How to Make a Toy Ax

Making a toy ax for a stage prop can be fun, easy and inexpensive.

Whether it's for a Halloween costume, a school play or a make-believe battle, your child may ask you for a toy ax. Although you can buy premade toy axes, they can be expensive. You can make a toy ax yourself with a few commonly available household items. After you have gathered the required items, the ax will only take about 15 minutes to assemble.

Things You'll Need

• Black marker
• Stiff cardboard
• Scissors
• Stapler and staples
• Electrical tape
• Gift wrap cardboard tube
• Aluminum foil

Instructions

1. 

   Draw the shape of an ax on the cardboard.

   Draw the shape of a single-bladed or double-bladed ax on a piece of stiff cardboard, using the black marker. For a single-bladed ax, use a 5 inch by 8 inch piece of cardboard, oriented lengthwise or "landscape." The back of the ax head should be flat and the blade of the ax should be belled out. For making a double-bladed ax, use an 8 inch by 12 inch piece of stiff cardboard, oriented lengthwise or "landscape." Draw two half circles back-to-back to create the shape of the double blade. The narrowest part of the ax blade should be in the center. This is where the handle will attach and it should be approximately five inches wide. Cut the shape of the ax blade out of the cardboard.

   Draw a second ax blade using the first blade as a template. Cut out the second ax blade.

2. 

   Staple the two toy ax heads together at the blade end(s), leaving the flat end of the single-bladed ax and the center of the double-bladed ax unstapled.

3. 

   Use electrical tape to strengthen the toy ax handle.

   Wrap the cardboard tube entirely in electrical tape to strengthen the cardboard and make a more sturdy toy ax handle.

4. 

   Use a stapler to attach the toy ax head to the handle.

   Place one piece of cardboard from the flat end of the head (for a single-bladed ax) or the center of the head (for the double-bladed ax) on each side of the gift wrap cardboard tube. Align the toy ax handle flush with the top of the head for the single-bladed ax. Leave approximately an inch of the handle sticking out past the top of the double-bladed head. Staple the ax head to the tube by sliding the stapler inside the tube so the staple goes through one side of the tube and one thickness of the cardboard ax head.

5. 

   Aluminum foil will give the toy ax a more realistic appearance.

   Wrap the toy ax head in aluminum foil to give it the appearance of metal. For a more authentic look, wrap all but one inch of the ax head and blade(s) in electrical tape, leaving only the very ends of the toy blades showing the aluminum foil.