Turned Wood of Distinction
Selected Articles about Knot-Head
Article Index
The Above Appeared in the November 2005 Issue of
Woodturning Magazine, p. 21
Over the Top
(Reprinted from Attaché, Magazine of U.S. Airways, August 2004)
Writer DEAN BLAINE meets a Kentucky woodworker who accidentaly crafted a curious PIECE OF APPAREL fit for a president.
In certain circles, Chris Ramsey is a celebrity craftsman. At the White House, for instance, where Ramsey was invited to meet the president, he was surrounded in the Roosevelt Room by congressmen and presidential aids, eager for a glance at his handiwork. In the Oval Office, George W. Bush said, "I can't believe you can do this with wood."
Ramsey's craft happened rather by accident. A woodturner by trade, he made mostly hardwood bowls, until one day, disappointed in a vessel he was making for his wife, Ramsey turned it upside down and placed it on his head. Staring at himself in the mirror, he knew that he was onto something.
He also knew that making his vision a reality would not be easy. If he were going to sculpt hats from hardwood, he wanted to make durable ones that could actually be worn like any other. And, he decided, they would be fashioned from a single cut of wood, with no glue and no pieces. Ramsey spent 26 hours sculpting his first hat before it broke apart in his hands. Countless times he nearly called it quits. "The first hundred hats I made were pretty ugly," he says, "but they burned real good."
Ultimately, Ramsey perfected his technique. In the basement of his Somerset, Kentucky, home, he turns felled hardwood logs on his thousand-pound lathe, sculpting his hats to a thickness of 3/32 of an inch, so thin that bright light shines through the wood. In the drying process, he shapes the wood using rubber bands to mold cowboy hats, top hats, garden hats, even baseball caps.
A wooden baseball cap that Ramsey wore into town one day caught the eye of his local congressman. "You know who would really love a hat like that?" asked Representative Harold Rogers. Ramsey began sculpting a Texas-style cowboy hat from English walnut. When the hat was completed, Congressman Rogers personally delivered it to the president. "He went nuts over it," says Chris.
Now the orders won't stop. Chris has made hats for Vice President Cheney, Hank Williams Jr., and Tom Cruise. And yet, it's the reaction of the president that gives goose bumps to Chris. "The most powerful person in the world likes my stuff. Man, pinch me."
DEAN BLAINE frequently wirtes for ATTACHE. He is based in Las Vegas, where he finds any hat, wooden or otherswise, a necessity in summer.
Hats Off to Chris Ramsey
(Reprinted from Kentucky Homes & Gardens
July/August, 2004)
Master craftsman Chris Ramsey uses his wood turning expertise for more than just exquisite vases and bowls. Elegant headwear is also part of this Somerset artisan's repertoire.
When one thinks of artisan-level wood turning, the first things that come to mind are elegant bowls and vases created of rare and beautiful woods.
Chris Ramsey of Somerset does all that. But his newest innovation in wood-turning craftsmanship literally has people turning their heas. He creates light, wearable hats out of elegant woods. The results have been so popular that one of the wearers of Ramsey's wooden hats is none other than President George W. Bush.
"I made my first hat about six years ago," Ramsey says. "I entered it in the Kentucky State Fair. Compared to what I do today, it was a pretty bad hat. It took me about 100 hats to learn how the Western-style hat can be made with wood-turning techniques."
Ramsey's wooden hat-making project continued until he won Best of Show honors in the Fine Arts Division at the 2000 Kentucky State Fair.
Turning wooden hats is a tedious process. Ramsey starts with a block of hardwood that measures a minimum of 18 inches across and is 20 inches high. If the wooden block is ambrosia maple or another hardwood, it can weigh as much as 120 pounds. When he has finished turning a life-sized hat, the finished product typically wieghs between seven and ten ounces. The three thirty-seconds of an inch thickness of the wood of a completed Ramsey hat is accomplished by the artist's instinct and experience alone. Ramsey does not use calipers in his wood-turning efforts.
Following the turning process, each hat is hand-sanded and given 20 coats of lacquer to achieve a sheen designed to bring out the beauty of the wood.
"In turning a hat, I prefer using green heartwood. It doesn't crack or split like drier wood does," Ramsey said. While turning the block of wood, Ramsey keeps a bright light focused on it and a spray bottle of water nearby. As the hat takes shape, he sprays the wood to keep it moist and prevent its destruction from the pressure of his chisels.
