— In Honor of Jimmy M. Woods —   Ask anyone in our hobby for the name of one man who should receive credit for its existence and, all responsible people will unanimously name, "Jimmy Woods." Here we find an unassuming man who is secure in his knowledge and abilities. His plans speak volumes for the solid thinking that went into them. They are now universal for one major reason: they are build able. For this feature alone, there are now hundreds of people enjoying the pleasures of building and exhibiting their own horseless carriage. His basic design is presented in such a manner that many, simply duplicate while, the more inventive use it as a foundation to expand their own interpretation and ideas. If you have ever had the pleasure of speaking to Jimmy in person or on the phone, you will agree that here is a true Southern Gentleman. In his soft-spoken manner, he will go to no end to assist a beginner or shop student. As you read his biography below, you will find a man who's at home in many fields, whether it be building and flying his own airplane or punching out the X ring of a pistol target. Now, sit back and let Jimmy, in his own words, tell you a little about himself. — Our thanks for your contribution, Jimmy. Jimmy Woods’ Autobiography DOB : 09 April, 1941 - Lamar Co., Alabama Sulligent High School Graduate 1959 Entered Fisher Body Craftsman Guild by General Motors Corp, designing and carving model cars for competition. – 1955-1959, winning an award each year Did woodworking projects in school and at home. Built a wooden boat in the basement and it did go out the door turned upon the side, contrary to the tale that was told. Worked for Allis Chalmers Heavy Equipment Co. for two years before going to work with the Alabama Highway Patrol in 1963 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Met another Lamar Co. native and pooled our woodworking tools into a small shop behind his home. Several projects were built in that shop: clocks, chairs, tables, gun racks and one Smith Mini Plane (a one seat biplane). Flew it 42 hours and traded for a Piper Tri-Pacer. Bought a Piper J-3 Cub and rebuilt it from the ground up. Had parts left over from both projects. Some of these parts were used on my one seat carriage. In 1970, I bought a house in Coker, Alabama and the next year my Dad said that I needed a shop for my projects He always supported me by buying some tools and with some cash for building. He was very pleased to see me fly the mini plane that I built. In 1971, I got my dream car, an American Motors Javelin Patrol Car. It was one of the first issued by the Sate Patrol. It had excellent handling and was very fast. About 1973, I got started shooting in Police Combat Pistol Matches. I became proficient enough to make the State Trooper Pistol Team and competed in a lot of matches. I found that it is a good way to get out of some patrol work. I was about as good as any shooter on a given day and with ideal conditions. I won a National Distinguish Match at Nationals with a Colt Python, 6" barrel, 595 out of 600. In 1978 my sergeant and I shot as a 2 man team and won with a 1196 out of 1200 for a new record. We both had 598 and shot a Smith & Wesson, custom barrel of 6 inches. In 1980 or 81, I changed from Patrol to Motor Carrier Safety, weighing and inspecting trucks. I soon became known as a professional truck driver harassment officer. In January 1992, I called it time to get out, while I was still in one piece. Some of my co-workers had not been as lucky. It was now time, I thought, to do a few things I had been wanting to attempt. One was to finish an airplane that I had worked on for several years. Another was to get a hit and miss engine or two, so I could hear them pop. I was going to Antique Tractor and Engine Shows, where in the Fall of 1997 in Mississippi, I saw a horseless carriage. I talked to the owner and he told me where to get wheels and springs. I had wanted to build one for a few years after seeing a picture and write up about someone who had built one. I made a few pictures and got width and length for size. This carriage frame was made with a round tube for the frame. I got home and started looking at old carriage pictures, Making a sketch of what I thought I would build, I used a one inch square tube for the frame. Not having plans to go by, I had to make and remake some parts to get it right. I tried to build it to use a lawnmower engine, transmission and differential. There was a lot of trial and error, but I got it all together, unpainted, for a trial run. I did have to make a few changes to get it where I thought it was right. My wife said “You don’t need that thing, it’s just something for you to spend money on.” I told her it was for our grandson. Well, the grandson said the carriage wasn’t as fast as his go-kart and didn’t like the carriage. I went to a couple of shows and my wife decided to go see what was going on where I was spending time. She didn’t really care about the antique engines and tractors, but thought that all of the Arts and Crafts Venders were wonderful and has been hooked on going to shows since then. At all of the shows I attended, people would either want to buy my carriage or for me to build them one. I told them that it was not for sale and I did not have time to build them one. Some started asking about plans and after a few months, I had the plans drawn for sale. When I went to the print shop to have 200 sets printed, the man liked what he saw and offered a better price if I would have 300 sets printed. I imagined I’d sell 100 over a long period of time and have a couple of hundred “to eat.” Had I known the cost of printing the plans, I probably would not have had them printed. I had almost as much in the plans as I did in the carriage. I went to a few shows and sold a few plans. After some months of this, I put an ad in Gas and Engine Magazine. Sales began picking up and I had to go back to the print shop for more. I have had orders from all 50 states, Canada, Australia and Puerto Rico and have seen 75-80 completed carriages and photos of about 50 more that were sent to me. Some have been show winners. I have won a few trophies at shows and parades, where the passenger gets my trophy. I think the child that has a ride and leaves with a smile, is my best trophy. The oldest “child” to whom I gave a ride was 92 yrs and remembered old carriages from his childhood.   There have been several people look at the plans and say I was selling them too cheap for the quality and details they contained. I tell them that it is only a hobby, and am proud of the ability I have to build. I am so glad that I had the plans printed for sale, so they would help someone else to build and have a little fun or enjoyment. The plans leave a few measurements out that have to be determined by which engine and drive system that is used. I have used Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh engines and transmission with axle differential, also transaxle. I have not used a hydrostatic transaxle, but have seen several built with one. I have been backsliding a little on the carriages, while building a 1/3 scale hay baler from plans by The Balerman of Enid, Oklahoma. This toy has been of great interest at shows I have attended. Since publishing this page, we have had several inquirers as to how to obtain plans for this 1/3 scale baler. We located the source: The Balerman 326 Asbury Circle Enid, OK 73703 580-234-8485 balerman1@sbcglobal.net    Return to Index Page