A wooden Clacker of Wisconsin hard woods by john michael linck

Clacker . . . . . .. . made of nine hardwoods

This was my attempt to design a wooden toy to fit a $25.00 price range. I failed. A simple stick with a ball knob evolved into a hand laminated Cherry and White Ash handle. The traditional "ball in cage" noisemaker became four clackers of colorful woods. Each surface is shaped into a compound curve and begs for your touch. The clacker kept getting nicer and the $25.00 price became impossible. With wooden dowels instead of nails this toy will last through several generations. The main joints are fastened with 5 interlocking hard maple dowels to prevent loosening. The final design is a joy to touch and is very durable. Many people choose the clacker with no children in mind; they keep it themselves. But I think children given fine wooden toys will appreciate these fine textures and learn a sense of quality. One clacker was returned after an unfortunate encounter with an automobile tire. My lifetime guarantee still applied.

Size is 9 x 22 inches.

Clacker . . . . . . $95.00

Clacker wooden toy

Dear John,

My grandson loves the Clacker. He walks around and pushes it all day. My daughter thinks that it is exquisitely crafted and my son-in-law secretly covets it.; he wishes he had a guitar which was made as beautifully.

Many thanks, Isabelle

Someone's sitting in the shade

today because someone planted a tree

a long time ago.

Warren Buffet . . .
Dear John -
Quite unexpectedly, your package arrived today. Though I was prepared for a quality toy, I was surprised and captivated by the elegance and beauty of this little clacker. It is a delight for the eyes, the ears, the hands and, yes, the nose! Coming from a "woody" family, I am familiar with the common smells of finishing which usually accompany freshly made pieces - not something I enjoy. Your clacker is again, altogether different from the norm. It has a pureness which must come from your devotion to the finest of natural ingredients. It's either that, or you have elves in the basement (how else would you have accomplished so much magic in so little time?)

Of course, my husband Carl and I had to try it out and we went zipping around the house, trying to keep it out of Kira's eyesight. She is certainly keen to know what makes wood laugh, and you can bet that come Christmas she will cherish it as much as we do. Thanks for inscribing it with her name.

I have never seen such grace in a toy! I hope each and every one is a pleasure to create.

Sincerely, Eileen 2002

Your true modern is separated from the land by many middlemen, and by innumerable physical gadgets. He has no vital relation to it: to him it is the space between cities on which crops grow. Turn him loose for a day on the land, and if the spot does not happen to be a golf links or a ‘scenic’ area, he is bored stiff. If crops could be raised by hydroponics instead of farmning, it would suit him very well. Synthetic substitutes for wood, leather, wool and other natural land products suit him better than the originals. In short, land is something he has ‘outgrown.’

Aldo Leopold - A Sand County Almanac, 1949

John Michael Linck - Toymaker - 2550 Van Hise Avenue

Madison, Wisconsin 53705

Web site catalog at - www.woodentoy.com

Telephone 608-231-2808 email -john@woodentoy.com

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