A Brief Rundown on How Wooden Clogs are Manufactured

Clogs today come in many varieties such as wooden clog sandals, clog boots and clog heels. But not many know about their background. Where did clogs come from? How are they made?

Clogs that we know today are descendants of wooden clogs that were used by the French, Swedish and the Dutch at the beginning of the twentieth century. Initially used by agricultural workers to protect their feet from mud and injuries, they slowly evolved into style icons that are widely popular today.

The process of making clogs is mostly a standard one. Earlier made entirely by hand, clogs today are made using a mixture of hand and machine manufacturing processes. A short summary of the process is as follows:

• Wood from willow or poplar trees is trimmed into logs which are then fed into a saw to cut them into rectangular blocks. These blocks are then roughly cut into sizes of wooden clog sandals into which they will be made. The size changes depending on the type and size of the clog to be made.
• A machine called as shaper is used to further trim the outer side of the blocks into shoes. A vinyl shoe is used as the model shoe to shape the wood block into the desired shape. Electrical cutting tools cut the blocks into perfectly shaped shoes. They carve in opposite directions, resulting in both the right shoe and left shoe being carved simultaneously.
• A boring machine is then used to carve the interior. The machine carves from outside to inside, leaving a quarter inch of material for manual shaping.
• The next step includes fine-tuning the interior of the shoes, either manually or automatically using a precise cutting machine. Extra wood and sharp points are smoothened out to leave the interior extremely smooth.
•  Next step involves drying and curing of the shoes. Placing them out in the open or near a hot air furnace allows moisture in the wood to disappear, hardening the shoes.
• The final step is finishing of the shoes. Dried shoes are smoothened with sandpaper to make them ready to be worn. They can be then decorated and varnished if necessary. 

Criteria For Purchasing Custom Made Clogs

I am an ardent fan of custom-made clogs. This footwear does not figure in the list of the most stylish options but will qualify for those who prioritize comfort over style. They can easily be paired up with every outfit that you can imagine. Once you have convinced yourself for investing in this footwear choice, you might want to make the hard decision of going for custom clogs or pick up the ones from the store. Here is a list of reasons that will help you decide for the custom-made heeled clogs right away.

Made to measure: when you order custom-made heeled clogs, you must make sure that you have the exact size in mind. If you are unsure about the size of your foot, it is best to walk into the store and discuss the measuring options with the clog master. Since the material used in making the heeled clogs is different from the normal one, you might want to go for a size bigger to be comfortable in the shoes.

Choosing the material: One of the best things about buying the custom fit of heeled clogs is the fact that you can select the material of wood and leather as per your budget. The style of the clogs will be of your choice, and you can also decide on the height on the heels as per your requirement. For those who suffer from issues of flat foot and other foot related problems, you can even customize the heels to suit your foot completely.

Taking care of the shoes: While other shoes do not have any after sale services, your clog maker will help you learn the best ways to keep your clogs looking new. If you trip and chip off the wood from the sole of the shoes, you can always make amends with the clog maker. They may also help you get the perfect shape of the shoe that will be comfortable around the edges and will not end up in a shoe bite.

Even though you might have to shell out more money in purchasing the custom heeled clogs, they are worth the time and effort that you will put in getting this footwear to be a staple in your wardrobe.