1922.] Making of Clogs, Clog-Soles and Clog-Blocks. 743 



dust as fuel. All their wood is cleft, the saw only being used 

 for cross-sawing and trimming the cleft pieces to- the correct 

 shape for clog-blocks. Straightness of grain is important in this 

 trade, and cleaving secures this. 



Making the Soles. — The sole-making is done with a tool 

 similar to that used for block-cutting. The craftsman seems to 

 know by heart the exact curve that is needed for comfort, and 

 with very little measurement is able to make the right shapes 

 for every size in clogs. Some clog-makers get leather for 

 the uppers from the mills; it is strong, thick and supple, 

 and impregnated with oil, which makes it soft and weather-proof. 

 The leather is in wide strips which have been used to cover 

 rollers in the mills. Once it has worn a little thinner in one 

 part than in another, it must be removed from the rollers, which 

 must be exactly cylindrical ; it can therefore be had cheaper than 

 new leather and the thin parts can be cut away. A stretching 

 machine is used to shape the leather so as to give the necessary 

 spring for the instep , The uppers are made in two pieces only, 

 a third piece inside giving strength to the heel. They are sewn 

 together with a sewing machine, such as boot-repairers use, and 

 when the upper is nailed to the sole, and the irons and fastenings 

 are put on, the clog is complete. Some clogs are lined with felt. 



The Outlook. — Cloggers are very scarce, as no boys have 

 been learning the trade. There was an abnormal demand during 

 the War, when no foreign clogs were coming in, and this appears 

 to have stimulated the use of machinery. Demand fell off some- 

 what during the latter part of the War, when boots were worn 

 owing to higher wages, and the trade appears to be feeling the 

 general depression at the present time. 



There is said to be an opening for small clog-making enter- 

 prises in the south of England, where clogs are not unknown, 

 and might, it is thought, be popularised if light, comfortable 

 types were put on the market and the retailers induced to stock 

 the irons for replacement when worn out. This lengthens the 

 life of the clogs and makes them all the more economical in com- 

 parison with boots. The irons and buckles can be procured from 

 Lancashire and would probably not be worth making locally, but 

 a small clogging firm would have to include a wood-dealer who 

 would be responsible for felling the wood and preparing the clog- 

 blocks, a skilled clog-sole maker, and a boot-maker or repairer 

 who could make and fasten on the leather tops. Such a partner- 

 ship would probably be the best means of working up a local 



