Why I Wear Wooden Shoes in the Shop 

Thanks. Most comfortable shop shoes you could ask for.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo People always think the opposite though, but next time you buy wooden shoes I would recommend willow. Willow wood isn't porous like other wood choices like aspen. Well, they are porous that they breath but under the microscope you can see that the wood actually has valves inside. So moisture can get out but not back in. It's amazing as a Dutchman to see people liking clogs. I haven't worn them in years but used to always wear them as a kid until I went to school and was made fun of because of them. I could run in them as a kid and what was especially fun was drifting around a corner with them. It would wear them out really quickly though especially on the rough surface tiles we have on the sidewalk in the Netherlands. 😅

@@LogiForce86 I think the reason the children made fun of you was because children are very heavily into peer pressure. Everyone has to be exactly alike. But the irony here is that shoes and other articles of clothing go in and out of fashion. Klompen may one day become a hit again and the kids will tease a child who shows up at school without them. That is not a prediction but it COULD happen. Wouldn't surprise me in the least.

@@fredcain7668 Maybe they will. Of course I am 35 now and I could care less about the impressions of others. The trend at the time was that Nike was becoming a hot item in the Netherlands. Just was a couple of years prior to the release of the first Nike Air. So think 1991/1992. That hype basically continued throughout the 90s.

@@LogiForce86 Logi, That is quite possibly a good suggestion but where can you find Klompen made from willow? After searching online, all the online suppliers have popular.

Interesting. I love leering interesting idioms. one of my favorite is Hungarian "Don't Drink Beer to the Bear till it is gutted" but i think one with klomp might take first place now. thanks!

Thanks Sven, I’ve been practicing and I’m going to add this phrase to my repertoire!

This is actually quite funny, the idea of a clog snapping into being so unbelievable its a common idiom

Interesting.

When I read I thought it was "now break my klomp"

right on. I ended up putting rubber flooring in the shop to protect falling tools.

How do they fair with the rubber soles? I believe there must be a reason why klompen are not equipped with rubber. Would love to find out if there is any downside.

I just installed rubber floors on my shop. So now there's no slipping issue and they're a lot quieter. Absolutely love using them everyday.

Nah, crocs are foam clogs. Not the other way around.

Still look weird

How much does a pair cost from a local shoe maker where you live?

​@@channelchannelchannelchannel here in sweden it is about 2-300 sek for a standard pair (about 20-30 euro/dollar) and about the double for nicer ones with vegetable tanned leather.

Nice! I have actually worn through the soles on mine. I recently put new wood on the bottom and should be able to get another 10 years out of them. it is amazing what a good hook knife can do to fit them to the foot.

thanks man. yes there are a few of us crazy people out there!

Back in the days of the industrial revolution the wooden shoes were thicker for safety. So the people working in factories would wair thicker ones than on the sundays. When the industial revolution came in france people would throw their wooden shoes in the machines. Thats were the word sabbotage comes from. This fact is covered in QI some years ago. And like i mentioned 'sunday' wooden shoes. In the Netherlands people would have an extra pair for the sunday. Those would be sanded clean white and people wore those walking to church. No idea if anybody will read this but i think the wooden shoe has a interesting history.

Right on David. I have had several times when I needed to set something down and they work perfectly for that.

Were are you from

We will start a fashion statement yet!

I thought about that, maybe making two sides is better (so instead of top and bottom, left and right)

I have thought of that. I might. we will see!

You could also glue more wood to the bottom and tire rubber underneath

@@WoodByWrightHowTo If you do you could do the hard maple for the sole and poplar for the rest. Best of both worlds?

I did a live video about a year ago re Soleing these with a harder sole. Love them now.

is steel wool magnetic? idk about stuff that doesnt shed but i use a magnet to clean my stones for knives. Not completely perfect but its better than just trying to brush them clean, maybe beats sweeping.

Right on. These ones are poplar.

Yeah people would wear moss for cushioning in the past

yes it does.

my pleasure! thansk!

right on. I have thought of making a half top pair some day.

Sweet I am going to have to go check.

Wood By Wright How 2 I also occasionally wear crocs as well for the same reason. I have found if I am doing a lot of standing, I go for the clogs. If I need to kneel or sit on the floor (for like welding and assembly) I wear crocs.

I have thought of that but part of me wants to show making a whole new pair.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Well, if that's what you want... Go for it! 😃 We have a saying here in Brazil... I don't know exactly how to translate, but it would be something like: "it's doing what you want/like that the joy of the life comes from". 😊

thanks. I use to have leather stuck to the bottom but it was more of a pain then it was worth as it picked up too much junk and they did not stay well. I also tried rubber. but I have thought of planing them off and adding hard maple or something like that.

You can get them from Holland Michigan. Know your European size. They cost me an $40. If you live close enough, it is a really cool place to visit. The locals do clog dancing and there are other attractions too. Once this pandemic is over anyway.

it really seems to have calmed him down.

thanks. I do love them!

Now that is a sweet Idea!

They've saved my toes quite a few times.

I think I get the question every other day.

Once you carve them to match your foot, they get incredibly comfortable.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo ok so I got these delivered. I agree that they are more comfortable than you’d think, however the instep is quite painful when attempting to walk. Did you experience this? Any recommendations to fix?