Finesse comes into play when the wood becomes wafer-thin. The bright light Ramsey has focused on the hat actually shines through the wood, which has become so thin as to be translucent. "I've learned to judge how thin the wood is by how bright the light is that shines through it," he states.
"The first hat I turned took about 20 hours to make," Ramsey notes. "Now I can turn one in somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half. I can now create any style of hat I like."
Ramsey's hat designs include bowler, cowboy, Western, Outback, and baseball- cap patterns. "I know that University of Kentucky (UK) fans might not like this, but one of my early customers asked that I carve a wooden 'T' for the University of Tennessee and put it on the front of the hat I made him," Ramsey recalls. "That has branched out to where I can put corporate logos, initials, and other insignia on hats I make."
Along with the president of the United States (his hat size is top-secret information, according to Ramsey), wearers of the handmade wooden headgear include UK Basketball Coach Tubby Smith, Hank Williams Jr., and Tommy Lasorda. "One great aspect of the job is that I get to meet a lot of cool people," Ramsey remarks.
"The difficulty in making these hats doesn't have to do with the size of the head," Ramsey says. "It deals with the head's shape. Turning a perfect circle is relatively easy, compared to the oval shape of the human head."
Ramsey has received orders for his hats from all over the world, including requests from Japan, Italy, Aurtralia, Denmark, Scotland, and Finland.
Wood for Ramsey's projects comes from trees that have been felled by storms or cut down during construction projects. A number of customers have commissioned Ramsey to use wood from a special tree on their property that has fallen victim to disease or a storm.
Originally from New York City, Ramsey's path to Kentucky has come through California and Utah. He has not always been an artist. "I used to have a business where I made a lot of money, but was always surrounded by unhappy people," Ramsey states. "Now I have a job where I'm surrounded by happy people all the time. These hats make people happy. It's great."
Ramsey is a member of the American Association of Woodturners, Southern Highland Craft Guild, Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Kentucky Craft Marketing Program (a program of the Kentucky Arts Council), and Sheltowee Artisans.
Among the places where Ramsey's work is displayed is both locations of Artique in Lexington. He also maintains a Web site that features his work at: www.knot-head.com
Above: Ramsey demonstrated his turning techniques at Lexington Center recently. He begins his hat-making process with a round block of wood weighing more than 100 pounds.
Nearing the end of the turning process, Ramsey uses light ot judge the thickness of the wood while turning a hat design. He turns the wood to a thickness of three thiry-seconds of an inch.
Claude Hammons
A Crowning Achievement
(Reprinted from Southern Living, May 2003)
Get hard-headed with this Kentucky hatmaker's hand-turned wooden chapeaus.
You're taking me to see a hat-maker?" I asked my fellow traveler
somewhat incredulously as he drove me through Kentucky.
"What's so special about that? Are they feather hats?"
"No," he said.
"Well, are they leather hats?"
"No," he replied.
"Does she make them from lace and net, then cover them with fake
birds and butterflies? Do they have cats in them, a la Dr. Seuss?"
I asked in an exasperated tone.
"Wrong and wrong again," he said. "The hatmaker is
a he, and he carves hats out of wood."
I was actually struck speechless at this revelation. Hats carved out
of wood? "Is this some Pinocchio-like fable come to life? Or some
sort of Rumpelstiltskin-spinning-straw-into-gold kind of thing?"
I asked with newfound curiosity.
But the head-covering story was no fractured fairy tale. Chris Ramsey,
of Somerset, Kentucky, does indeed carve wooden hats that people can
wear. The governor of Kentucky wore one to last year's Kentucky Derby,
and such notables as Ashley Judd and Hank Williams, Jr., have requested
the sculpted creations that sell under the burly name of Knot-Head.
Chris's home serves as his workshop and retail store, where his artistic
skills and lathe transform his basement into a sculptor's studio. Using
native Kentucky wood from felled trees, Chris has turned heads far and
wide with his noggin toppers.
"How did you get started?" I asked as I picked up a light-as-a-feather
Aussie hat, weighing only 5½ ounces. "My wife wanted a turned
wooden bowl," Chris said. "As I was sanding it, I noticed
it looked like a hat."
And that, as they say, was that. Chunks of walnut, maple, and cherry
metamorphose into cowboy hats, base-ball caps, derbies, top hats, and
garden hats. Chris also creates miniature versions, as well as bowls
and vases.
"It usually takes 35 to 40 hours to make one hat," said
Chris, who gets most of his wood from tree trimmers and loggers in Kentucky.
