Same here. My mom was a seamstress and my father a cabinet maker in his spare time. He made me lots of them when I was in kindergarden, but when I was about four or five he tought me how to make them myself. I ended up with a large fleet of them. I tought my son how to make them as well. Between us we have about fifty of them.
What a lucky childhood without computer games and mobile phones. But with joy to get a toy from your father or grandfather made by himself and having a good time with it. It's not all better in the modern times. Thank you for sharing your memories with us and greetings from Germany.
These were the toys for so many of us in our childhood. This was a thread spool from out of Mothers sewing gear. How many here remember the whirligig that we made from large buttons and a stout piece of cotton string? Or the spin tops you could make with a nail and a slice of a tree branch or a wooden button? Who remembers the baking soda powered submarines that came in some breakfast cereals? Or the rockets that were powered with baking soda and vinegar made from a pop bottle, a cork and so tissue? Remember making a compass from a needle, a piece of cloth, and a leaf? Or stealing fence pickets and making battleships out of them with some nails and a few other stakes cut to shape? (You could make airplanes much the same way) How about kites from some newspaper and dried out twigs or if you had some money tissue wrapping paper? For those of us who lived in the north how many remember making igloos in the winter? Didn't we all make our underground forts from junk to conceal our hole in the ground? Lets not even talk about tree houses. What about building a raft for the local pond so we could go sailing. Remember making a motor for your bicycle from a piece of cardboard and a clothes pin. And there were dozens of more items to make. We were only limited by the extent of our imagination. Although crude, making these things taught us how to use tools to build things and employ various principles to make them work. They also taught you to be inventive and helped to make you self sufficient. We "oldsters" managed to do a hell of a lot with our hard earned skills and managed to make our way in life without the internet and facebook.
Yes indeed, remember making those as a kid. When I came across a few wooden cotton reels in my late mother’s things, I instantly thought of these tanks. Thanks for this.
We called them “spools” in America and rubbed soap on one end for limited friction. Also made rubber band pistols, wooden spinning tops and shot marbles out of a ring drawn in the sand. Couldn’t play for “keeps” though, which was considered gambling.
That has bought back memories of my dad making one, it would have been in the late 1940's or early 1950's. Mum or Nan would have an empty cotton reel in her sewing box, dad would use a piece of wax candle along with the rubber band and stick. I'm going to make a couple for my great grand kids, sad my kids and grand kids missed out as I had forgotten. What a great project.
if you rub more wax on the wood face side, the movement will be smoother, and slower, and steadier. age: 6 year: 1965 I made my own toy, we called it the "Tank"
We made these in the 60s we called them tanks .we also made catapults from tree branches, bows and arrows,throwing arrows. My elder brother made a crystal set to listen to the radio. Also we had a long wire through the gardens to our friends house with a headphone on each end to communicate. Dad was an electrician.
I remember making these as a kid, only we used a button with the center out instead of the wax. it is almost a lost art making little things like this We also made whistles from willow and also from metal strapping. we found ways to keep occupied. Thanks for the memory.
Nice. My dad showed me how to make one of those back in the 70s. I used to bevel the wax rub collar to make the stick point towards the center. Many varieties and sizes for sure. Climbing over obstacles. So much fun!
I made those as whenever my mother used up a spool of thread! My father showed me how to make them, and his mother showed him. I'm an old man now, so that history spans a hundred years. Thanks for the memories!
this brought back memories and a smile from the "shadows if my mind"..... my dad built me these from thread bobbins he got from my mother when I was little back in the early 60's. Thank you!
Max I am 70 and I used to use the empty wooden spools from Mama's sewing thread to make those. I had forgotten about them until I saw you making this one. Great times. Thanks for sharing with us.
Thanks Max, that brought back a lot of memory's. I made many of those when I was a kid by robbing my Moms sewing supplies. :-) As soon as I saw the videos thumbnail picture I knew exactly what it was.
Turning Point. Same here. It was something we could make, and enjoyed it muchly. Used soap as the slip bearing. Sometimes let the retaining stick protrude enough to provide extra traction.
Does anyone remember how we made a pea shooter out of two clothes pins the wood ones with spring ? The spool tank we call them was great toy we made . Thanks
Thanks for the nostalgia trip. I remember when my father showed me how to make one of these with a cotton reel and a stick - would have been early 1960's. I made one on my own afterwards with a cotton reel and a pencil. When I ran it across the (white) table cloth the pencil faithfully recorded its progress...
Ah yes. I made lots of these “MOON ROVERS” thanks to Kelloggs. They were made from cut-out cardboard panels on the back of “Corn flakes” boxes, and were surprisingly robust considering what they were made from. Happy memories indeed there. Thanks for this video, it’s made my day.
