People who know me have often heard me say that “Cutting wood is a constant learning curve”. I have spent the past two years doing research on-line, in reference books I have purchased from Amazon or read at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. I have duplicated type specimen books, spent hours on the Flicker photo sites of experts like Nick Sherman and other visitors to the Hamilton Wood Type Museuem at Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Once you know what to look for in a picture of a 120 year old machine you can figure out a lot of answers.
I have made three trips to Two Rivers with my letterpress printer daughter to research cutting type, type trimming, pattern making, maple preparation, border stamping machines, printing presses, and historical tools. I have been lucky enough to talk about wood type with all the leading experts from around the world.
I have had a two hour private lesson from Norb Brylski on the entire process from design patterns to trimming. Once I had completed my replica of the Hamilton Pantograph type cutter on a second trip, Norb spent another few hours answering questions and teaching me how to set-up and calibrate my big pantograph. He solved a set-up problem that had haunted me for 2 months of trying to correct a .020 inch cutting problem with a 20 second answer. That kind of knowledge only comes from years of type cutting experience.
I make my patterns out of 1/4 inch Baltic birch plywood nailed to a 1/2 inch baltic birch background block like they do at Hamilton. I have choosen not to make them two sided like some type companies did. I glue and hand nailed each pattern piece. However, I use modern industrial glues and a digital caliper to be sure the spacing is square, and that the pattern a perfect copy of the original.
One of the best things I have figured out on my own is to “Lubricate” the pattern with baby powder. The talc (or cornstarch) in the baby powder allows the steel tracer to slide on the edge of the wooden pattern. The bottom end of the steel tracer never actually touches the bottom of the pattern, It glides on the pantograph pivot points 1/16” above the wood. 
The baby powder packs into the sides of the pattern and allows the operator to gently slide the tracer around the pattern with very little wear. However, on my big Hamilton pantograph, the baby powder tends to spread out on the sheet aluminum top.
Besides making the patterns last longer, the smell of the baby powder reminds me of a favorite memory…. the wonderful smell of my daughter Erin when she was a baby and I used to sing and rock her to sleep 28 years ago.
In the Fall, several of my Hand Media students chose to participate in Art Works: A Poster Contest to Support American Jobs. I was particularly fond of their decision to include, “Hand Printed in America.” Two of the students used Moore Wood Type catchwords and stars as part of their poster design.
“I wanted to showcase ‘the American Dream’ through type and texture. The textured background represents a white picket fence, while the type indicates food and transportation for all. I printed the poster on a Vandercook and used a laser cutter to create the textured background.”
Kara Isabella, Miami U. Graphic Design
(featuring: MWT No. 1 “AND” and several stars, available soon)
Throughout the Event Poster Project, I told the students participating in the contest that they were all going to win, so I initially thought Lauren was joking when she told me, “Obama’s people just called.” It was very exciting to find out Lauren’s poster was chosen as one of 12 Finalists. It was interesting to see the style of posters the Obama for America campaign staff were drawn to, they seem to like the distressed letterpress look (both computer generated and hand printed). read more…
My daughter says one of the best things about Christmas, ever since she got her Vandercook 4 several years ago, are the heavy boxes from Santa that rattle when you shake them.
Only a true letterpress printer appreciates old, dirty, used wood type in a new shirt box. I have been very lucky to have several sources of used wood type for her. Dave Churchman’s “Boutique de Junk” in Indianapolis; Steve Robinson of Letterpreservation in Rising Sun, Indiana; and Don Black in Toronto. I also have lots of luck at antique malls and flea markets for sorts, ornaments, brass galley trays, and composition sticks. Some stay with me, but most end up with Erin for her shop. The Easter bunny has even been known to leave a set of 6 line French Clarendon in her Easter Basket.
For Christmas this year she received three fonts of used type from Don Black Linecasting. We made the trip this Summer and brought back a CRV full of used type, books, and two large old machines that will be modified into a block leveler and border stamping machine this Summer.
She also had made a Christmas list of fonts she liked but could not afford at the time. I paid for Don to ship me four of the fonts from her list at his always very fair price. They were missing a few letters or only had one piece of several letters. Missing letters are never a problem when your father is a type cutter.
By the time Christmas morning came around the type boxes were complete, with several crushed letters repaired, extra E’s, A’s, R’s and several replacement figures cut.
MWT Christmas hats
One of the long term goals of Moore Wood Type is to make replacement letters. Once I work out the details I will be offering that service in the future.
P.S. I received a gift of professionally embroidered MWT hats, MWT dress shirts and a MWT computer bag from my wife and daughter. Now I will look like a real type cutter when I travel to shows to sell wood type this summer.
