How are your wooden shoes made?

• Posted on 30 April 2019
• By Jan van Erp
• Posted in How are wooden shoes made
• 0

Before you can purchase and wear wooden shoes, the wood has already been shaped and processed. This is an intensive process that requires quite a lot. It is very interesting to know how your wooden clogs are made. We will tell you about the process from start to finish. You could almost make a pair of wooden clogs yourself. It is something that is not done much anymore and transferring knowledge is now more important than ever. From tree trunk to the most famous footwear in the country, you can read here how it happens.

Choosing wood

Before wood can be processed into a wooden shoe, a tree trunk must first be selected. It is important that attention is paid to the size, so that real clogs can be made. The trunk is divided into several pieces of which several clogs are made later. We call these pieces spheres. There are several types of wooden clogs and it depends on the shape what will be made of it. Naturally, in addition to thickness, quality is also taken into account so that your clogs will be durable.

Cleaving the bulbs

To be able to work with wood, it must first be viewed carefully. The condition of the wood is investigated, what the bark looks like and whether it contains errors. For example, a clog maker can determine how the balls of wood must be split in order to work with this. The wood is also measured to determine how much space is needed with splitting. Use is made of a splitting hammer and chisels.

a pair of wooden shoes

Most people are not satisfied with one clog. Therefore, the wood must be paired to ensure that 2 clogs can be formed. These must fit well together. A lot of insight is needed to do this properly. There are a number of things that are used as standard. This way the side where the bark is located is kept on the outside. This prevents the clog from shrinking during drying or even afterwards. It is also checked whether the block has been on the north or south side and the growth rings. When mating, 2 blocks of wood are collected together and these are usually processed immediately after each other.

Cutting the bulbs

To remove the bark from wood, it is trimmed. A cutting ax and drawbar are used for this. This is a short process of just a few strokes, but it is quite a difficult job. Getting to grips with this requires a lot of practice and insight. A chopping block is used and the block is held diagonally here. This prevents the tools from causing injuries.

Once the bark has been removed it is time to shape the wood. A sharp pole knife is used for this. The wood is processed and the shape that the clog is going to get is really coming to the fore. After this it is not yet completely finished but the clog becomes recognizable.

Drilling wooden shoes

In addition to the outer shape of the wooden shoes, they still have to be drilled for the inside. If this does not happen, the clogs cannot be worn. A pair of wooden shoes is secured side by side in a drill bench. This must be done properly so that the clogs cannot fall out. If they are tight, drilling can begin. This is the hardest part of making wooden clogs. It must be ensured that both are of the same size, but also that the foot can slide in well at the heel.

The perfect size

To ensure that clogs can be worn comfortably, they must be made to the correct size. A wooden shoe maker uses different tools for this. These are somewhat smaller so that the details can be finished well with this. This ensures that the inside of the wooden shoe is properly finished and ensures that it has no edges. It is very nice to see how much passion there is in making a perfect pair of wooden shoes. You cannot compare anything with that. After hollowing out, the clogs are manually tapped from the drill bench.

The final finishes

If the inside size is good, the outside of the wooden shoes can be finished. If this is done properly, it has a number of advantages. By removing excess wood, they weigh less. This ensures that you can walk better here. In addition, the wooden shoes will look just a little nicer and more elegant. During the finishing, constant attention is paid to the shape of the clogs. The pair is also held side by side to ensure that they are equal to each other. With manual work this will not be 100% identical but to the eye they must be the same. To make the clogs smooth, they are scraped. This is how the final finishing touches are applied. The outside of the wooden shoes is sanded with sandpaper or a machine.