time or spend a weekend here and we'll do it together...? Brad

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Brad, you are awesome.

I remember back in my very disturbing childhood, coming home from somewhere and finding boxes of clothing, toys, and whatever on our doorstep. I was jealous as my older brother got those lace up boots with all the buckles & belts. They were too big for me. Christmas time was special that year, of all the different places I lived as a child. It was the church who adopted us. The next Christmas was somewhere else, and then somewhere else. I went to 18 different schools before finishing high school, left home at 15.

What you are doing is bringing back those moments which truly were magic in my small world.

As Red would say "God Bless".

 

[Limitool]

Brad, you are awesome.

I remember back in my very disturbing childhood, coming home from somewhere and finding boxes of clothing, toys, and whatever on our doorstep. I was jealous as my older brother got those lace up boots with all the buckles & belts. They were too big for me. Christmas time was special that year, of all the different places I lived as a child. It was the church who adopted us. The next Christmas was somewhere else, and then somewhere else. I went to 18 different schools before finishing high school, left home at 15.

What you are doing is bringing back those moments which truly were magic in my small world.

As Red would say "God Bless".

Roger... Thank you for the post buddy. And I am so happy to have met you and Dean in B.C. MI. this summer. Roger you know and I know not you or I can... change our upbringing or control others now. But maybe we can help others now... in some helpful way? Thank you and others for the PM's offering to support me... Brad

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I wish I had seen your post earlier a source for wood branding Irons is( Lee Valley- veritas) plus tons of other woodworking goodies I get carving tools from them among other things.

 

[Limitool]

I wish I had seen your post earlier a source for wood branding Irons is( Lee Valley- veritas) plus tons of other woodworking goodies I get carving tools from them among other things.

Thanks for the info.... I'll check'em out. Another member here is working on a branding iron for me. I looked into getting one made (electric) and boy are they expensive. The one he's working on will have to be heated with a little torch and then used. But it should work fine.

 

[Limitool]

UPDATE: The Chief of Police for Franklin TN. Debbie Falkner got a hold of me and asked if she could have ALL 10 OF THE TOY BOXES I'M DONATING? She asked about 2 weeks ago and said she'd see to it that all 10 were filled and delivered to the proper folks. I thought about it overnight and my wife I agreed to give them all to her. She keeps in touch with me ever since our daughters and grandsons deaths.

NEVER did I expect one person or 1 organization to fill all 10 of these boxes. Since then I've had 2 other churches request a box also. I have a hard time turning them down but have to draw a line somewhere down the line. But I'll probably do the 2 more boxes. I never expected the help coming so "easily".

 

[RGINN]

Good job, limitool. I remember when that accident happened and just a horrible thing, but glad to see something good come out of that. God bless Franklin PD. See, there are some good people in the world, but they just don't make the news. Anything we can do to help out, let us know.