From the thumbnail I thought "that looks like a wooden spool. No!?, is he making...?" I sure remember not knowing that we were broke. Old enough now to know that we were never poor. Great memories, thanks for reminding me! We used soap as bearing. Anyone else?
When you started the build I hoped this was the same toy my dad made for me when I was young. Yep, same one. I haven’t seen it since I made one for my daughters, when they were toddlers, 36 years ago. They loved it, as did I making it for them. I had to smile, watching you. Brought back pleasant memories. We used a used up thread spool, just like the one you made on the lath. Texas
One of my greatest memories of my grandmother involves these little spool racers. My brother and I were very young and we were at a wedding reception where the bride and groom were running very late. We were extremely bored and my grandmother like a superhero digs 2 wooden thread spools and 2 rubber bands out of her pocketbook. She used them along with toothpicks and cocktail stirrers to make use each our own little racer. We spent the entire time having races in the corner of the room. I don't even think we bothered to stop to eat our dinner. ❤️
We made them in South Africa too . Never thought I'd see one of those again. Those wooden cotton spools made lots of toys. My father made some exellent wooden toys for me. Even a tower crane from dowels and off cut pieces of board, with a hand crank using those same wooden spools as pulleys. The crane also rotated on its base and had its own wheels. Another of his favorite building materials was used tomato boxes. The thin quarter inch wood was used to make aeroplane wings. The bodies were from 2x3 off cut construction pine. Come to think of it there were planes, trains, wagons, ships and even a helicopter. Simple durable toys that lasted my whole childhood. Never had much store bought stuff never needed any. Thanks Dad for teaching me to appreciate things and to take care of them. May you rest in peace.
Used to make this in the early 60s, we called it the tank , made out of old cotton reels like you say. Spent hours playing with them in the long winter of 62.
Exactly like the one my dad showed me how to make. He used a thread spool and a piece of hard soap for the bearing. What a wonderful memory, thank you..
Boy, your entry brought back 60+ years of memories and great times with my papa. He was a cabnet maker, and still have his old Delta lathe and more tools. Every Christmas we looked forward to unwraping a toy he had made for us. One was similar to this, but was a tractor and the rear larger wheels were powered in the same why. You not only got me to Subscribe, but made my Christmas have meaning,,ThxMax. Oh and thx to My Lil Mule that I now watch, where your comment was a nice shout out on his BP mill tare down. Wishing the best to you & yours over the Holidays,,Bear in TX.
I made my first truck toy cut from a 2x4 stacked and glued together. Along with some shaping and some paint, wheels made a little different then yours but from logs and branches. Thanks for sharing!
I made these back in the late 50's, when my family lived out west on the Great Plains of Kansas. My dad showed me how to make one first, then I made my several of my own after that. My mom saved up empty wooden thread spools for me, and I used a pocket knife to make the treads on the spool. Used pencils for the trailing stick, or a wooden skewer, what ever I could find. Took one up to school, and sent it rolling up the aisle toward the teacher's desk while she was busy writing on the blackboard. When she became aware of some excess noise coming from classmates, she turned around and spotted the little tank rolling up the aisle. She told me to put it away, or she would confiscate it for the rest of the day. She didn't even ask who did it, she didn't need to. I need to teach my two grandsons to make these in a couple of years when they can be trusted with a pocketknife. Thanks, Dad!
Max that was enjoyable. If only man was sharing and helping each other and enjoying the journey instead of all the crap that's going on in the world it would be a better place. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
My dad made these "tractors" from my earliest memories in 1951. He was born in 1913 and said they were well known during his childhood. Improvising entertainment was a flourishing art before the electronic age; lucky kids had crystal sets, Hornby trains and walkie-talkie dolls, but everyone could cobble together from scraps, something to play with!
I made many of those from Mom's sewing thread spools back in the 1940s and 50s in North Dakota. I always looked for the largest spools. I'll have to make some for my grandkids.
Thank you for this video, which reminds me when children were happy with simple things, I don't know how many I did. I have been impressed by the amount of responses from others who did.
That took me back several decades! I remember when “Kellogg’s Cornflakes” contained a cardboard clip out of parts to build this “Moon Rover” ...and it actually worked.. if memory serves me correctly, it was Blue, White and orange in colour. Trouble is; ir didn’t last as long as the Cornflakes” so you had to build another one out of your mums cotton reel and a stick out of the garden. Happy days indeed. Thanks for this video Max, it brought back some great memories.
