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I'm thinking of making wooden soled shoes.

 
Raymond Ferguson
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I'm in Central Texas. Is there any native trees that I can harvest for the wood? I was planning on doing English style with leather upper part.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clog_(British)
Staff note (Nancy Reading) :

There seems to be a bug in our software that has broken Raymond's link, we're working on it.

In the meantime this one should work!

wiki - clogs

 
Anne Miller
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Raymond, do you have access to any European willow, yellow poplar, or tulip poplar trees?

These are the woods most often used for making wooden shoes.

Is this something like you are wanting to make?


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Raymond Ferguson
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I have access to native texas trees so I doubt I have any of the specific types used in Europe.  Would mesquite trees work? They are really hard wood so should they last?
 
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I am in Texas and would not have suggested those if they were not in Texas.

Here is an article by TAMU that suggests Tulpic Tree is in Texas:

http://ekps.tamu.edu/details?id=216®ion=zone_g

And another TAMU article on willows:

https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/willow/

Trying to make shoes out of mesquite might make for an interesting experiment.  I wish you luck.

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Casie Becker
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Mesquite is very, very hard wood.  I thought all the traditional trees listed were softwood.  The first place my mind went was the cottonwood tree.

In fact I just went to Google to confirm that and popular is another name for cottonwood in at least some areas.   Other articles suggest there are tiny differences in things like the shape of there leaves.  Regardless, cottonwood is very common around here.  I have one in my yard but there are tons around every waterway.
 
Raymond Ferguson
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Ok thanks I don't know much about trees and how soft their wood is. I just recently got a rotary tool and wanted to use it for wood and stone carving.
 
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I've worn Pattens quite a bit and it looks like this style of clog is modelled after them. here's the wiki about them

These are lovely to wear, but the balance has to be right or we risk breaking an ankle.  I like the ones with the wood a bit softer so that it can adapt to the person's walk and idiosyncrasies.  

I wonder if carving some simple pattens first and wearing them around for a few days/weeks would help make a better shoe.  Wear it, adjust it, wear it... like a mockup.  Then base the shoe on what you learn?  

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I've only ever seen reference to the type of wood used when reading about shoes made entirely of wood, like my klompen. These type of clogs needed to be hollowed out with a long sharp tool, the name of which I don't know. I could see softer woods being used traditionally just cause hollowing them out by hand would be too difficult otherwise. If you're just making wooden soles, the type of wood might not matter much.

You've reminded me I need to staple some bits of old bike tires on the bottoms of my klompen before I can really wear them out and about to see if I like them. On just about every surface I have around here, they're suicidally slippery.
 
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Interesting! I have a LOT of feet pain, and used to have some wooden shoes I loved. You may have inspired me  to try to make some!

I'd think I'd use harder wood, rather than a soft wood. I'd need to pad it anyway, and one of my major issues with bought shoes is they always wear weird due to how they are made, to correct for most people's walking style, which is not how I walk. I'd like some that don't wear down. If I get them right, I want them to STAY that way.

Looking at the wood lists, I'd say what's "traditional" is what grew locally to them, that was fairly easy to shape. I suggest using any kind of wood you have that you can work.  

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Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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Being Dutch (and living in the Netherlands) I know about wooden shoes (or 'klompen'). I think Jan is right telling the soft woods (willow and poplar) were used because of way the wooden shoes were made. Probably too because those trees were (and still are) very common here, and fast growing.

I wear / have been wearing wooden shoes or wooden soled leather shoes off and on during my lifetime. I can tell you have to get accustomed to the special way of walking they ask for. The wooden soles are in no way flexible, so you can not 'roll off' your foot when you wear those. This way of walking differs from walking on other shoes in the movement of your whole leg (up to the hip)!
In this video, starting about halfway (1:12) you can see this way of walking by some experienced wooden-shoe-walkers, during the yearly wooden-shoe walk ('klompentocht') at Garderen, a village in the middle of the Netherlands. BTW not all people you see here do it the right way.

As you see, and as I experienced myself, this way of walking makes you put your hands on your hips (or in your pockets).


