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SECTION 2-PAGE6-PLAINDEALER-FRIDAY. DECEMBER 15, H78 The Dollhouse Maker * # # * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * •4 * * * * * * * * * * * •4 * •H* * +S* * * * * £ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "4" * * * •4 # * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "4 * $r & * * * + * * * * * * * * * *1r * * * # # $r * * * * # * # * * * * * S t a f f Photos/ Wayne Gaylord It almost looks like a miniature subdivision. This is the scene in the basement of the home of Anthony Freund in Johnsburg. Pictured above are three doll houses Tony constructed, completely by hand, in recent months. Mr. Freund began making the doll houses eight years ago. when he retired as a carpenter. Since that time he has made numerous doll houses, in all shapes sizes and sty les. Placing a hinge on the roof of one dollhouse. Tony completes the exterior of one model. All that remains is to tile and carpet the floors in the interior of the house and paper the walls. A hobby he started eight years ago and continued because he "wouldn't know what to do otherwise," takes up much of his spare time and some doll houses take three to four months to complete. All the work on the equisitely detailed dollhouses is done by hand. Eight years ago. Anthony Freund was retiring. He had spent most of his life working as a carpenter and it was time to retire Knowing that he had the extra time, Tony's daughter acquired plans for a do-it-yourself dollhouse and asked her father to make the dollhouse for his grandaughter. That was the beginning of Tony Freund's hobby. Now, eight years later, it is practically an eight-hour a day hobby for Tony, who lives with his wife, Agnes, at 2115 W. Johnsburg road in Johnsburg Since that time, Tony Freund has constructed numerous dollhouses He made each dollhouse completely by hand He ripped every piece of wood that was used on each house. The craftsman glued every piece that needed to be glued He nailed every piece that needed to be nailed. He spent hours upon hours on houses that needed hours of time. Tony Freund had found something to occupy his free time. Having been a carpenter, the hobby was ideal It was the perfect answer to Tony's problem of not having enough to do. "After that first dollhouse." he explained, "I made one for each of my granddaughters ." Since that time, ^ony has made many other dollhouses. 'Sometimgj 1 spend the full day working on the houses." he [X)inted out "I don't like u> watch too mucl 1 much TV, so I spend all Tony display s a piece of furniture he made for one of the houses. This miniature hutch look over a day to complete. Both drapers and doors open and work perfectly , a feat which some store bought pieces cannot match. Tony has made chairs, tables, dressers, beds and other pieces of furniture, although recently, he has been confining most of his time to the construction of the houses. pointed i the time in my workshop " Tony sends away for the patterns for the dollhouses Then he uses the knowledge he gained as a carpenter and the scraps of wood he acquired over the years and all his carpenter tools to construct them But, these are no ordinary dollhouses They are exquisitely detailed and are similiar to family residences inside and out. Using his lathe Tony is able to groove the wood of the sides of the house for siding. One model even appears to have a brick veneer Shingles are ripped from wood and individually placed on the roofs of the structures Some of the houses stand over 3 feet tall One model has a porch with wood railings and contains nineteen windows The house is three stories and contains eight rooms It even has lights "The entire house is wired and has lights in all the ceilings." Tony explained "An electrical power pac can be hooked to the house and switches turn the lights on in each room " Handmade staircases are placed inside, as is a fireplace When the house is nearly finished, some floors are carpeted and others are tiled "I paint some of the walls and paper the others," he added. One house has an attached garage with a garage door that works easier than most conventional garage doors on family homes What holds the house together0 Glue "Most everything is glued together," Tony answered "But I have to place a nail here and there " The houses are constructed in such a way that there is an easy access to each room. Hinges are placed on the roof to allow it to open The sides of the houses operate in the same manner "I really enjoy building the dollhouses," Freund said "I wouldn t know what the heck to do otherwise." Tony 's basement workshop contains all the tools necessary to complete the construction of the dollhouses Although he re t ii ed e ight years ago, Tonv Freund continues to use the workshop he used while a carpenter In fact, Tony spends many eight hour days in the shop, using the many l<h#Is to construct his hand-made dollhouses. The sanders, saws, lathes, drills and numerous hand tools all play an important part in the house construction. Once he acquires the plans for the house. Tony does the rest of the work by hand, including the windows and equipping the houses with workable lights. Mr. Freund has made numerous dollhouses. including three which he donated to St. John's ( hurch Restoration Fund. "1 really enjoy it." he explained, "and it sure helps keep me busy." Drills, saws, lathes, sanders and many hand tools are all used on each house A chalet model that he constructed took him one full day just to rip the wood to the correct size When he has enough time. Tony also builds miniature furniture for the dollhouses. He has made benches, tables, chairs, dressers, and many other pieces of furniture, although recently he has stopped making as much of it. "The furniture takes more time than it is worth," Freund explained. "One hutch I made took me over a day." But the furniture's construction can hold its own against any furniture, miniature or regular, on the market today. Ail the drawers in Tony's furniture work. Doors open and close tightly without any trouble. No squeaks, no noises, nothing The furniture just works perfectly And it s that attention to detail that makes the dollhouses Tony Freund constructs different Everything is made to work and work right Doors open , and close. Hinges work easily and the dollhouse is easy to get into. The entire outside is painted Some look like they have wood siding, others brick> Shutters are placed by the windows and railings protect inhabitants of the house from falling off the porch Staircases have railings and working ceiling lights in each room add a distinctive finishing touch to the houses. Three of the houses the retiree! carpenter built, he donated to the St. John's church Restoration fund "One was a very big house that thev display ed for awhile " he said So Tony Freund, the retired carpenter, isn't really retired He's just doing something a little different. And he s proving that they still do make some things the way they used to Story/Joe Dehn IS | I M I I I " u This large house is one of the biggest which Mr. Freund constructs, it is equipped with lights in each room, mounted in the ceiling. A switch in each room turns the lights on and off. The roof has uood shingles which were plated individually and every detail on the house was done by hand. It contains nineteen windows and eight rooms. Plans call for the interior of the house to be carpeted and tiled and the walls painted and wallpapered. The large house is equipped with hinges and doors that enable the entire inside to be accessible. Inside, a fireplace and staircase can be found. Most of the house was glued together, "with just a nail her and there." according to Mr. Freund. The exterior is completely painted and appears to include a brick veneer. The house stands over three feet tall. # * # # # # # # * * # * # * * * # * * # * * * * * * # * * * * * * * * * # * * <* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * # * * * * * * * * * •4 * * * # # * * * * * * # * * * * * * * * * 3 f 3 s