Thanks Max, It brings back the memory of my first day at school, at morning recess seeing one being used to climb an embankment, think it was 1956. instantly, recognised the thumbnail even though I havn't thought about it since all that time.
Great video mate, yes, I definately remember making these, also made a telephone with cotton reel bobbin and a matchbox , couple of matchsticks, a laggy band and a length of cotton....happy days
These "cotton reel tractors" as we called them would have been my first attempt at making something move under it's own power when I was a kid. I've nearly finished what will be my last attempt & I'm looking to go 550mph.
Yeah my grandma used to make those for us kids back in the 50’s out of empty sewing thread wooden spools. She would use a rubber band, thumbtack and pencil for the rest of it.. note: a couple of thin metal washers worked well where he put his candle washer. Brings back old memories. Thank you you Sir for the video.
That's awesome, I'm glad someone is showing what old school looks like, I never could get my nephew's interested in outside fun or making your own toys, if it didn't contain buttons and a controller they weren't interested
Yes sir , and sad....... I grew up in the Appalachian mountains, if I was not in school dad would tell me and my twin brother he didn't want to see us till the dinner bell rang and we stayed in the woods all day , or I would be in his basement swiping whatever scraps of material to make wooden , guns, swords, and whatever other type of thing that luckily didn't kill me
G'day Max, I was making multiple guesses as the project progressed, but wasn't even close. We made lots of homemade toys as kids, but didn't know of this one... Good One! Thanks Max !!
Cotton reel tanks the only toys I had after war. Dad used to make them for me. In the late '60's when I had children I used to make them for them, then they stopped making cotton reels out of wood , no more tanks lol.
The moment you started making it I knew what it was, back in the 60 we made them, but we use soap, another thing we used to make or Rock shooters from wooden clothespins , lot of childhood memories thanks for sharing that with us 😊
Wow that brings back memory when i was a kid over 65 years made those but from a empty cotton thread spool though we were not aloud to use a full candle just a but of a candle a piece of rubber bicycle tube cut thin those days bicycle tube was made of rubber use to make them for my friends if they had a empty cotton thread spool. am now 76 years young lol we did not have rubber bands back then and now they make the cotton thread spool out of plastic
Played with them about 60 years ago but as someone else mentioned we used a spool from sewing thread, cut the treads with a pocket knife and used a birthday candle for the drive rather than the wax washer. I was thinking about this about a week ago, for my grandson that will be 3 next month.
Memories, memories... Sitting around the cooker in the kitchen making "tractors", cotton reel looms for french knitting, supping on mugs of pea soup with hot buttered toast, listening to radio plays on the ABC Simple pleasures because Tv was only available for the rich. Eric
Great trip down memory lane mate, as many have mentioned us kids were the scourge of mothers sewing kits everywhere when these were the go. Reminds me of the old curiosity show episodes they are now replaying on TH-cam. Good one
I remember when my grangfather said "Come with me we're gunna make a tank" and we made one of these, and then another and another, until grandmother realised we were pinching her almost used cotton reels and wasting the cotton lol, great memories.
We used to make the same wooden tanks as kids but we used wooden cotton bobbins from my mothers sawing machine, took me back to being a kid 40 years ago. Put a smile on my face, thanks for the happy memory's when life was simple & more fun.
I made one from a two foot diameter cable reel a jacking bar and every big O ring there was in the bus garage I worked in. It was released in the pit and people were running for their lives! It was great fun if a little dangerous the early eighties that was. Thanks for the memories.
I remember making these with empty wooden cotton reels, we would wait until my mother finishes one. Instead of a wax washer, I use a dry piece of soap. once I am fed up playing, ill add a drop of water between the washer and the reel when it's fully wound. The tractor instantly dashes when a water drop is added. I had super fun with these... Thank you for the video.
That took my back 60 odd yrs .remember my dear old dad making them and then I got into making my own we used to use moms left over cotton reels .the fun we had from making them and racing them was brilliant .and not a button or a mouse in sight .Thanks for reminding me .
Never made that, but made kites, coaster with transmission bearings as wheels w/rope steering, pulley pull weight wall system for arm workout…etc…great fun!!!
Cool video, thanks for the memory, we used to make them with bobbins and match sticks. Called them tanks because they could climb over small obstacles in their path. 😄
gday max mom use to get stroppy every time i pinched a empty cotton reel from her sewing box she used them for refills as you could buy different coloured cotton on card fingers cheers wayne
when I was little, I remember at grandmas house having that thing, I never knew what it was, thought it was for sewing or something, it had a rubber band, that end cap and a wooden stick, now I know it was a toy... thanks mate!!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I used to play with those things when I was a kid. I had forgotten all about them. Sadly all of the ones I played with managed to get thrown away over the years.
