Wooden soles. Trademark of Swedish clogs

What makes clogs popular worldwide? During the past decades wooden clogs became favorite work shoes of restaurant workers, doctors and nurses, and all those professionals who spend long working days on their feet. Known for their benefits for lower back and overall posture of the body, comfortable wooden clogs found their fans worldwide.

Traditional clogs are made from wood and leather, with a special attention to the anatomically constructed wooden footbed that provides an optimal angle for support and posture. This way, the foot is in contact with a natural material that absorbs moisture and allows the foot to breathe. Swedish clog enthusiasts also claim that wooden clogs are warm in winter and cool in summer.

The term clogs refers to all footwear that are made on natural wooden bottoms: clog sandals, clog boots, heel clogs and comfy bottom clogs. Although an additional layer of thick PU is sometimes added for increased comfort and stability, the anatomically shaped wooden sole is still the most important part of all shoes known as clogs.

The biggest historical competitors in the clog world are probably Dutch “klompen” and Swedish “toffels”. Traditionally, alderwood has been considered the best wood for making Swedish clogs, while traditional Dutch clogs typically were made out of alder, willow or poplar wood.

Alderwood is one of the softest hardwoods around and is sometime referred to as a semi-hardwood.  On a hardness scale, it ranks just above pine and poplar. Because it is straight, and still soft enough for any molder knife to cut easily, alder is highly regarded by woodworkers. When stained and lacquered it looks pretty impressive, and at the same time it provides a natural antibacterial climate for the foot. All these characteristics make alderwood irreplaceable material in every clog workshop.

Like alder, birch comes from the family of Betulaceae. On a hardness scale, birch ranks at the top with hard-rock maple, and is often mistaken for maple. Because of an inherent resonant quality. birch is often used for the construction of musical instruments, but you’ll also find it on bottoms of traditional wooden clogs.

Although a type hardwood, poplar isn’t as hard as most hardwoods, with a hardness rating less than that of cedar (which is a softwood). Poplar is very easy to work in almost all regards, which makes it an ideal wood for hand crafting.  

Finally, lime has a fine and even texture, which is preferred for wood carvers. Easy to work, very soft and light, it’s one of the most suitable wood species for hand carving.