Chris carves the hat to an incredible thinness of 3/32 inch (as thin
as a credit card). "I use sound and light to tell when to stop,"
he said of the process. "I can also tell by touch when it is getting
thin enough."
After a hat has been completed, Chris sands it and places it on a
custom-made jig for final shaping. Rubber bands and heat lamps are used
to gently curve the brim. Hand sanding follows, and then 20 coats of
lacquer finish the beautiful topper and render it waterproof.
Chris is especially proud of an English walnut cowboy hat that he
made for President George W Bush. But the head count of all his wonderful
work looms large, as he sells in several galleries across the country,
from his home, and through his Web site.
So what's the wood turner's lone frustration? "The only thing
I can't do is a cattleman's crease on top of the cowboy hat," Chris
said regretfully.
I couldn't decide exactly which style of hat to buy. A derby or a
top hat? A baseball cap or a lady's garden hat? Maybe even a cowboy
hat? "Ashley Judd is getting a ball cap," Chris informed me.
Well, it's safe to say, if it's good enough for a Judd head, it's good
enough for me. WANDA MCKINNEY
PHOTOS
Using a lathe, Chris takes about 40 hours to make a wooden hat,
which he then waterproofs by covering it with 20 coats of lacquer.
Chris Ramsey, wearing one of his hand-turned baseball caps,
carves several different styles of hats-all of which can be worn.
Each one is gently sculpted to the thinness of a credit card.
Felled native Kentucky trees provide maple, walnut,
cherry, beech, hickory, and oak for all of Chris's hats.
The quality craftsmanship of these head toppers has
drawn the attention of everyone from politicians to pop stars.
Webmaster's Note: The above photos, taken by Meg McKinnley
Simle, where scanned directly from the published May issue of Southern
Living and thus are not the quality of a digital or scanned photograph.
To view the actual scans of the article click here.
Turning
Wood into Heirloom Hats
Reprinted from Kentucky Living
June 2003
Turning Wood into Heirloom Hats
by: Kathy Witt
Feature Photos by Jeff Rogers
Chris Ramsey has made wearable art in the form
of delicately lightweight yet sturdy wooden hats for congressmen, governors,
an heiress, and the president of the United States. A data cable specialist
and carpenter by trade, Ramsey's business, Knot-Head: Turned Wood of
Distinction, began with a tree slated for the landfill, a spouse's request,
and a touch of serendipity.
"Kathy asked me to make her a wooden bowl with a flange so she
could put an ivy plant into it and have the leaves flow over the wood,"
recalls Ramsey. "I was already hooked on turning because my identical
twin brother, David, surprised me with a small Delta lathe for a birthday
gift."
Several weeks later while sanding the bowl, Ramsey saw another shape
emerge in the cherry wood: an Amish-type hat.
In between visualizing a hat in the bowl's silhouette almost six years
ago to delivering the English walnut cowboy hat for George W. Bush last
February, Ramsey estimates there are some 1,000 hand-turned decorative,
yet made-to-be-worn hats. The first 100 or so pieces were experimental
as Ramsey worked with different hardwoods (cherry, walnut, maple, and
oak), practiced his skills, and improved his technique. The latter 300-plus
are numbered and dated and note the type of wood from which the hat
is made.
"The hats are gorgeous, real pieces of art," says Tom Rathert,
a consultant forester in Lexington, Indiana, who met Ramsey four or
five years ago at the Kentucky State Fair. As Ramsey turned a hat at
his booth, Rathert spied one made of wormy red maple and commented on
it.
"It was marked 'ambrosia maple,' which sounds better than 'wormy
red maple,''" Rathert chuckled. There is, in fact, an ambrosia
beetle--loggers and foresters call it a flag worm--that attacks trees,
creating very appealing colors and patterns and making it the wood of
choice among Ramsey's customers for cowboy, ladies' sun, and Outback-style
hats.
Rathert and his wife, Angela, own his-and-hers cowboy hats of wormy
red maple, as well as hats made of big-leaf maple burl and red oak.
Rathert likes to wear one of his heirloom hats when he goes to horse
shows. "It fits just like a regular hat, feels very light and comfortable,
and I usually get a lot of practice taking it off because everyone wants
to see it."
These days, besides wearing Ramsey's wood creations, Rathert is supplying
some of the timber for them in the way of trees slated for a landfill
or to be burned or buried. Ramsey himself spends a lot of time inspecting
and evaluating downed or felled trees in his quest for the perfect piece.