Hi Max ... when I first saw you turning the wood, I thought it was going to be a Castle from a Chess Game .. then as you progressed, I thought one of those bobbins we used to use for a crochet rope. Then when you fitted the Rubber Band on, it reminded me of a similar thing we used to make, but instead of wax , we used a stick on each end of the bobin, wound it up & let it shoot off like a chariot . Thanks for the Nostalgia. Well done to bring back memories of No Cell Phones, Videos & the like. Just plain fun.
Brings memories back for me too Max as kids getting into trouble for cutting timber with a hacksaw, jamming up Dads vice with saw dust, putting saw cuts in the vice jaws, breaking hacksaw blades by the dozen, but we were learning how to use our hands. At least I was. I love that old lathe, the song flat belts make depending how they have been joined. Lots of flat belts used to be in shearing sheds, saw benches, sheep dips and pumps on farms just to name a few. Jeff.
I'm 70 and Grandpa Jude taught me that toy as a barefoot grandson in the hills of Kentucky in a special time as a kid with small limits and very few toys. Ours were leftover wooden thread spools. Thanks, Might have been better before kids had I Pods. Thanks
Remember making these tanks using mums cotton reels, oh the good old days when kid made their own toys. Bow and arrows, pistols, machine guns, carts from old Pram wheels. Games of British bulldogs, cowboy and Indians, soldiers and the Tarzan swing in the wood next to the closed down railway line. Would be out from breakfast through to the evening not a care in the world. All the mums were use to us being out playing we felt so safe. God times have changed and not for the better! 👍🏴
Haven't made one of those in over 40 years. We used the wooden sewing thread spools. Great memories
we used spools too, but I think we used bar soap for the washer.
Same here. My mom was a seamstress and my father a cabinet maker in his spare time. He made me lots of them when I was in kindergarden, but when I was about four or five he tought me how to make them myself. I ended up with a large fleet of them. I tought my son how to make them as well. Between us we have about fifty of them.
What a lucky childhood without computer games and mobile phones. But with joy to get a toy from your father or grandfather made by himself and having a good time with it. It's not all better in the modern times. Thank you for sharing your memories with us and greetings from Germany.
These were the toys for so many of us in our childhood. This was a thread spool from out of Mothers sewing gear. How many here remember the whirligig that we made from large buttons and a stout piece of cotton string? Or the spin tops you could make with a nail and a slice of a tree branch or a wooden button? Who remembers the baking soda powered submarines that came in some breakfast cereals? Or the rockets that were powered with baking soda and vinegar made from a pop bottle, a cork and so tissue? Remember making a compass from a needle, a piece of cloth, and a leaf? Or stealing fence pickets and making battleships out of them with some nails and a few other stakes cut to shape? (You could make airplanes much the same way) How about kites from some newspaper and dried out twigs or if you had some money tissue wrapping paper? For those of us who lived in the north how many remember making igloos in the winter? Didn't we all make our underground forts from junk to conceal our hole in the ground? Lets not even talk about tree houses. What about building a raft for the local pond so we could go sailing. Remember making a motor for your bicycle from a piece of cardboard and a clothes pin. And there were dozens of more items to make. We were only limited by the extent of our imagination.
Although crude, making these things taught us how to use tools to build things and employ various principles to make them work. They also taught you to be inventive and helped to make you self sufficient. We "oldsters" managed to do a hell of a lot with our hard earned skills and managed to make our way in life without the internet and facebook.
So true !
We were the scourge of our mothers' sewing boxes, raiding them for cotton reels, until they went plastic!
Good memories. Thanks for sharing, Max.
Remember my dad making it for me when I was little . Am 71 now . He made it out of a empty thread spool . Thanks for the memories.
Yes indeed, remember making those as a kid. When I came across a few wooden cotton reels in my late mother’s things, I instantly thought of these tanks. Thanks for this.
We called them “spools” in America and rubbed soap on one end for limited friction. Also made rubber band pistols, wooden spinning tops and shot marbles out of a ring drawn in the sand. Couldn’t play for “keeps” though, which was considered gambling.
That has bought back memories of my dad making one, it would have been in the late 1940's or early 1950's. Mum or Nan would have an empty cotton reel in her sewing box, dad would use a piece of wax candle along with the rubber band and stick. I'm going to make a couple for my great grand kids, sad my kids and grand kids missed out as I had forgotten. What a great project.
