When Richard Reade traveled with his wife, Barbara, to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, he was inspired and decided he wanted to create his own.

Based on the dimensions in the Bible, Noah’s Ark is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high.

The Effort toy maker certainly couldn’t do something of that magnitude, but he started looking for the perfect pattern.

The result is a 52-inch-long ark measuring 10 inches wide with the door closed and 15 inches with the door open. It is 15 inches high.

The masterpiece was entered in the wooden toy category at the West End Fair, where he captured best of show in the handcrafts — original section.

A true labor of love, Reade said he spent two years planning and then about 300-plus hours carving and assembling.

“I gave up on it a few times,” Reade said. “When I started putting it together things just didn’t fit right.”

Barbara said that he has the perfect temperament for a project this size.

“If it’s not up to his expectations, he never gives up and doesn’t get mad,” she said.

Reade added, “I sleep on it and make it work.”

Barbara said he spent way more time than the 300 hours he suggested.

He started in earnest at the beginning of the year, and finished about a month before it was time to take it to the fair.

“It was taking up space in the house,” Reade said.

On the morning of the fair Barbara helped him to set it up and stage it for judging.

It was his first time entering.

“I figured the bigger the better,” he said.

The poplar ark was made with one pattern, but the animals were not what he wanted so he found a pattern for other carved animals.

“The original animals were stick figures,” Reade said. “I didn’t like them.”

He had to enlarge to scale the animals he picked.

The real ark had 1,200 animals, but Reade settled on 18 sets, a male and a female of each species. There are little creatures such as squirrels and rabbits, and big ones such as camels, giraffes and elephants.

Reade made 135 holes for the spindles for the animal cages on the ark.

He chose poplar for ark because it is a hard wood.

“It’s easy to cut,” he said.

Everything is glued, with no small screws or pieces that children could put in their mouths.

He and his wife researched the ark. They wanted to label Noah and his three sons; however, their wives were not named in the Bible. But they did find some historical references so they could label them.

Off he went with his scroll saw, table saw, router and drill press.

The bow was the hardest, with different cuts. Reade said it didn’t fit right and one of the dimensions was 1½ inches off.

Now 83, Reade started making wooden toys in 1976 when his children were young. A design draftsman by trade, he transferred his talents to wood, making puzzles for his two children. He took about 20 years off, and returned when the four grandchildren came along.

Now he makes toys mostly from scrap wood to sell at craft shows and on Etsy. Under the name Back to Wood Toy Shop he crafts smaller arks and mostly puzzles. There are teddy bears, dragons, dinosaurs, numbers, letter and more.

“The stegosaurus is the hardest to make and cut,” Reade said. “There are too many humps.”

He used to make doll furniture but that wasn’t a big seller.

What’s next for his prize-winning ark?

People have asked if he would sell it. “You never know,” Reade said. But he also said his sons might want it.

The materials cost about $350, but the hours really added up. Price suggestions floated from $1,200 to $2,000.

Would he make another one?

“I will probably make another one, but not this one,” he said.

He doesn’t plan to enter the fair again. This was a once-in-a-lifetime creation.

“No way could I walk away with another ribbon,” Reade said.