Some people do that. Particularly if you're working on hard floors it is quieter and adds more traction. But my floors are rubber after this video I ended up putting on new souls made out of purple heart so they're far more durable

They are slightly slippy however there are no more slippery than my tennis shoes on wood curls. And most of the time my concrete floor is covered in wood curls so it doesn't make too much of difference. However I am soon going to be installing rubber flooring but that's more to protect my tool from dropping off the bench.

poplar and willow are easy to carve but the big reason is they are light. harder woods are often twice the weight.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks, that makes sence

Book case

yes it is carved to match your foot. that way there are no pressure points!

I have tried putting rubber on but have not gotten them to stay well enough.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo until I was 12 or so, I only wore clogs (wooden sole with leather top) when outside, all year round, except for sports. In wintertime with snow I wore a boot version with a longer shaft (in Danish, clogs are called 'træsko" - tree-shoes or wood-shoes, and the boot version is "træskostøvler", I wonder if they are available anywhere now.) When the rubber sole wore out, typically on the heel, my dad would cut a new sole from an old tire and nail it on using very thin and short nails. To protect the leather (also nailed, or maybe stapled, to the sole) at the front, he would also nail on a metal bracket, a flat band of thin steel, wider in the middle and bent in a U-shape. This would also function as a toe protector, and even provide some safety from above. It also made them a formidable defensive weapon, getting kicked by such a clog would be painful, I climbed trees wearing them, and walked on the stony beach in them, never had a problem, and they were very comfortable and extremely sturdy. Even after I began wearing sneakers in school, I would always have a pair of clogs for working outside. I can imagine how a completely wooden shoe could be comfortable, but the tough and quite hard leather, which I guess was steam-pressed to shape, would probably be a bit more elastic than carbed wood. Without a rubber sole they would be very noisy, and slippery on for example concrete sidewalks in rainy weather. My dad rarely wore anything else until he died 88 years old in 2015. I still have a pair that I use when working in my workshop or outside.

yup it takes a hook knife and a lot of patience. I do want to do a video some time making a pair. I thought it would be a ton of fun!

We can't all be as cool as you!

Holland, Michigan. They actually have a tulip festival there every year, but there are a few clog makers there.

Mine are poplar. You can't get much willow here. I just re soled mine with purple heart they should last a bit longer now.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo I agree with this. I am having trouble finding willow. I was referred to three different websites that sell willow - all in the Netherlands. One site does not ship to the U.S. and the others need about 80 euros (over a hundred bucks) to put a box of shoes on an airplane. Please let me know if you can find some.

They are amazing when they are carved to match your feet.

The Poor Man This is an obvious answer, Holland Michigan.

Holland MI there is a factory there that makes them for the tourist industry. Walnut would be SWEET!!!!

they are very lose enough that I can stick a finger in between the top of the foot and the sole. they take a bit of getting use to but after a day or two you don't even think about it.

Yes. I use them on a concrete floor for a few years. I now have a rubber floor former shop. Some people put leather or rubber on the sole if they're working on a hard floor as it makes them quieter and gives a little bit more friction.

oh I like the idea of having shoes with a purple heart sole!

It's going to be a bear working it with hand tools

Lol been there done that.

Lol how do you know!

They call that custom orthotics.

Hmm I can't say that I have ever seen someone wearing klompen to school :) it would be fitting for my school since I go to the wood and furniture collage (HMC) I might just get a pair of my own some time

I have thought of wearing them for a night on the town just for the looks!

There should be about a half inch of slide front to back toe to heel. They do require a slightly different technique with your feet kind of like wearing flip-flops.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Yeah, see, I tried putting my foot in there barefoot and the front to back slide is more like an inch. I got 27cm. I think I'll try 26 cm the next time. I want to use these outside to mow grass, run a garden tiller and clean out my horse barn. They are actually ideal for this kind of work. I think this is gonna work out. They are safe and can be easily cleaned. I can leave them in our entrance way and just slip 'em on when I go out. I doubt very seriously that I'd ever wear them in public.

I don't wear them for projects where I need to be walking around such as mowing the grass. But for standing around in my shop and things where I'm not moving around too much they're perfect for that.

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Wearing Klompen while mowing the grass is a good idea. In the event of an accident, they could save your foot. Of course, on a "riding" lawn mower, that might not be so much of an issue but I have the type of power mowers that you walk behind.

I ended up replacing the sole with Purple Heart.

thanks Danny. it is fine now. just an old back injury that pops up from time to time.

I've done that in the past but with the poplar I have not been able to get them to stay long term. Nails will go out and glue breaks free. one other thought I've had is planning them down and putting on a harder soul like maple and with that I could attach rubber or something of that nature. But we'll see.

the commute is a pain each day.

I have been convinced to do that now. I thought about hanging these up on the wall to keep them but I'll probably make new souls for these here soon.

If the shoe is perfectly carved to match your foot, then there is no sore point. There's no need for padding. You have even pressure on every spot under your foot. The only reason that modern shoes have to have padding is they have to conform to your foot. But if the shoe is perfectly shaped to match your foot, it's the most comfortable thing you ever worn.

Please dance in these Mr woodwright!!