My Dad made these for me over 60 yrs ago, he called them tractors!
if you rub more wax on the wood face side, the movement will be smoother, and slower, and steadier.
age: 6
year: 1965
I made my own toy, we called it the "Tank"
We made these in the 60s we called them tanks .we also made catapults from tree branches, bows and arrows,throwing arrows. My elder brother made a crystal set to listen to the radio. Also we had a long wire through the gardens to our friends house with a headphone on each end to communicate. Dad was an electrician.
@@commonsense718 nowaday, kids know only internet. they don't even dare to strike a match to make fire.
@@hdlim8753 I was the youngest of ten children we made our own fun.
I remember making these as a kid, only we used a button with the center out instead of the wax. it is almost a lost art making little things like this We also made whistles from willow and also from metal strapping. we found ways to keep occupied. Thanks for the memory.
We wax the side next to the button, it could slow down the rolling.
Nice. My dad showed me how to make one of those back in the 70s. I used to bevel the wax rub collar to make the stick point towards the center. Many varieties and sizes for sure. Climbing over obstacles. So much fun!
I made those as whenever my mother used up a spool of thread! My father showed me how to make them, and his mother showed him. I'm an old man now, so that history spans a hundred years. Thanks for the memories!
this brought back memories and a smile from the "shadows if my mind"..... my dad built me these from thread bobbins he got from my mother when I was little back in the early 60's. Thank you!
Max I am 70 and I used to use the empty wooden spools from Mama's sewing thread to make those. I had forgotten about them until I saw you making this one. Great times. Thanks for sharing with us.
No worries ! 👍
Thanks Max, that brought back a lot of memory's. I made many of those when I was a kid by robbing my Moms sewing supplies. :-) As soon as I saw the videos thumbnail picture I knew exactly what it was.
Turning Point. Same here. It was something we could make, and enjoyed it muchly. Used soap as the slip bearing. Sometimes let the retaining stick protrude enough to provide extra traction.
Does anyone remember how we made a pea shooter out of two clothes pins the wood ones with spring ? The spool tank we call them was great toy we made . Thanks
Me too
@@calvinjarrett5099 I shot matches out of my clothes pins. Got caught had to wear a red dress for playing with fire.
Same here :-)
Thanks for the nostalgia trip. I remember when my father showed me how to make one of these with a cotton reel and a stick - would have been early 1960's. I made one on my own afterwards with a cotton reel and a pencil. When I ran it across the (white) table cloth the pencil faithfully recorded its progress...
Ah yes. I made lots of these “MOON ROVERS” thanks to Kelloggs. They were made from cut-out cardboard panels on the back of “Corn flakes” boxes, and were surprisingly robust considering what they were made from. Happy memories indeed there. Thanks for this video, it’s made my day.
Havent seen one of these since I was child . Thankyou for the trip down memory lane .
Great video amigo!!!! I remember my dad making me one with a piece of soap as the bearing. Loved the video!! Cheers 🍻!!
From the thumbnail I thought "that looks like a wooden spool. No!?, is he making...?"
I sure remember not knowing that we were broke. Old enough now to know that we were never poor.
Great memories, thanks for reminding me!
We used soap as bearing. Anyone else?
When you started the build I hoped this was the same toy my dad made for me when I was young. Yep, same one. I haven’t seen it since I made one for my daughters, when they were toddlers, 36 years ago. They loved it, as did I making it for them. I had to smile, watching you. Brought back pleasant memories. We used a used up thread spool, just like the one you made on the lath. Texas
One of my greatest memories of my grandmother involves these little spool racers. My brother and I were very young and we were at a wedding reception where the bride and groom were running very late. We were extremely bored and my grandmother like a superhero digs 2 wooden thread spools and 2 rubber bands out of her pocketbook. She used them along with toothpicks and cocktail stirrers to make use each our own little racer. We spent the entire time having races in the corner of the room. I don't even think we bothered to stop to eat our dinner. ❤️
Wow dude that brings back memory's , my mum used to work for English sewing in UK we had loads of them in the 60's as kids 😁🤘
We made them in South Africa too . Never thought I'd see one of those again. Those wooden cotton spools made lots of toys. My father made some exellent wooden toys for me. Even a tower crane from dowels and off cut pieces of board, with a hand crank using those same wooden spools as pulleys. The crane also rotated on its base and had its own wheels. Another of his favorite building materials was used tomato boxes. The thin quarter inch wood was used to make aeroplane wings. The bodies were from 2x3 off cut construction pine. Come to think of it there were planes, trains, wagons, ships and even a helicopter. Simple durable toys that lasted my whole childhood. Never had much store bought stuff never needed any. Thanks Dad for teaching me to appreciate things and to take care of them. May you rest in peace.
todays kids expect dad to make them an i pad
thanks for jogging the memory, I remember making these when a kid and racing them round the garden.
