Bill Bader’s handmade wooden toys can be found throughout La Plata County.
His passion for woodworking stems from a 40-year career as a manager at various lumberyards around Durango.
People deal with retirement in different ways. For Bader, who retired in 2011, that coping mechanism was crafting toys.
“I couldn’t sit around all day, it would drive me crazy,” he said. “I had to do something. I was making toys for fun and for relatives, and it went over really well.”
The next year, Bob Harrington, Bader’s longtime friend and president of The Liberty School board of directors, asked him to donate toys for the school’s benefit auction.
The toys were a hit.
“From there it just expanded,” Bader said. “I had made a few toys and given them to family, but Bob really got me started.”
Since then, Bader estimates he has created about 30 toys per year, or about 150 total.
They are skillfully crafted from recycled wood scraps donated by local builders who have a fondness for him and his mission.
Clear-finish toys are made primarily from maple, poplar, birch, oak, cherry and hickory. Painted toys are made from ponderosa pine, alder, sugar pine and poplar.
“My old customers in the lumber business know that I do this, and many of them save wood for me,” Bader said. “I couldn’t afford to do this if those guys did not donate the scraps. It is hard enough to come up with the money for the finishes, glues and wheels.”
Bader said that he takes extreme care to ensure small parts on the toys cannot come loose when a child is playing with them.
“I try to build them really strong, and glue and screw them to make sure they stay together,” he said. “I use a lot of hardwood, and they are very durable. They will be around for generations if people want them.”
Many of his creations are construction and farm vehicles such as bulldozers, dump trucks, fire trucks and road graders.
He also makes educational toys, which are intended to stimulate learning through play, such as trains with movable pieces.
Bader said that some of the designs are original creations, and others come from Wood Magazine, Toys that Teach and other publications.
Time spent creating each toy varies, but it typically takes between 40 to 80 hours, and sometimes more depending on complexity.
Bader’s toys raise about $3,000 every year for local nonprofits and organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Adaptive Sports Association and the Durango Elks Lodge.
“This is my contribution to the community, and it is a lot of fun,” he said. “I love seeing the kids play with them.”
Despite public interest in commissioning him, Bader said he creates toys solely for donation.
All of Bader’s toys are sold in silent auctions. More complex toys typically sell for $200 to $400, and smaller toys, such as trucks for 2-year-olds, sell for $35 to $50.
Eight of his toys will be available for purchase at Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County’s 19th annual wine tasting and silent auction in November.
“I’m working really hard on that event this year,” he said. “I made more little kids toys because it is so close to Christmas.”
Bader, who was on the board for the Home Builders Association of Southwest Colorado for 15 years, said he has an affinity for Habitat for Humanity.
He helped start the annual contractor’s yard sale, a collaborative effort between the Home Builders Association and Habitat for Humanity that garners funds for both groups.
“Habitat for Humanity is really my passion because I believe in their mission,” he said. “The families they help are just wonderful people, and there is a need for affordable housing in this county.”
Bader’s support for Habitat for Humanity has not waned since his retirement.
Rachel Taylor-Saghie, executive director for Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County, said she cannot understate the importance of having a donor as supportive as Bader.
“For every event, he donates six to eight toys, and they bring in thousands of dollars each year to our mission,” she said. “They are great renditions and made to measurement. Various people buy them for heirlooms that they pass down from generation to generation.”
Taylor-Saghie said Bader’s toys are expertly made and attract buyers in the construction business.
“We don’t have children at these events, but I can only image their reaction, because it brings out the child in these builders who buy them,” she said. “He’s gotten people who know their stuff interested, and a lot of them have so much respect for him.”
Bader’s wife, Tuula, said he is always looking for ways to give back to the community.
“When he was working in the lumberyard, he was always involved with helping someone,” she said. “A high-energy guy like him needed to do something like this after retirement.”
mrupani@durangoherald.com
If you go
Eight of Bill Bader’s toys will be for sale at Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County’s 19th annual wine tasting and silent auction.
The event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the DoubleTree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio. It will feature live music, appetizers and lots of wine.
Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased at the Wine Shop, Maria’s Bookshop, the ReStore in Bodo Industrial Park or from Bill Bader himself by calling 317-1137.