"You can really show off a piece of wood slated for the landfill
with a hat," says Ramsey.
What Ramsey identifies as "perfect" is called a tree wart
among foresters and loggers. But these diamonds in the rough, known
as burls, have something Ramsey finds irresistible for his purposes:
no grain. He explains: "Inside a burl, or knot, there is no directional
grain pattern; the grain swirls around inside itself. You just pick
the prettiest spot on the hat and make that the front.
"It's a wonderful material to work with, but the loggers don't
want it because they can't sell it. Farmers don't want it because they
can't split it for firewood. Millers don't want it because it's not
clean. This is stuff loggers and farmers burn and bury, but it's a dream
come true for me and exactly what I need."
Ramsey turns green wood--wood that is kept wet in order to keep the
wood fresh, pliable, and green. "Most wood turners would take a
piece of wood that has been kiln-dried or air-dried for a year before
they would turn it. One thing about doing hats is if you take a dry
piece of wood and do a hat, you can't bend it. If it's green, you can
bend it.
"With the western hats, I can get a piece of wood to curl up
inside itself three or four times over. It's amazing what you can do
with an eighth of an inch of wood."
From each chunk of wood, Ramsey creates a full-size, wearable hat
that measures from 12 inches (derby and tops hats) to 20 inches (sunhats)
in diameter. The leftover pieces of wood were originally viewed as potential
firewood, but in a reversal of the adage, "Necessity is the mother
of invention," Ramsey figured out how to put the cut wood back
onto the lathe, "true it up and get it round again," and make
what are now highly collectible miniature hats and mirror frames that
he trims with a decorative bead. "Instead of gunking up our earth,
I'm using these trees to create some pretty interesting pieces of artwork."
"Chris Ramsey's wooden hats and other items are truly works of
art--in the folk art vein, perhaps--and the skill, technical aspects,
and the total understanding of wood required to create such marvels
are no less than remarkable," says John Rice Irwin. "I have
known thousands of so-called craftspeople, and only one or two are in
the same league as Chris Ramsey."
Irwin is the founder and owner of the Museum of Appalachia in Norris,
Tennessee, billed as the most authentic and complete replica of Appalachian
pioneer life in the world. Here he exhibits several of Ramsey's hats
in the museum's second-floor folk art section in the Appalachia Hall
of Fame gallery. "Everyone is most impressed with these spectacular
pieces, but it is the more advanced artisans of woodworking who appreciate
the hats most. They marvel that such a feat could be done--and so do
I."
Born in New York City, Ramsey was educated in Utah, California, and
Kentucky. Before he began turning on a Delta lathe, he worked as a technician
in the electronics industry, a manager for a construction company, a
builder, and a facilities manager of a major bank. Until January, he
operated his own business, American Network Cable. He is now an award-winning
master turner whose work has been shown all over the United States and
in Japan and Italy. He is a member of the American Association of Woodturners,
Southern Highlands Craft Guild, Sheltowee Artisans, Kentucky Guild of
Artists and Craftsmen, Louisville Area Woodturners, Kentucky Art and
Craft Foundation, and Kentucky Craft Marketing Program.
"Chris' turned hats represent a truly unique style of woodturning,"
says Fran Redmon of the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program. "Kentucky
boasts many highly talented woodturners, and his fanciful designs present
this craft in a totally innovative way and are an exciting thing to
see. We were thrilled to have him join the Craft Marketing Program and
participate in Kentucky Crafted: The Market. In his first show, his
hats were purchased by both Governor Paul Patton and WHAS reporter Barry
Bernson."
These aren't the only people Ramsey would like to see sporting his
hats. His dream heads to fit are Kentucky natives John Michael Montgomery
and actress Ashley Judd. Montgomery saw the hats at his concert in Somerset
last year and brought Ramsey backstage to learn more about them. Due
to the country music singer's busy schedule, though, Ramsey has yet
to measure his head. For Judd--a well-known University of Kentucky Wildcats
devotee--he envisions crafting a baseball cap with a blue UK logo.
"She's always busy with a shoot, but I'd really like to get her
a UK hat because she's such a fan," says Ramsey, who happens to
be a distant cousin of Judd's. "I'd actually like to do one for
all the Judds."
