Wooden toys like in the old days

Now Christmas is coming and the chase for toys begins. We'll be browsing through the shops, shopping malls, supermarkets and fairs. We'll find all sorts of toys, each more sophisticated and complicated. That's why I thought I'd come up with an alternative - eco-friendly, simple toys, which for my generation means childhood toys. Why shouldn't it be the same for our grandchildren?

By a coincidence I ended up on the Facebook page Wooden toys. The toys I saw there caught my attention because they reminded me of my childhood. And so I decided I needed to know more about them.

The people who came up with this idea are Rareș Roman and his wife Ribana, from Râșnov, Brașov county. They give life to pieces of wood, mostly salvaged, turning them into eco-friendly toys for babies and young children. I think they can best talk about how the idea was born and how it came to work, so I asked Rareș a few questions.

Wood Magazine: How did you get the idea to make traditional wooden toys for children?

Rares Roman: The birth of our daughter was the trigger. I have always had a passion for wood and woodworking, but I was all the more motivated to pass on to my daughter the pleasure of first experiencing natural textures in her play. We will want to teach her how beautiful and rewarding it is to be able to create something through your own powers, something that is at once practical, educational, beautiful and timeless. And wood is, from my perspective, the best material - organic, durable, recyclable, etc.

RdL: When did you start?

RR: Just this year, since August. We're still at the beginning, but very passionate.

RdL: I understand that a lot of the wood is reclaimed. Where do you recover it from?

RR:In most cases the wood comes from construction debris (for example, wood left over from building an attic), wood salvaged from old damaged furniture or even wind-blown branches. Of course, I also use wood bought from specialist kilns or factories.

RdL: What essences do you use when building toys?

RR: Most toys require hardwood, so they use a lot of oak, but also beech, fir, cork oak, walnut and even mahogany.

RdL: How are the toys finished? What kind of materials do you use?

RR:Wood sanding is done by hand, with classic sandpaper and a lot of patience. I adapted an old sewing machine, turned it into a sanding machine and now I can say that we also sand by foot. In the end, we choose whether the piece is given a linseed oil or beeswax finish or whether it remains unfinished, natural. We don't use paint or other types of oil.

RdL: Where do you work? Do you have a workshop, a small factory?

RR: I already had a small workshop at home even before I started working with eco-friendly toys. In the meantime we have expanded it and made it suitable for the current work.

RdL: Are you the only one working in the workshop or is it a family activity?

RR: Only I do the woodworking and make the toys, but I consult with my wife about patterns and sizes. With hard work and the right customers, we hope to turn it into a viable family business in time.

RdL: Since we're talking about children's toys, I suspect a lot of approvals are needed. Do you have all the necessary permits and approvals? Was it hard to get them?

RR: We are in the final stage of obtaining the necessary approvals for the marketing of products. There are many rules and the documentation is very dense. But we have succeeded and in a very short time we will be in compliance with all the requirements.