After making that hat for my dad and realizing that his head is a bit smaller than mine.....we decided to make a block to fit my melon size head. We made it out of some 2 inch cherry we had in the shop. It does taper from an oval to a circular oval at the top. The front tapers a 1/4" and the back tapers an 1/8". The sides are straight. I have no idea how this will change the shape of the hat from the totally straight stovepipe block but we will give it a try. I may have to do some tweaking on it after the first.
Here are a few pics. Thanks for all the help from Local Land Surveyor and Indiana G
I have not made anything on it yet...still waiting on the cape. We always brand the top....and its a very superficial mark. We have not had any issues with it. I will post up some pics of the lid as soon as its off of it.
I think that making the block was a great project itself. It was not that hard.....and they actually cool just sitting on the bookshelf. You can do this with a very limited arsenal of tools.......but trust me the right tools make it a lot faster. We have a cabinet shop and we also make bows and arrows and knives. Its great that some of those specialty tools also work in hatmaking.
