Wooden Toys - Sawantwadi
Sawantwadi toys are basically made from Mango wood used for showpieces and the toys like bullock carts and rocking horses are made of Shivani wood. The wood has strength and durable processed from sawmill and cut into basic required size of wood blocks.
Shaping and Chiseling- Initially the design for the toys is decided and a sample of the toy is made. The craftsmen make the sample piece and examine the mechanism of the toy and time taken to make one toy. If the craftsman is satisfied with design and the time taken to make it, he approves to make more otherwise not. Masterpiece of the design is approved by the master-craftsman and is considered as reference for batch production.
The sample piece is kept on the wooden plank and outline marking is made around on the plank. The design is drawn close to each other covering the whole surface to prevent from wastage of wood. The marked plank is taken for cutting process. The pieces are cut according to the design with the help of a thin saw blade. The parts of the toys are cut separately and then joined. At a time more than hundred pieces are cut. Craftsmen also use plywood sometimes. All the cut pieces are further taken for sanding process. The cut pieces sanded by a turning machine attached with a sand belt. This process is done to smooth the rough edges of the cut piece and give a proper shape to the toy piece. Some piece of the toy is chiseled of the wood by fixing the wood piece to the turning machine. This process doesn’t contain any marking of the design. Craftsmen directly chisel the wood into desired shape and smooth the rough edges with the help of a sand paper.
