• Home
  • About
  • Tutorials
  • Recipes
  • Furniture
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Infertility
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Reality Daydream

The Dream is Free, The Hustle Sold Separately

  • Home
  • About
  • Tutorials
  • Recipes
  • Furniture
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Infertility
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Shop

Wood and Acrylic Animal Banks

November 27, 2017 by Bethany Sy

I’ve been pondering the idea of making some wooden toys as Christmas gifts this year. And then a couple weeks ago, a reader emailed with a project idea… and it was too cute not to try! You won’t see me passing up an opportunity to use my scroll saw! Especially if it means making these darling wood and acrylic Animal Banks. And these are such great homemade gift ideas for the littles in your life! And  in addition to the tutorial below, I’m sharing free printable templates for each of these guys too!

animal banks

Supplies for Animal Banks

*This post contains affiliate links*

  • 2×10” board (if you’re only making one back, you’d only need about a foot in length)
  • Printable Animal Bank Templates
  • Scroll Saw (this is the one I use, but this one is also fabulous and more affordable)
  • Acrylic sheet
  • Screws
  • Oscillating Multi-tool
  • Rubber bank plugs
  • Forstner bits

 

View album

Wood and Acrylic Animal Banks
VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

First things first? Print out (here) the animal shape of your choice onto cardstock, and cut out with scissors. Place your animal template onto the wood and trace with a pencil. Cut out with your scroll saw!

Wooden Animal Plexiglass Banks {Reality Daydream}

Wooden Animal Banks with Plexiglass Acrylic sides {Reality Daydream}

Sand the rough edges and smooth the whole thing out with 220 grit.

Animal shabed wooden banks with acrylic sides {Reality Daydream}

We bought sheets of acrylic (or ‘plexiglas’) and use a protractor to draw a perfect circle (x2) and cut with a band saw. We found that the band saw worked better than the scroll saw when cutting this medium, because the blade goes in one direction instead of jumping all over the place. We cleaned up the edges a bit with sandpaper to make a perfect circle. Resist the temptation to remove the film from the plexiglass until later after the holes are drilled!

animal banks-005

If you’re wanting your animal bank to be left as raw wood, feel free to skip this next step. I decided to prime and paint some of them. I used this primer, and this brand of spray paint.

Animal shaped banks made from wood and plexiglass {Reality Daydream}

Blue whale animal bank made out of wood and plexiglass {Reality Daydream}

We experimented with a few different ideas for making the money slot on the top, but this method proved to be the easiest and look the most professional. We used this tool to create two slits, and then drilled both ends. It’s not perfect, but we’re ok with a little bit of a ‘homemade look’.

animal banks-003Animal shaped wooden banks with plexiglass sides {Reality Daydream}

On a couple of the animals (giraffe and turtle) I painted some spots on before this next step using brown acrylic craft paint, and sealed with water-based poly.

Next, mark where you want your four screws to go. You don’t want the holes to be too close to the edge of the plexiglass OR the wood. Right in the middle please! Then drill. And repeat on the second acrylic circle for the opposite side.

animal banks-004

After drilling the holes in our acrylic circle, we placed it onto the wooden animal bank and marked where the pilot holes need to be, then drilled our pilot holes into the wood.

animal banks-006

Go ahead and remove the protective film on one of the acrylic circles and screw it onto one side. Then place the other one on the other side, and mark where you want your rubber plug to be. We used  these rubber bank plugs, so we used a 1 3/8 Forstner bit.

animal banks-007

Wooden animal banks with acrylic sides {Reality Daydream} #whale (2)

They turned out SO CUTE! I love them all. Which one is your fave?

Wooden animal-shaped banks with acrylic sides so you can see the money! {Reality Daydream}Wood and acrylic animal shaped banks with a window! {Reality Daydream}

Wouldn’t these wooden animal banks make such cute homemade gifts for the holidays, birthdays, or even baby showers?!

~Bethany

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for pinning!

Animal-shaped banks made from wood and clear acrylic (or plexiglass) - Reality Daydream

Related:

  • How to Apply Wood Veneer

    If you follow us on the 'gram, you know I've been stripping the finish off…

  • DIY Scroll Saw Family Silhouette Sign

    Hello hello friends! Things have been wild as we've been navigating the holiday season, schedules,…

  • Stripping an Old Stained Desk

    We love the original wood of our library, and wanted to find a desk that…

About Bethany Sy

Nick and Bethany Sy are the creative free-spirits behind DIY/Lifestyle blog, Reality Daydream. They recently purchased a historic mansion and have been documenting the ups and downs of renovation and making this home their own... all while sharing tips and tutorials along the way! When they found themselves in the trenches of infertility, they started a journey that would prove to be their most important DIY project ever, and have 3 beautiful girls to show for it. <3

« Tips for Winterizing your House before the Cold Hits
TONS of DIY Homemade Gift Ideas »

Comments

  1. 9

    Ethan says

    August 21, 2020 at 11:10 pm

    If you make these again in the future, I’d maybe try a rabbeting router bit with a template of some kind for the coin holes if you can find one thin enough? Good job regardless!

    Reply
  2. 10

    Deanne says

    April 14, 2020 at 2:02 am

    Love these so much! Pig is adorable.

    Reply
  3. 11

    Handy Squad says

    November 21, 2018 at 11:51 am

    That is a marvelous gift idea! They look adorable and not too complicated to craft them! Absolutely fantastic, thank you for the post!

    Reply
  4. 12

    Kiara says

    November 17, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    Oh my gosh these are downright adorable!

    Reply
  5. 13

    Mom says

    November 29, 2017 at 6:17 pm

    Remember the heart one your dad made for you years ago?

    Reply
    • 14

      Bethany Sy says

      November 30, 2017 at 9:11 pm

      Yes I still have it! It’s in a box in the attic somewhere. I tried to find it to share a picture in my post, but it must be buried pretty deep. 🙂

      Reply
  6. 15

    Elizabeth says

    November 28, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    Those are the cutest-I love all the colors!

    Reply
  7. 16

    Courtney says

    November 27, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    My dad made me one of these just like this when I was a kid!! It was an alligator. I forgot all about it until right now 🙂 Love it!

    Reply
    • 17

      Jenifer S says

      November 28, 2017 at 6:36 am

      I made one of these as a 4-H project when I was a kid, but it was a teddy bear. I’d forgotten all about it, until I saw these! I need to make some for my kids now. I wonder where that bear went….

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Ethan Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • YouTube
We are Nick and Bethany! Welcome to our blog, Reality Daydream where we share our DIY adventures!
Click here for lots of art projects using only wood stain on furniture!!
Please feel free to share or pin my posts! You're welcome to use ONE of my images (no collages or pinnables) with a link back to the corresponding post. Please do not edit or crop that single image in any way. Improper use of my photos, ideas or words is a violation of copyright. Thank you!

Categories

Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.

 

Copyright © 2025 · Modern Blogger Pro On Genesis Framework · Customizations by Sweet Theory Designs · Privacy Policy · Log in