Ramsey uses a variety of woods and finishes (matte and low, medium,
and high gloss) and designs a number of styles: cowboy, derby, top hat,
baseball cap, fishing, Outback, golf, and garden hats. Brim sizes range
from 12 to 20 inches and crown sizes range from 4 to 8 inches, depending
on the style of the hat. Approximate weight is 7 to 12 ounces. Carvings
are available as are one-of-a-kind hat stands. Prices vary according
to choice of wood, carving, and style. "The hats are so different
and so unique," says Ramsey. "When people hear that you make
wooden hats, their first thought is, 'They must be so heavy,' but it's
the kind of thing you have to touch. They really hit a note with people."
For more information about Chris Ramsey's wooden hats, contact Knot-Head:
Turned Wood of Distinction at 212 Ohio Street, Somerset, KY 42501, (606)
677-2466, e-mail artist@knot-head.com, Web site: www.knot-head.com.
THIRTEEN STEPS TO SCULPTURE ART
 In
crafting each wooden hat, Chris Ramsey follows 13 steps that begin with
a customized sizing of the head using a curved flexible ruler and end
with the application of about 20 coats of lacquer to bring out the beauty
of the wood.
In between, Ramsey selects the wood--with an eye to grain, burl, imperfections,
and inclusion of bark--prepares the "blank" (the piece of
wood from which the hat will be cut), then rounds it on his lathe. Ramsey
then shapes and hollows the hat, striving for his benchmark 3/32 of
an inch thickness. If there is to be personalized carving, such as a
sports team logo, this is done next, by hand, just before the final
removal of wood.
The final steps are mechanical sanding, burnishing the hatband, bending,
and final shaping--an intensive hands-on process that lasts for three
to five days--and a final sanding by hand.
FAMOUS "KNOT-HEADS"
Chris Ramsey has fit heads of state and crowned heads of industry:
An English walnut cowboy hat for President Bush. For Congressman Harold
"Hal" Rogers of the fifth district office in Somerset, two
cowboy hats: one of wild cherry, the other of wormy red maple. And for
Elizabeth Goth, heiress to The Wall Street Journal, a dressage riding
top hat.
"Most of the celebrities are finding me through the Museum of
Appalachia. There are so many people who roll through there." Museum
founder and musician John Irwin is so impressed with the hats that he
wears them onstage and in galleries around the world. Other people find
Ramsey by surfing the Internet.
Other "Knot-Heads" include: Former New Jersey governor (and
present administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency) Christie
Todd Whit-man ordered a red oak cowboy hat.
Another cowboy hat went to horsewoman Misdee Wrigley of Wrigley's
Gum fame.
Ruth Summers, director of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, possesses
a cherry baseball cap. Jim Shugrue, volunteer coordinator for the guild,
requested a cherry cowboy hat.
Governor Paul Patton has several of Ramsey's hats, as do his daughter
and two of his brothers-in-law. "Hank Williams Jr. saw my hats
at the Museum of Appalachia and wants a top hat," says Ramsey.
"He needs to be measured, but he travels a lot so I have to figure
out how to make it happen."
Hat-Tasstic
Chris Ramsey, Knot-Head
Somerset resident Chris Ramsey makes one-of-a-kind hats out of wood.
He has now started to turn bowls with a natural edge. Ramsey is participating
in the Berea Arts and Crafts Fair this weekend. He will be giving demonstrations
of his wood turning process and have examples of his work on display.
Local hat maker gaining national reputation
They aren't just hats.
Not by any stretch of the imagination.
What Chris Ramsey creates from a large block of wood is, indeed a
work of art.
And to that end, Ramsey has recently been invited into two very prestigious
art fields - the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen in Berea and
Southern Highland Craft Guild in Asheville, North Carolina.
Ramsey is what is called a Wood Turner and he has been widely recognized
and praised for his unique wood hats
As some of you may remember, Ramsey's unique art was featured several
months ago in the Commonwealth Journal. Since that time, he has expanded
his art to include other priceless works. Ramsey begins with a 90 to
120 pound block of wood and takes the block and shapes it into a hat,
which, when completed, weighs approximately 7 to 10 ounces. That's pretty
light when you consider that the average felt hat weighs roughly 13
ounces.
"I take great pride in locating the perfect piece of wood for
each work of art," Ramsey said. "The wood is turned green
in order for the bending and shaping to take place. I create a variety
of hat types, from the traditional cowboy hat, to bowler, derby, baseball
cap, golf, Outback hat, woman's sun hat, fishing hat, top hat, dressage
hat and miniatures of all of them."