Used to make this in the early 60s, we called it the tank , made out of old cotton reels like you say. Spent hours playing with them in the long winter of 62.
They were really fun!!! 😃👍👍🇺🇸
Thank you for sharing and reminding us!
My Uncle Al made me one of those some 50 years ago. Thanks for the fond memories.
Exactly like the one my dad showed me how to make. He used a thread spool and a piece of hard soap for the bearing. What a wonderful memory, thank you..
Boy, your entry brought back 60+ years of memories and great times with my papa. He was a cabnet maker, and still have his old Delta lathe and more tools. Every Christmas we looked forward to unwraping a toy he had made for us. One was similar to this, but was a tractor and the rear larger wheels were powered in the same why. You not only got me to Subscribe, but made my Christmas have meaning,,ThxMax. Oh and thx to My Lil Mule that I now watch, where your comment was a nice shout out on his BP mill tare down. Wishing the best to you & yours over the Holidays,,Bear in TX.
Thanks . Have a great one as well , Cheers .
G'day Max, absolutely wonderful mate, thanks so much for sharing
I made my first truck toy cut from a 2x4 stacked and glued together. Along with some shaping and some paint, wheels made a little different then yours but from logs and branches. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks .
At the age of 76 this is the first time I have seen one of these in 70 + years thanks
I used to make these as a child. Thank you for reminding me. I am going to make one for my grandson. Cheers.
I made these back in the late 50's, when my family lived out west on the Great Plains of Kansas. My dad showed me how to make one first, then I made my several of my own after that. My mom saved up empty wooden thread spools for me, and I used a pocket knife to make the treads on the spool. Used pencils for the trailing stick, or a wooden skewer, what ever I could find.
Took one up to school, and sent it rolling up the aisle toward the teacher's desk while she was busy writing on the blackboard. When she became aware of some excess noise coming from classmates, she turned around and spotted the little tank rolling up the aisle. She told me to put it away, or she would confiscate it for the rest of the day. She didn't even ask who did it, she didn't need to.
I need to teach my two grandsons to make these in a couple of years when they can be trusted with a pocketknife.
Thanks, Dad!
G’day Max. That’s a neat toy mate. Very cool indeed. Cheers 🍻. Aaron
Max that was enjoyable. If only man was sharing and helping each other and enjoying the journey instead of all the crap that's going on in the world it would be a better place. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Couldn't agree more!
Amen to that, Bear.
My dad made these "tractors" from my earliest memories in 1951. He was born in 1913 and said they were well known during his childhood. Improvising entertainment was a flourishing art before the electronic age; lucky kids had crystal sets, Hornby trains and walkie-talkie dolls, but everyone could cobble together from scraps, something to play with!
That's why I say that some kids have more fun and imagination playing with the boxes the toys come in than the toys themselves.
We used to make lots of toys when we were kids, but never this one.
Thanks for sharing the idea.
I made many of those from Mom's sewing thread spools back in the 1940s and 50s in North Dakota. I always looked for the largest spools. I'll have to make some for my grandkids.
Thank you for this video, which reminds me when children were happy with simple things, I don't know how many I did. I have been impressed by the amount of responses from others who did.
That is really neat! My Grandfather used to make us kids stuff like that. Now I make stuff like that too.
That took me back several decades! I remember when “Kellogg’s Cornflakes” contained a cardboard clip out of parts to build this “Moon Rover” ...and it actually worked.. if memory serves me correctly, it was Blue, White and orange in colour. Trouble is; ir didn’t last as long as the Cornflakes” so you had to build another one out of your mums cotton reel and a stick out of the garden. Happy days indeed. Thanks for this video Max, it brought back some great memories.
No worries . I remember cardboard cut outs on the Kellogs boxes in the early 70's ! 👍
Thanks Max, It brings back the memory of my first day at school, at morning recess seeing one being used to climb an embankment, think it was 1956. instantly, recognised the thumbnail even though I havn't thought about it since all that time.
Great video mate, yes, I definately remember making these, also made a telephone with cotton reel bobbin and a matchbox , couple of matchsticks, a laggy band and a length of cotton....happy days
I remember making those and spending a lot of time playing with my tractor, as I called it, when I was a kid over 60 years ago.
These "cotton reel tractors" as we called them would have been my first attempt at making something move under it's own power when I was a kid. I've nearly finished what will be my last attempt & I'm looking to go 550mph.
We called them tanks.
I seem to remember calling then 'tanks'. Thanks for refreshing my memory!
