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Show f i ' . A. f Iff r ' m& t - 9 Aews about people and their lives 1 mtw Review Wednesday Dec, 18, 1S85 IB K aysville's toymakers happiness !e.; , " mwjNt'wi'y """WWJ' S' , "' s;- sv VV? .;, tvisV ;? i A Jr - NL''' " ." KAYSVILLE that special creative art form that made both Geppetto and Milton Bradley household names. But now the talent to make and create toys has been streamlined by large companies, who can produce a thoudolls in a sand matter of seconds, or make a race car capable of performing wheelies and spins. But there is still some talented individuals who share their homemade craft with the pubred-hair- Lynn Oberg finds toy making to T be year-roun- d Sanding is step to transform wood into rocking horse. job. Mr. and Mrs. Claus they dont claim to be, but they are probably having just as much fun. It began a long time ago, ed lic. Two of those individuals go by the name of Lynn and Lois Oberg. Their occupation: an occupation that not just any adult would admit to being. The key is making things that other people dont, said toy-make- VL.g Oberg. b Oberg started making toys in 1979, after retiring from Hill Air Force Base because of poor health reasons. The toys he makes include large and small wooden rocking horses, tumblers, climbing bears, elastic shooting guns, cradles, and a number of other items that any nostalgic toy buff would love to have sitting underneath the tree come Christmas morning. And just how busy are the Obergs with their new career? No orders have been taken since last June, said Oberg, whose calendar is booked for months. We showcased the toys at the Midway and Dickens Festival this year, he said. And we sold out of everything we had. The secret to our success is high quality and low prices, Oberg added. It takes me one full day to model of a complete a rocking horse, said Oberg. The horses he makes are built to hold children between the ages of to 8 years old, he added. Oberg assembles his wooden rocking horses by starting with quality pine and hemlock wood. He then lays out the hard masonite pattern, and cuts it out with his bandsaw blade, which makes his work easier to detail. Each piece is then d for smooth texture, and prepared for staining. The horses are stained with Ja four separate coats before be- ing delivered to the customer, Oberg explained. y2 I first started making the tjf j toys for my grandchildren, said Oberg. However, we have now expanded, and just last year alone I had to turn down 50 orders for the large wooden horse. He works six days a week, eight hours a day, and will very often sneak down into the workshop on Sundays, said Lois Oberg, wife and of the toymaker. The holiday season signals the beginning of the busiest time of the year for the couple. Last year we made our last delivery at 10:30 p.m., Christmas Eve night. The pressure is the hardest thing to deal with this time of year, she added. Its a steady job for the both of us, said Mrs. Oberg. And what else would we be doing, if we didnt do this? 24-in- ch 1 Lynn and Lois Oberg and grand-daught- er Libby unravel strands of rope used for rocking horse mane and tail. toTgT.iSTr J0.. Kim C 'The secret to our success is high quality and low prices Lynn hand-sande- - it , .,) 's-in- ch , It Oberg, maker of toys er Large rocking horse product of hours of effort. Story by Bryon Saxton Photos by Rodney Wright Toymaker Lynn Oberg. |