How to Make a Toy for your Pet Rabbit

This exciting DIY pet project starts with a simple straight line. Draw it onto the piece of wood in pencil, using a protractor as a guide. Place a compass point on the line and draw a circle with an 8 cm diameter. Draw a 6 cm circle inside the 8 cm circle. Now place the protractor on the line and mark the inner circle every 60 degrees with the pencil to create 6 equidistant marks on the wood. Flip the protractor halfway through to mark the other half of the circle. Now draw 6 circles, the same diameter as the dowel, with your compass using the marks as the centre. Repeat the process to create a second 8 cm circle. That’s the maths bit over with!

Let’s create the holes for the wooden bars. Firstly, using 2 Dremel Multi-Vise (2500) clamps, securely attach the plank to a work surface. Unscrew the Dremel Multi-Tool’s nose cap, insert a 4.8 mm Router Bit (652) and screw it tight. Secure the Multi-Tool into the Plunge Router, then set the correct depth. Now get your protective gear on – ear protectors, goggles and dust mask – and you’re ready to rout. Carefully plunge the routing bit into the wood and rout the 6 small holes one at a time.

Insert a 3 mm Drill Bit (636) and, with your safety gear still on, drill a superficial hole in the middle of the 2 large circles, just deep enough to fit the Line and Circle Cutter’s centrepiece. Drill a second hole for each circle, just outside the outer line, all the way through the wood. Replace the Drill Bit with the Spiral Multipurpose Cutting Bit (561). Attach the Line and Circle Cutter (678) and place it onto the wood: drop the centrepiece into the circle’s centre and the Cutting Bit through the drilled hole on the outline. Slowly start cutting while spinning the cutter around its central axis.

It’s time to move on to the bars of your pets toy. Using a pencil and protractor, mark up the dowel at 9 cm intervals to create 6 bars of equal length. Clamp a Multi-Vise (2500) to your workbench and place the marked-up dowel in its jaws. Feed an EZ SpeedClic Mandrel (SC402) into your Dremel, click the Wood Cutting Wheel (SC544) into place and switch on your Multi-Tool. Now carefully cut the wood along the marked lines. And with that, the toy for your rabbit is halfway done.

Before you can surprise your pet rabbit with its new handmade toy, make sure you smooth all the wooden edges. You want your pet to be happy, not hurt! Click a Sanding Disc (SC411) onto the EZ SpeedClic Mandrel in your Dremel. Sand the edges of the base and top and both ends of each wooden bar. Wonderful, this will make your homemade rabbit toy look professional and feel smooth.

In this step, the wooden toy for your pet rabbit will start to take shape. Place the wooden base circle flat on your worktop, routed side up. Apply a small drop of D2 wood glue into each routed hole before inserting the wooden bars. Place a jingle bell in between the bars, then apply glue into the holes of the wooden top and press it, holes down, onto the wooden bars to complete your bunny carousel. Well done, you are now officially a maker of small pets toys! There’s just one more step to take before your pet can have a go.

Once your pet gift is made, you’ll be itching to give it to your rabbit asap. It’s important, however, to let the glue dry properly first. For the sturdiest results, place the rabbit toy into the stand-alone clamp of the Multi-Vise (2500) and secure the jaws tightly. Now wait… After one hour, your handmade rabbit toy is robust and ready. Time to play with your pet!