| Wood was used for letterforms
and illustrations dating back to the first
known Chinese wood block print dating from
868. The forerunner of the block print in
China was the wooden stamp. The image on these
stamps was most often that of the Buddha,
and was quite small. Provided with handles
to facilitate their use, they were not like
the modern rubber-stamps of today.
The use of wood in printing as a material
for making type had been made for hundreds
of years before the 19th century.With the
expansion of the commercial printing industry
in America in the first years of the 19th
century, it was inevitable that someone
would perfect a process for cheaply producing
the large letters so in demand for broadsides.
Wood was the logical material because of
it's lightness, availability, and known
printing qualities.
Darius Wells of New York found the means
for mass producing letters in 1827, and
published the first known wood type catalog
in 1828. The usual procedure was to draw
the letter on wood, or paper which was pasted
to the wood. Then cut around the letter
with a knife or graver, gouging out the
parts to be left blank.
Wells however, introduced a basic invention,
the lateral router that, in combination
with a pantograph introduced by William
Leavenworth in 1834 constituted the essential
material for mass-producing wood type.
In the preface to his first wood type catalog,
Wells outlined the advantages of wood type.
They were half the cost of metal type. Prepared
by machine they had smooth, even surfaces.
Unequal cooling causes metal to be concave
on top, and interest on a font of metal
type would in 7 years buy a font of wood
type.
In 1834, William Leavenworth made his solid
contribution to the wood type industry with
the introduction of his pantograph. He adapted
it to Wells router, and the combination
formed the basic required machinery for
making wood type on a production basis.
Leavenworth lived in Syracuse in 1839 and
his brother, Ekias, later became Secretary
to the State of New York.
From the initial presentation of wood type
in 1828 by Darius Wells, there followed
a group of designers and manufactures of
wood type.
Edward Allen, son of a Connecticut cabinetmaker
set up shop in Windham Connecticut, and
in 1837 was producing type in such mass
quantities that he soon began looking for
new markets. In 1840 he lost interest in
type and moved to Allen's Education tables,
and later moved to the manufacturing of
wooden spools.
Horatio and Jeremiah Bill were also Allen
employees and in 1850 were located in Lebanon,
Conn. Ebenezer Webb became the successor
to Wells in 1859. William Page bought the
Bills in 1856, founded Page and Bassett.
During the Civil war Page perfected his
equipment and became the leading manufacturer
of wood type. Webb died in 1864 and his
entire inventory of wood type was bought
by Hebert Wells, youngest son of Darius.
This company was eventually sold to James
E. Hamilton.
The next major step in the manufacture
of wood type was the introduction of Hollywood
type in 1880 by Edward J. Hamilton, founder
of the Hamilton manufacturing Company, of
Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Hollywood was used
in preference to maple, because it was 50%
less costly and it could be cut 1/16' thick
and glued to cheap pine.
For a time Edward Hamilton lived in Lockport,
N.Y., and for two years attended Lockport
High School. In 1868 he moved to Two Rivers,
Wisconsin and from a tender of a clothespin
lathe, he went to work in a chair factory.
Lyman Nash, Editor of the Two Rivers Chronicle
needed letters to print "Grand Ball"
at Turner Hall. With no time to order from
Chicago he asked Edward Hamilton if he could
make it. Mr. Hamilton operated his foot-powered
scroll saw on his mothers back porch, and
mounted the letters on another block of
wood. Then he sandpapered and polished the
surface.
It printed so well that Hamilton made up
a few samples and sent them to nearby printers.
After receiving his second order he quit
his job at the chair factory and he began
the J. E. Hamilton Hollywood Type Company.
Wood used in the manufacture of wood type
included apple, boxwood, cherry, holly,
mahogany, maple and pine and dogwood. Cherry
and apple were limited because of the small
size in diameter and pine was too soft for
long runs.
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