In addition to his one-of-a-kind wooden hats, Ramsey also creates
magnificent natural edge, with the bark, wooden bowls or platters.
Not only has Ramsey gained a reputation for his fine work, but he
has also been widely recognized throughout the country.
When invited to participate in the Southern Highland Craft Guild,
he was admitted with a perfect score - a rarity in the art world. He
has also received additional awards, including Best of Show in the Arts
and Crafts Division of the 2000 Kentucky State Fair. Ramsey has his
works exhibited in a variety of galleries in the United States, including
the Kentucky Art and Craft Gallery in Louisville, The Log House Craft
Gallery in Berea and the Folk Art Center Gallery in Ashville. He will
be featured as a premier demonstrator for the Kentucky Guild's Spring
Fair in Berea.
Chris Ramsey with Christie Todd Whitman,
Administrator, EPA
Logan Ramsey in Background (wearing his Box Elder Wood Hat)
His hats are now being worn by some pretty important
folks, too. Ramsey has made hats for Congressman Hal Rogers and has
been asked to make a wooden hat for President George W. Bush. Ramsey
recently met with Christine Whitman Secretary of the Environmental Protection
Agency, and measured her head for one of his custom fit cowboy hats.
Carol Coffey, CJ News Editor,Commonwealth Journal
May 18, 2001
The
Mad Hatter
by Carol Coffey, Commonwealth
Journal News Editor
November 3, 2000
Ramsey takes art form to the head of
the class.
If you say knock on wood around Chris Ramsey,
chances are he'll tap his head, but not for the reason that you think.
For a while now, Ramsey has been perfecting his talent of making
hats out of wood -- making him Somerset's own Mad Hatter -- or Knot
Head, as he calls his venture. He crafts hats of all kinds, from top
hats to baseball hats.
Ramsey said the first question he is generally asked (including
the first question asked by this reporter) was if his hats were heavy.
Indeed, they are not heavy at all -- weighing only ounces.
Before we tell you how Ramsey came to learn and love his new found
passion, we should probably tell you how he came to these parts.
Ramsey was part of the rat race, working in the construction of
commercial building. When construction began dropping off, Ramsey said
he was looking for a little rest and relaxation.
To that end, he grabbed his boat and headed for Lake Cumberland.
He has never left.
"I just wanted a break from the rat race, Ramsey said. "I
grabbed my boat and was going to play around for the summer."
One reason Ramsey decided to stay put was that he met a lovely
young lady -- Kathy Whitaker.
The urge to settle down and marry Kathy struck and Ramsey decided
to turn his attention to his career. The couple now have a three-year
old son, Logan, and another child due in February.
Ramsey worked for Alliance Bank (now Area Bank) handling their
technology but found himself working more and spending less time with
his family.
Deciding that he could be his own boss, make enough money and spend
more time with his family led him to form American Network Cable. Ramsey
now works several days a week running computer cable.
Ramsey seemed to have the life of his dreams -- a wife and family,
a job that allowed him to spend time with his family and away from the
rat race.
But Ramsey's life was destined to take a turn -- wood turning,
that is.
The Knot Brothers?
Chris' identical twin brother, David, purchased
a Delta lathe. David told Chris about his purchase and then paid his
brother a visit.
"He just showed up one day," Chris said, adding that
his brother brought him a gift -- a lathe.
Chris said he began tinkering with the lathe and found his new
toy addictive.
"It's instant gratification to take a chunk of fire wood and
turn it into something," Chris said.
His first 100 pieces, Chris said, were turned on the Delta lathe
from his brother. They weren't intricate or fancy and Chris said he
spent most of his time learning about turning. For the most part, Chris
produced vases, hollow-forms, goblets, plates and bowls.
Then, deciding to move onto bigger and better things, Chris purchased
a state of the art 1,000 pound lathe and drove to Ontario, Canada to
get it.
"I wanted to do bigger pieces," Ramsey said.
He gave away his first 100 pieces -- the pieces on which Ramsey
was honing his craft. If they gave people pleasure, he said, he let
them have it.
Putting on a different hat
What began as an interesting hobby has become
more than that to Ramsey. Now, after spending hours and hours learning
about turning hats, Ramsey says he enjoys making "any hat you can
imagine."
Some of his more beautiful works of art include top hats, sun hats,
cowboy hats, and bowlers. His personal favorite is the cowboy hat. The
most difficult hat to make, Ramsey said, is the baseball cap.
