New (I mean, really new) block!

[jskeen]

That's true, really there is no benefit to having the hat shaped exactly to your head above the sweat. Any standard shape above there will follow the band and brim if put on a band block. The benefit of that is that band blocks are dirt simple to make after you have the first one. And material is a lot less critical, so you could use soft wood, a router bit with a follower bearing and the first one as a pattern to crank out a dozen or so of them in under an hour easily, and store as many of your hats with one as you want. Heck, drill a hole for a pin and it becomes an interchangeable display system. Put block in hat, mount on one of the pins on your display shelves, Get tired of looking at it, remove from pin, put hat and block back in box and put new one on pin. Interesting concept.

 

[tonyb]

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious, but band blocks help maintain the fit as well. And if they're made of cedar, they'll go some way toward keeping the felt-eating insects at bay.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Thanks for starting this thread Tony, MarkG, very nice work.
Gents this is a subject that is dear to most hatters and is not quite as simple as it all sounds. I have a friend that has a number of CNC lathes, works for the Military on weapons ( missles) and cannot use his multi million machines for this seemingly simple task. We tried. I'm afraid I don't understand all of the dynamics or the "why's" but it really isn't as simple as it would appear to be.
That said, anyone out there that can set up for this work at an affordable rate would have quite a bit of business. I will be first in line. I can see an 8 1/4 exlo in my future.

 

[DarrelMorris]

I can't say anything about mass production techniques but I have made a few blocks. They work just fine but I have had one come apart when the glue separated. I just used wood glue and two of the three are still intact, however, I have only made a couple of hats on each of them because it's a rather odd looking hat. It's an Elizabethan Sugar Loaf with a 7 1/2" crown. Personally I just don't see where new blocks are worth the money that people are getting for them. Poplar is cheap and the construction of one isn't exactly fine woodworking or sculpting. There may be more there than I know, but I'll be making my own for now.

 

[tonyb]

Should you have any pictures of these blocks you've made, Darrel, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to see them.

As to those waaaay tall crowns (anything north of six inches), I've made do by temporarily grafting additional thicknesses to the bottom of a block. And I've had occasion to make a block effectively one size larger by stretching a sacrificial hat body over the block, stapling it down near the bandline, and cutting off the brim. (The Ermatinger book calls this a "cap.")

As I noted earlier, some of the old blocks were made from multiple pieces of wood. Some have separated, of course, but some are holding strong all these decades on. Those who have made a close study of the properties of various types of wood and working with it (such as our friend Mark G), are much better positioned than I ever will be to explain the whys and wherefores of that.

 

[DarrelMorris]

These are the two that held up. I make a couple of hats per year with these for a local Ren Faire group. The leader of the group had been looking for years for someone to make this hat for them but no one wanted to try. I made up a couple of blocks and now I'm their recommended supplier. I had to shape them with an electric sander, holding the block between my knees. They are rather crude, but I don't have many tools so I make do with what I have.

 

[DarrelMorris]

These are a couple of the hats that I made with them. I have to make them stiff enough to provide a little protection from sword blows as well.

http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums...2456249_3704355_1191654847_n1_zpseae0350d.jpg

 

[dnjan]

That's true, really there is no benefit to having the hat shaped exactly to your head above the sweat. Any standard shape above there will follow the band and brim if put on a band block.

I'll agree for felt hats, but in my experience a finer straw hat still distorts a bit above the sweat if your head is very far out of oval (I jokingly call my head a diagonal-oval).

Art made me a band block that helps a lot, but I still get a bit of distortion further up the crown on my good panama.

 

[tonyb]

Dang, Darrel, I can see how a person wishing to fashion hats such as those might have little choice but resort to making his own blocks. A guy could spend an awfully long searching for such a thing and still get only "kinda close."

 

[DarrelMorris]

Dang, Darrel, I can see how a person wishing to fashion hats such as those might have little choice but resort to making his own blocks. A guy could spend an awfully long searching for such a thing and still get only "kinda close."