Geez mate, talk about a trip back to the childhood. Good onya Max. Keep the videos comin mate
Yeah my grandma used to make those for us kids back in the 50’s out of empty sewing thread wooden spools. She would use a rubber band, thumbtack and pencil for the rest of it.. note: a couple of thin metal washers worked well where he put his candle washer. Brings back old memories. Thank you you Sir for the video.
I am 71 and remember my Dad making one of those when I was quite young.
And here I am with a whole box full of wooden thread spools and the memories too of making that same toy as a kid.
We have not had any in the house in a long time , that's why i had to make my own !!!
Made them as a kid-much simpler. A spool, a rubber band, a match stick, a piece of soap and a pocket knife. Quick and simple.
That's awesome, I'm glad someone is showing what old school looks like, I never could get my nephew's interested in outside fun or making your own toys, if it didn't contain buttons and a controller they weren't interested
How times have changed . 👍
Yes sir , and sad....... I grew up in the Appalachian mountains, if I was not in school dad would tell me and my twin brother he didn't want to see us till the dinner bell rang and we stayed in the woods all day , or I would be in his basement swiping whatever scraps of material to make wooden , guns, swords, and whatever other type of thing that luckily didn't kill me
Hi my late father used to make these for us back in the 70s he used to call them tanks.thanks for the vid i am going to make one.
15 minutes of my life that I won't get back again. Made stacks of these 60 years ago, from old cotton reels.
G'day Max, I was making multiple guesses as the project progressed, but wasn't even close. We made lots of homemade toys as kids, but didn't know of this one... Good One! Thanks Max !!
Thanks Max , that’s a trip down memory lane, my dad use to make them for myself and my brother. A simple toy which gave us hours of enjoyment 👍
Ha Haa, trip down memory lane for me Max, I used to make these as a kid out of cotton reels, we used to try and race them lol. Cheers, Jon
Cotton reel tanks the only toys I had after war. Dad used to make them for me. In the late '60's when I had children I used to make them for them, then they stopped making cotton reels out of wood , no more tanks lol.
My dad showed me how to make them when i was a kid in the 70's, one of my most vivid memories about childhood.
The moment you started making it I knew what it was, back in the 60 we made them, but we use soap, another thing we used to make or Rock shooters from wooden clothespins , lot of childhood memories thanks for sharing that with us 😊
😎😊👋👌 Nice
Me gusta mucho, es un exelente juguete para regalar a los niños, quiero hacerlo.
Thanks .
Wow that brings back memory when i was a kid over 65 years made those but from a empty cotton thread spool though we were not aloud to use a full candle just a but of a candle a piece of rubber bicycle tube cut thin those days bicycle tube was made of rubber use to make them for my friends if they had a empty cotton thread spool. am now 76 years young lol we did not have rubber bands back then and now they make the cotton thread spool out of plastic
Played with them about 60 years ago but as someone else mentioned we used a spool from sewing thread, cut the treads with a pocket knife and used a birthday candle for the drive rather than the wax washer. I was thinking about this about a week ago, for my grandson that will be 3 next month.
Memories, memories...
Sitting around the cooker in the kitchen making "tractors", cotton reel looms for french knitting, supping on mugs of pea soup with hot buttered toast, listening to radio plays on the ABC Simple pleasures because Tv was only available for the rich.
Eric
Great trip down memory lane mate, as many have mentioned us kids were the scourge of mothers sewing kits everywhere when these were the go. Reminds me of the old curiosity show episodes they are now replaying on TH-cam. Good one
G'Day Max, I made a lot of toys when I was a kid but never that one. Thanks for sharing.
Cam
Saw those when i was a pup but never set as a toy. thx for solving the mystery.
Use to make them out of mums old cotton reels, oh so many years ago Max
Lepi spomini. Tudi jaz sem izdeloval to igračo in se z njimi igral. Thangs for the nostalgia trip.
My grandfather used to make these from a thread spool, 2 match stick, soap and a rubber band. Such great memories.
I remember when my grangfather said "Come with me we're gunna make a tank" and we made one of these, and then another and another, until grandmother realised we were pinching her almost used cotton reels and wasting the cotton lol, great memories.
Thanks 👍
We used to make the same wooden tanks as kids but we used wooden cotton bobbins from my mothers sawing machine, took me back to being a kid 40 years ago. Put a smile on my face, thanks for the happy memory's when life was simple & more fun.
Wow memory lane Al the brit
Una cagada
I’m 71, my Dad taught my brother and I how to make these back in the 50s!
Never saw that homemade toy before. That's a pretty neat. Simple times simple toys. Your hands show a hard work in man. God bless !!!!