All Ramsey's hats begin as a big block of green wood. Ramsey turns
the block into its approximate shape and using four tools, turns the
block of wood into a hat.
Turning the wood will only get you so far, though. Ramsey
explained that each cell in the wood has water in it. After turning
the hat into its general shape, he then uses rubber bands to bend the
wood. As the wood dries, it's shape begins to form. For 24 to 36 hours,
Ramsey "baby sits" his work in progress to make sure it doesn't
bust.
Ramsey said when he sees a block of wood, he can usually see the
hat in it before he begins working.
Although he was embracing his new hobby for the sheer love of it,
Ramsey would soon learn that there were other rewards that came attached
to turning hats.
Reaping what you turn
Roger Olafson, the owner of Woodcraft, as
store in Louisville, saw something special in the work that Ramsey was
doing. So impressed was Olafson that he asked Ramsey if he would be
interested in being the featured artist at Woodcraft's booth at the
Kentucky State Fair in Louisville.
The offer was for Ramsey to set up shop as the showcase artist
for virtually the entire run of the fair. Instead, Ramsey agreed to
demonstrate his craft for four days.
"That's how this thing started," Ramsey said of what
has become one of his most proud moments since he began making wooden
hats.
While setting up his temporary workshop in Louisville, someone
mentioned to Ramsey that he should enter some of his hats in the state
fair competition.
Thinking that would be interesting, and knowing he was working
on one of his most impressive hats to date, Ramsey thought he would
give it a shot.
In the end, the three hats submitted by Ramsey garnered three blue
ribbons and one hat, a stunning, dark top hat brought him the highest
honor in the arts and crafts division. Competing against the roughly
4,300 entries in that field, Ramsey's top hat received the Merit Award
from the Ohio Valley Art League.
He also received kind words from famous columnist Byron Crawford,
who said Ramsey's work was one of the top ten sights to see at the state
fair.
Ramsey said it was almost surreal seeing his wooden top hat displayed
in a case by itself covered in ribbons.
Another reward for Ramsey is that his works of art are selling.
Ramsey sold his first hat at a symposium in North Carolina. From the
shows and events that Ramsey had attended, the number of orders for
his wooden hats have steadily increased--and so have the proceeds from
his wares.
So with four tools--two bowl gauges, a parting tool and a Oneway
Termite cutting tool--a handed down wisdom of his mentor and a belief
that within a chunk of wood lies something of beauty, Ramsey continues
with his passion.
If you would like to see how Ramsey turns a hat, he will be demonstrating
at the Sheltowee Artisans Holiday Open House at the Center for Rural
Development on November 10, 11 and 12. On Friday, Ramsey will
be at the Center from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the event is
free. You can also visit Ramsey's web site at http://www.knot-head.com
or artist@knot-head.com.
Picture captions: (Pictures are unavailable)
Picture 1
Somerset's own Chris Ramsey is one of the few people in the world
who can turn a chunk of wood into a beautiful hat. To learn more about
Ramsey and his unique art, see Old Country Store, Page C4.
Picture 2
Chris Ramsey, left, is pictured with his friend Johannes Michelsen,
right.
Picture 3
Above, Ramsey is pictured turning a large block of wood that will
eventually become one of Ramsey's light wooden hats. Ramsey says
turning wood into hats has now become a "passion."
Picture 4
Ramsey uses only four tools to make his wooden hats. Among the styles
that Ramsey has turned are top hats, cowboy hats and sun hats.
Picture 5
Ramsey is pictured at left with his lathe, the beginnings of a wooden
hat in the middle and the finished product. The baseball cap Ramsey
is wearing is also a wooden hat. Ramsey said the baseball cap is the
most difficult hat to make because of the bill and carving on the front
of the cap. A top hat Ramsey made received the merit award from the
Ohio Valley Art League.
Knock on Wood
Stephen M. Vest
March 2002
Kentucky Monthly
Somerset--Chris Ramsey is a Knot Head, but it's not his
head that's made out of wood-- it's his hats.
Lining the driveway outside his white Cape Cod House in Pulaski County
are more than a dozen large black trash bags. "Those are full of
wood shavings and sawdust," he said. Sometimes it's worse. Right
now it's not too bad."
Beyond the trash bags are a half-dozen cut logs and a couple of northern
California burls--those wart-like knots you find on tree trunks. These
are exotic looking, almost with another-world feel. " I don't keep
as much here as I used to," Ramsey said. "If I did, my wife
(Kathy) couldn't get her car in the driveway."