"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
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Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Being Dutch (and living in the Netherlands) I know about wooden shoes (or 'klompen'). I think Jan is right telling the soft woods (willow and poplar) were used because of way the wooden shoes were made.


Ah, now I see how "clomping around" started!
As for the wood choice, carvers always prefer tight-grained soft woods. I can't imagine trying to hollow out a block of hard wood. Btw, I'm not referring to botanical hardwood such as poplar (including cottonwood) but to its hardness and difficulty of working.
 
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I am pleased that I recognized those people with their hands in their pockets as being most competent.  Mind you I was making that assumption because they seem completely unconcerned about catch themselves if they fell.  Am I correct in thinking they were also less noisy and didn't bend their knees nearly as much?

If so, I wonder if these shoes are recommended for people with minor knee issues.
 
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Your video made me look to see what kinds of wooden shoes are currently on the market.   Apparently the Japanese have just as strong a tradition of wooden footwear as the Dutch. https://japanobjects.com/features/geta Theirs are more of a sandal style.  It might be a good beginner's project for someone just getting started.

I wore thick wedge high heels to a week long SCA camping event because I thought the combination of wood and wicker felt more authentic to what would have been available than most of my other footwear.  They were actually very comfortable and when heavy thunderstorms turned all the paths to deep mud pits I had dry feet and wasn't getting mud on all my hems.  I  mention this because one of the Japanese sandals pictured in that article has nearly the same design.  
 
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Casie Becker wrote:I am pleased that I recognized those people with their hands in their pockets as being most competent.  Mind you I was making that assumption because they seem completely unconcerned about catch themselves if they fell.  Am I correct in thinking they were also less noisy and didn't bend their knees nearly as much?

If so, I wonder if these shoes are recommended for people with minor knee issues.


Yes, you're right: walking on wooden shoes can be completely silent, if you know how to. And then you don't have to be afraid of falling any more than when walking on other shoes.
About knee issues I don't know.

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
Raymond Ferguson
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Thanks everyone I read the comments but haven't watched the video yet but will ^_^
 
Raymond Ferguson
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Cool video ^_^
 
Kimberlay Kiernan
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Way back in the late 60's I wore clogs exclusively while working in a hospital. They also had a thin rubber sole attached to the wood. Too many slips if not there.  The head of orthopedics wore them in the OR, so Human resources could not object. They are Wonderful!!!  However, be careful about the heel enclosure . It must be low on the heel so the achilles tendon is no compressed and the ankle can flex! Good luck!   Kimberlay Kiernan

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I recently ordered the book Clogs and Clogmaking Paperback by Jeremy Atkinson.  It looks amazing!  But it hasn't arrived yet.  I understand it's THE book on the topic.  

I made a youtube playlist with some clogmaking videos

And the reason for the sudden flurry of interest in clogs... a gift of two mouldy potatoes...um, clogs.  
shoe000005.jpg
100 year old European clogs
100 year old European clogs
shoe000007.jpg
iron bottom on the wooden clogs
iron bottom on the wooden clogs

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Mercy Pergande
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My mom had those Dr Scholls wooden slide sandals when I was a kid, I think they were called exercise sandals. They have a simple carved wooden footbed and a leather buckled upper. Those are made of birchwood. Might be a simple version to try to replicate first!
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Just a gentle note of caution from my lived experience. Heavy work (garden / construction) in inflexible soled boots can cause problems. https://permies.com/t/40/78415/pain#1827025

I've attempted to carve my own articulated (multi-segmented-sole) boots but the project is on the back burner for a while.

Would love to hear some success stories tho.

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In the old times, in France, the poorer folks used to have wooden clogs ["sabots"]  to go to work or work in the garden. The more expensive leather shoes were for their Sunday best, to go to church.
From this tidbit, you have the following word in the English language: Sabotage, saboteur, to sabot. How are they connected to the humble wooden clogs?
When those French workers were quite unhappy with the working conditions and their low wages, they would put their clogs in the cogs of the machines they were working on, resulting in ruined machinery. [Yep, it ruined their clogs too, but they made their point!]

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