Back in the day many kids used to make their own toys. One of the most popular do it your self toys for boys was the rubber band gun. Today you can get a ready made rubber band gun for a few dollars or you can also make your own.

The game of shooting rubber bands off ones thumb was taken to a new level with the creation of rubber band guns. Over the years these toy guns are experiencing a resurgence of popularity and some are made by actual professional wood carvers.

If you dont necessarily want an elaborate rubber band gun and you are more interested in making one on your own then all you need to do is to start by getting a piece of wood. I recommend getting a 1×2″ piece of lumber. You will also need a wooden clothespin, some glue, a nail and a hammer.

The first thing you should do is to glue the clothespin at the rear of the 1″ side, which should be on top. Before you do that you will need to take the nail which must be less than 2″ long, and 1/8″ thick. Cut the flat head off and file it down. Mark on the piece of wood, where the end of the clothespin will be, and drive the nail into the wood, sharp end down, about 1/3″ from where the mark is located. You should leave about 3/4″ of the nail sticking up.

The next thing you will need to do is to drill a hole through the end of the clothespin. Use a bit that is not too large but it has to be slightly larger than the width of the nail. It is important to drill through both sides of the pin. After that, take some glue and apply it to one narrow side of the clothespin, from the open end, down to the drilled hole. Try to avoid getting glue in the hole. Take the clothespin on the piece of 1×2″, making sure it’s got the nail fitted through the hole. Testing if it fits before applying the glue is the wise thing to do.

At this point you should cut a notch in the end of your wood and do so just under the top part. The reason for this cut is so that you can insert the rubber band. Then pull the band back and hook the other end on the nail. In order to fire your rubber band gun all you need to do is to open the clothespin. If you followed these instructions correctly then there is enough energy generated to shoot the rubber band off.