They tried for years to find someone to make these hats for them. Everyone they asked said it couldn't be done. What I think they meant was they didn't want to bother trying. I'm just vain, or stupid, enough to see that as a challenge.

 

[Mark G]

Darrel, the hat looks great. If you use a "waterproof" (nothing is truly waterproof, ask the watch industry) glue you can usually stave off the separation. As I've said before a single piece could crack and separate as well, plus, you made it, you can repair it as well.

Cheers

 

[tonyb]

They tried for years to find someone to make these hats for them. Everyone they asked said it couldn't be done. What I think they meant was they didn't want to bother trying. ...

That sounds about right.

I'm rarely one to say something "can't be done," but I'm not at all reluctant to say I'm not the one to do it.

 

[DarrelMorris]

Darrel, the hat looks great. If you use a "waterproof" (nothing is truly waterproof, ask the watch industry) glue you can usually stave off the separation. As I've said before a single piece could crack and separate as well, plus, you made it, you can repair it as well.

Cheers

Thank you Mark. I'm planning on making some 6" fedora blocks and will look for better glue this time. Last time I used regular Elmer's Wood Glue.

 

[Doomstein]

That's a beautiful block, Tony. Have you put it to the test? My biggest concern with modern blocks is will the glue separate over time with the continual application of heat and moisture? That's one reason I would think the older, one-piece blocks are superior.

Brad

I had a local woodworker make a 52 style block for me for 75 bucks. He made it out of several pieces of poplar and used a waterproof epoxy. I've made myself and a local vintage boutique quite a few fedoras and that glue ain't going nowhere : D

 

[DarrelMorris]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a 52 style block?

 

[tonyb]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a 52 style block?

It's something of a holy grail of "classic" fedora blocks. It's not the only style that'll give you that tall, relatively straight-sided crown, but it does do the trick.

The new block in the first post in this thread is modeled on a No. 52. I sent Mark a tracing of the bottom of a size 7 3/4 No. 52 and a few photos to work from.

So, yeah, the No. 52 is certainly desirable, but I wouldn't wish to fetishize it. Several other blocks will produce similar results, and perhaps even better ones, depending on the end result one has in mind. It's sorta like the prices genuine vintage Stetson Stratoliners fetch, when a hat in an almost identical style, that may indeed be a better hat in many ways, won't sell for nearly as much.

 

[DarrelMorris]

Oh OK, that's basically the block I plan on making next.

 

[humanshoes]

Beautiful block Tonyb. You're fortunate to have a guy that'll make blocks. I scoured this town to find a real woodworker to make some blocks, but not one showed any interest in doing sp. Taking matters into my own hands, I made this convertible block in long oval for my personal use that is height adjustable and will accept different style crown tips. Roll pins hold everything in line and a bolt up through the center snug the whole thing up. I've blocked six or so hats on this one with no separation (that Titebond III is great stuff), but if it happens I'll just be replacing or repairing components and not the whole block. I've posted this block on other threads so please excuse the reduncancy.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

View attachment 25670 View attachment 25671 View attachment 25672
Beautiful block Tonyb. You're fortunate to have a guy that'll make blocks. I scoured this town to find a real woodworker to make some blocks, but not one showed any interest in doing sp. Taking matters into my own hands, I made this convertible block in long oval for my personal use that is height adjustable and will accept different style crown tips. Roll pins hold everything in line and a bolt up through the center snug the whole thing up. I've blocked six or so hats on this one with no separation (that Titebond III is great stuff), but if it happens I'll just be replacing or repairing components and not the whole block. I've posted this block on other threads so please excuse the reduncancy.

I’m researching hat blocks and reading old threads. There wasn’t much in this thread for me, but your expandable hat block deserves a revisit! Wow, that’s such a great idea. Your skills continue to impress me, Rick.

 

[humanshoes]

I’m researching hat blocks and reading old threads. There wasn’t much in this thread for me, but your expandable hat block deserves a revisit! Wow, that’s such a great idea. Your skills continue to impress me, Rick.

Thanks for saying so Brent! I've made a few since then, as the need has arisen, but I still don't have the proper tools to really do it right.