I was an odd child. All through grade school, my favorite ensemble consisted of denim overalls, a T-shirt and cowboy boots – or moccasins. We were, after all, living next to a Cherokee reservation.
It is truly a miracle that I reproduced.
During the last two years I’ve experienced a retrograde in the way I dress. No matter the occasion, I wear carpenter’s jeans, a T-shirt and moccasin boots or shoes. Of these three fashion accoutrements, the moccasins are the most interesting and endearing.
They are, in essence, the equivalent of hand tools for your feet.
For years, I’ve worn all manner of hard-soled boots at work and play. My favorites – Gokey snake-proof boots I’ve owned for nearly 20 years, protected me from all sorts of nastiness. But protection comes at a price. I can wear these boots for only short periods.
As I’ve slipped back into my grade-school ways, I’ve rediscovered moccasins and moccasin boots. These are the only shoes that I regret removing at the end of the day. Like hand tools, these shoes transmit every detail of the ground I’m covering – instead of homogenizing it.
They mold to the shape of my feet, instead of twisting my toes to their shape.
Also a bonus: Many of these boots are stitched by hand, are re-soleable (a money-saving miracle) and are definitely not disposable footwear.
There are lots of shoe-makers out there who can provide you with boots that will ease your long days in the shop. I have become fond of Quoddy boots, which are made in Maine. They are expensive, but I can guarantee you that they are worth every penny. I saved for many months to buy Grizzly Boots from Quoddy and have beaten them into the ground. I’ve stomped all over the Western world. I’ve stood on my feet all day in them and regretted removing them at the end of the day. I’ve kept them oiled so that they last as long as their owner.
A couple weeks ago I got to look over Don Williams’ version of the Gragg chair, an incredible early-American example of a steam-bent elastic chair.
Made from oak that Don harvested himself, the chair is incredibly lightweight, flexible and comfortable. It’s like sitting in an exo-skeleton that is hinged in all the right places. And if I didn’t already know a good deal about Samuel Gragg’s chairs, I’d have guessed that the chair was a contemporary design.
OK, so if you aren’t up to speed on Gragg’s work, check out Williams’ article on building the chair in the current American Period Furniture journal, the annual publication of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers. Read this blog entry I wrote about the chairs as Williams was building them. And check out several kinds of Gragg chairs here.
Williams is considering making these chairs for market and is perfecting the tricky jigs and techniques required to make them. And he’s tweaking a couple joints to prevent the chairs from failing (he’s seen enough of those while at the Smithsonian).
Hinges are works mechanical that permit of a door to be opened, yet to remain attached at one side. Of hinges, there are three sorts; those being strap, pintle, and butt. Of these, the butt is formed of cast iron, and is the largest of the three. I like big butts and I can not lie. You other brothers can’t deny, That when a door swings out on an itty bitty hinge, And a round thing in your face, It gets sprung, You wanna pull it out rough. ‘Cause you notice that butt was stuffed Deep in the wood and it’s wearing. I’m hooked and I can’t stop staring. Oh baby, I wanna re-hang you. And take my hammer and bang you….
Here in Cincinnati, we are the source of the problem. But we might also be part of the solution.
With Woodworking in America looming next month here in greater Cincinnati, I’ve been thinking a lot about this city’s long and mixed history in the woodworking trade. It’s a history that is ignored or unknown to many of its citizens, and yet what happened here in Queen City had repercussions (good and bad) all over the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.
If you are coming to Cincinnati in November for Woodworking in America, you’ll likely drive over or see many of these important places and not even know it. There are no plaques or walking tours for these places. And yet, I’ll sometimes stand on 4th Street downtown a bit impressed when I think about what happened there.
During the next few weeks leading up to Woodworking in America, I’ll be providing snapshots of a few of these important places. But first, a list of the sins and virtues (as I see them) of the greater Cincinnati area.
Sins The China of the 19th Century: Cincinnati was one of the first Midwest cities to fully embrace steam-powered machinery in about 1844. As a result, according to Donald C. Peirce’s history, the city was a huge exporter of furniture all over the country. So cheap were the goods from Cincinnati that local cabinetmakers all up and down the Mississippi could not compete.
Among the leading factories was Mitchell and Rammelsberg. Never heard of them? Not surprising. Most people haven’t. But the company employed 600 people in 1870 and was so large it had a dormitory for 250 workers and a 15,000-square-foot showroom for wares (the factory was even bigger). The furniture would not please many woodworkers. Some might even call it the stuff that killed an appreciation of quality.
We Helped Kill the Cut Nail: In 1875, Father Goebel, a Catholic priest, settled in Covington, Ky., and set up the American Wire and Screw Nail Co., according to “Audel’s Carpenter’s Guide.” Though wire nails had been made in this country since about 1851, this factory drove the wire nails into the coffin of the cut nail.
Virtues The Greene Brothers: Charles and Henry Greene were born here. Technically, it was in a town (Brighton, on the west side) that no longer exists but was absorbed by Cincinnati. I’ve looked for the house using land records and can’t find it. The maps are a bit messed up. And if it weren’t for the Gambles (of Procter and Gamble fame here) we wouldn’t have the Gamble House in Pasadena, Calif.
Machinery and Tools: Cincinnati was a major center for manufacturing woodworking machinery and supplies. J.A. Fay and Egan were here (they were huge). Parks Machinery. Cincinnati Tool Co. – a worldwide supplier of high-quality clamps. Woodrow & McParlin (makers of the Panther saw). And on and on. I’ve seen a list of about 150 machinery manufacturers that have operated here.
Shop of the Crafters: During the Arts & Crafts movement, Cincinnati contributed Rookwood Pottery and the Shop of the Crafters. Everyone has heard of Rookwood, but Shop of the Crafters produced a line of highly original designs that had European flair and weren’t just knock-offs of Stickley stuff. I have an original Shop of the Crafters Morris chair in my living room.
Art Carving: During the late 19th century the city became a center for teaching carving – particularly to women – who would come here for classes from famous English carvers. There’s an entire book about this phenomenon, but if you want most of the story, this Chipstone article will fill you in.
There’s more, of course. You have to learn about Henry Boyd, a former slave who patented his cool “swelled rail” bedsteads. And Gorilla Glue is here. As is Millers Falls….
With Bowels lank and Head of Mallet The Joiner longs to taste a sallad.
Old Nosegay quite alert and busy Has one to sell and asks a tizzey*.
— “Implements Animated – Dedicated to the Carpenters and Gardeners of Great Britain” by Charles Williams (1797-1830). Dug up by our favorite and saucy indexer, Suzanne Ellison, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
