2013 Home for the Holidays Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com Page 31
Old-fashioned Christmas charm
still found in handcrafted wood toys
T
oys made from wood have existed for genera-
tions. Be they carved or cut by scroll saw, it
is a tradition that is as American as apple pie.
Even with today’s technology and all the bells and
whistles that computers and iPads bring to us, wood
toys still inspire children’s minds and imaginations.
These toys bring back the nostalgia of “pretend.”
A local woodworker, Dave Boyd, crafts toys in
his home and shop. Seeing how Boyd’s wooden
toys are created is awe-inspiring. He puts quality
craftsmanship and detail into each piece. He truly is
Pinocchio’s Geppetto, bringing each piece he cre-
ates to life.
Some of Boyd’s works are truly old-fashioned
pieces, and others are really quite complex in detail
and function. For instance, there is a beautiful cruci-
fix inlaid in a rectangular framework that is actually
a 10-piece puzzle suitable for hanging on a wall.
There is also a unique and very colorful snake
puzzle that teaches kids the alphabet. That’s right –
count them – that’s a 26-piece puzzle. What child or
educator wouldn’t want that learning and teaching
aid.
That particular piece, Boyd said, took an hour to cut
out and nearly three hours to paint. He can’t get any
paint on the surfaces where the puzzle pieces con-
nect or they wouldn’t fit, or they might stick to one
another. Just another point in his level of commit-
ment to quality.
Boyd builds all his toys from pine, and they are
colorfully painted.
There are no shortages of trains, trucks, tanker
trucks and semis with removable loads to let the
mind play. Perhaps it’s a flatbed trailer that has dow-
el rods connecting the components together so it fits