Magic Max - We used to race them at school but never saw the candle wax trick before - neat!.
Thank you. It brought me back to my early childhood.
I made one from a two foot diameter cable reel a jacking bar and every big O ring there was in the bus garage I worked in. It was released in the pit and people were running for their lives! It was great fun if a little dangerous the early eighties that was. Thanks for the memories.
That would be Gold to have seen that !!! I am sure there are some large power cable reels on some of our jobs , about 5 or 6 feet .....mmmm!!!
@@swanvalleymachineshop now that would be a video to see.
@@swanvalleymachineshop next olympics ?
@@colintuffs568 Great idea !!!
I have not seen that before, Made wood tops and played with jacks and marbles. Thanks for sharing Max
We were taught how to make them in primary school. A forgotten era indeed. Thanks for jogging the old grey matter!
I remember maaking those out of wooden cotton reels Max, brought back memories. Cheers Tony
I remember making these with empty wooden cotton reels, we would wait until my mother finishes one. Instead of a wax washer, I use a dry piece of soap. once I am fed up playing, ill add a drop of water between the washer and the reel when it's fully wound. The tractor instantly dashes when a water drop is added. I had super fun with these... Thank you for the video.
Wow, that brings back memories. I used to make these out of my mums wooded cotton reals when I was a kid.
That took my back 60 odd yrs .remember my dear old dad making them and then I got into making my own we used to use moms left over cotton reels .the fun we had from making them and racing them was brilliant .and not a button or a mouse in sight .Thanks for reminding me .
These had completely gone from my memory. Can't wait to get to the work shed and get one made.
I use to make them when I was a boy , I used a spool from my grandmas sewing thread and I’m 82 yrs old fun to watch you make one , old memories
Never made that, but made kites, coaster with transmission bearings as wheels w/rope steering, pulley pull weight wall system for arm workout…etc…great fun!!!
Born in 55, made lots in the 60s.. pencil, rubber band, tack and a reel..never used the candle except to wax the end
I haven't seen one of them for years, nice one 👍
Cool video, thanks for the memory, we used to make them with bobbins and match sticks. Called them tanks because they could climb over small obstacles in their path. 😄
Cotton-reel tank! Instant flashback 60+ years :-)
Made those as well. We used crayons instead of candles though. Great fun!
Yep, I remember when..
Old Ma's gone now and so have those wooden cotton reels.
Thanks for the reminiscing Max.
My dad made me these when I was 7 or 8 years old. I’m now 67. Memories brought back from a long time ago. 👍
gday max mom use to get stroppy every time i pinched a empty cotton reel from her sewing box she used them for refills as you could buy different coloured cotton on card fingers cheers wayne
when I was little, I remember at grandmas house having that thing, I never knew what it was, thought it was for sewing or something, it had a rubber band, that end cap and a wooden stick, now I know it was a toy... thanks mate!!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I used to play with those things when I was a kid. I had forgotten all about them. Sadly all of the ones I played with managed to get thrown away over the years.
Hi Max ... when I first saw you turning the wood, I thought it was going to be a Castle from a Chess Game .. then as you progressed, I thought one of those bobbins we used to use for a crochet rope. Then when you fitted the Rubber Band on, it reminded me of a similar thing we used to make, but instead of wax , we used a stick on each end of the bobin, wound it up & let it shoot off like a chariot . Thanks for the Nostalgia. Well done to bring back memories of No Cell Phones, Videos & the like. Just plain fun.
Brings memories back for me too Max as kids getting into trouble for cutting timber with a hacksaw, jamming up Dads vice with saw dust, putting saw cuts in the vice jaws, breaking hacksaw blades by the dozen, but we were learning how to use our hands. At least I was. I love that old lathe, the song flat belts make depending how they have been joined. Lots of flat belts used to be in shearing sheds, saw benches, sheep dips and pumps on farms just to name a few. Jeff.
I'm 70 and Grandpa Jude taught me that toy as a barefoot grandson in the hills of Kentucky in a special time as a kid with small limits and very few toys.
Ours were leftover wooden thread spools.
Thanks, Might have been better before kids had I Pods.
Thanks
Remember making these tanks using mums cotton reels, oh the good old days when kid made their own toys. Bow and arrows, pistols, machine guns, carts from old Pram wheels. Games of British bulldogs, cowboy and Indians, soldiers and the Tarzan swing in the wood next to the closed down railway line. Would be out from breakfast through to the evening not a care in the world. All the mums were use to us being out playing we felt so safe. God times have changed and not for the better! 👍🏴
Times have changed alright !