The Villages - November 2020 - 51

"When I worked for the radio station, I would go out
and visit with people during the news," he said. "I'd give
their dogs treats and I happened to show a few people the
puzzles. They became my puzzle testers, and that's how I
learned what people liked and didn't like."
Patton discovered that his more difficult puzzles took
afficionados around 22 hours to complete. But he could
make easier versions by painting the layers or using wood
with grains so pieces were simpler to match.
"I cut everything by hand, and every layer is different,"
he said.
Among his more complex puzzles is a maple wood
game, unpainted and with no variations in the wood.
"You can't use the coloring to line up the pieces," he
said. "It's going to be horrible for someone. But some people
enjoy the challenge."
On the sweeter side, Patton shows off a chubby wood
whale, a biblical puzzle he crafted for kids. From a solid
maple chunk of wood, Patton carved the 4-by-2-inch
mammal, then hand-rubbed it with a nontoxic finish made
of mineral oil and beeswax. There are only five pieces in all,
but finding the tiny wooden man inside gives the puzzle a
treasure-box feel.
"I made one for my neighbor who wanted it for the
youth pastor at his church. He told me the kids loved it
when Jonah came out of the belly of the great whale,"
Patton said.

Although Patton has been known to make stunning
furniture, such as live-edge sofa tables, he finds smallerscale, intricate projects more fun. Aside from coffee mug
puzzles, handmade colorful fish and biblical whales, he
makes comfort birds from richly-hued rosewood.
"I saw this in a really old copy of Wood Magazine," he
said, holding the elegant little bird in the nest of his palm.
Much like the ancient worry stones, the birds are a selfsoothing device, a beautiful object to stroke when anxious
thoughts arise.
"And I know it's kind of dopey, but I like to hold it -
makes me feel good," he said.
From radio broadcasting to woodworking, Larry Patton
has a knack for engaging his audience - with the sound
of his voice or the work of his hands.

See Larry Patton's puzzles
and hand-crafted creations
by visiting his online store:
www.etsy.com/shop/WildwoodPuzzles
MAGAZINE

51



http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildwoodPuzzles

The Villages - November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - November 2020

Contents
The Villages - November 2020 - Cover1
The Villages - November 2020 - Contents
The Villages - November 2020 - 1
The Villages - November 2020 - 2
The Villages - November 2020 - 3
The Villages - November 2020 - 4
The Villages - November 2020 - 5
The Villages - November 2020 - 6
The Villages - November 2020 - 7
The Villages - November 2020 - 8
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