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I’ve long talked about woodworking containing a variety of disciplines such as turning, carving, scroll sawing, etc. In my opinion, there’s one type of woodworking that shaped this country (and possibly even the world)—patternmaking. Imagine building something out of wood precisely to an engineered drawing to the thousandth of an inch. I guess that sums up patternmaking in a nutshell—woodworking with metalworking tolerances. Building patterns out of wood so that a foundry could cast parts. This was truly the building blocks of the industrial revolution and beyond.
One of the friends that I’ve been able to make over the last several years is a patternmaker by the name of Norman. Norman (who also goes by Josh—don’t ask, as it’s not my story to tell) spent his working career as a patternmaker at Barber-Greene (a manufacturer of asphalt machines), running the pattern shop. Over the years, Norman shifted his pattern work to his shop at his home in Sandwich, IL.
I was able to meet Norm when I traveled to his shop to pick up a vintage Oliver patternmaker’s lathe, as well as a few other items. And yes, once I get the Oliver moved into the shop, I’ll share some photos of it and show what makes it different than a regular lathe. That’s no mean feat however, as this lathe is a massive beast.
Norm, as most patternmakers do, has amazing pieces of equipment that are the same, yet different, than standard woodworking machines (usually, they have some form of odd setting to create tapers or draft angles). Apart from their equipment, what really makes them special is their skill set. Their ability to hold the tolerances that they do and create the shapes necessary for their patterns make them craftsmen beyond compare.
This time that I’ve been able to spend with Norm has been some of my most memorable and enlightening that I can remember. The amount of knowledge that someone like Norm possesses is rivaled only by my own ignorance. Find yourself a Norman. Learn from them, appreciate them, and keep their knowledge (and equipment) going for future generations. Most of them may be retired, but their hands have not lost any of their touch. And to you, Josh — I appreciate you, and our time together. I look forward to our next chance to visit and hang out.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