"My neighbors just love me," Ramsey said with the hint of
sarcasm as he started his 36 inch Stihl chain saw. Over the ensuing
roar he shouted, "they really love me on Saturday mornings."
With the chain saw, Ramsey quickly chips away at a carefully selected
cut of a downed Kentucky tree. Within three hours, using the 1,000 pound
lathe in his basement, Ramsey will have created from a 100-plus-pound
choice piece of cherry wood a 7- to 10-ounce hat-a one-of-a-kind piece
of art, rivaling the creations of some of the world's best wood turners.
The wood must be green so that once it is turned, it will be flexible
enough to bend into the shape of a well worn chapeau. Ramsey looks for
wood others might discard. The unique beauty of the hat is based on
the grain; the inclusion of bark and imperfections caused by, among
other things, the Ambrosia beetle.
The finished product will bring four digits in the growing number
of galleries carrying Ramsey's work. He has drawn the attention of numerous
woodworking magazines, his hometown Commonwealth Journal and Courier
Journal, columnist Byron Crawford, who called Ramsey's wood turning
a "must see" during his first appearance at the Kentucky State
Fair.
 "This
is something I truly enjoy. It's fun," said Ramsey, who, when not
turning hats for everyone from President George W. Bush, owns and operates
America Network Cable, which runs cable for computer networks. It was
through fifth district U.S. Representative Hal Rogers--for whom Ramsey
did some cable work--that Ramsey was able to get President Bush's measurements.
Rogers has two of his hats on display in his Washington D.C., office.
"I've made a hat for former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman, Ramsey
said.
"I've been trying to get in to see Gov. (Paul Patton) so I can
measure his head," Ramsey said. "It'll only take a second,
but he's been pretty busy."
Ramsey began wood turning as a hobby, but it soon turned into a passion,
and he was off to study under the masters, including Rude Osolnik David
Ellsworth, and Johannes Michelsen.
Among the hats Ramsey makes are bowlers, top hats, sun hats, and cowboy
hats, his personal favorite. The most difficult, however, is the baseball
cap. "If you can imagine it, I can make it," Ramsey said.
The step-by-step directions for making wooden hats can be found on
Ramsey's web site at www.knot-head.com, but in a nutshell, Ramsey first
measures the head for size and shape. (Mine is rather large, almost
identical in size and shape to Osolnik, the dean of American wood-workers
who passed away in November, and similar to that of Representative Rogers.)
He then selects the wood and, with the chainsaw, he cuts the log into
a "blank," which is approximately the size of the hat, including
the brim.
Ramsey then rounds the blank on his lathe. Within minutes a hat begins
to take shape. After the outer shape is determined, he begins to hollow
the hat, beginning at the outside of the brim and working toward the
center.
When he's done, the hat will be 3/32nds of an inch thick, except for
the hatband, which is slightly thicker. After any excess wood is removed,
the hat is sanded and the hat band is burnished with Ebony, Padauk,
Purple Heart or Rosewood.
The hat is then bent, using a form and rubber bands. After three to
five days of bending, shaping and drying, the hat is hand-sanded and
finished with 20 coats of lacquer.
At any point during this process, the slightest slip can render the
hat a total bust. "I've blown up many hats," he said. "One
blew up yesterday."
With my hat, Ramsey was fortunate. "Your head shape is nice for
making wood hats," he said. "It is the long oval shaped head
that requires some radical bending to achieve the final shape."
The 39-year-old Ramsey, father of Logan, 5, and Jonathan, 2, is a
native New Yorker who came to Lake Cumberland on vacation and never
left. He is one of the more than 280 artists and craftsmen who will
be on hand for the 20th anniversary of Kentucky Crafted: The Market,
March 2-3 in South Wing A of the Kentucky Fair and Exhibition Center
in Louisville.
Stephen M. Vest, March 2002 Kentucky Monthly
Brimming With Crafts
The craftsman who might upstage everybody, though, is Chris Ramsey
of Somerset. Ramsey makes hats out of hardwoods: walnut, red oak, black
oak, cherry. Wearable hats.
"Actually, they're comfortable," Ramsey said.
He was wearing one while doing some work in the office of U.S. Rep.
Hal Rogers last year, he said, and Rogers commissioned one for himself.
Then a second one. Last month, Ramsey met Christie Whitman, the new
head of the Environmental Protection Agency, who commissioned one.
Through a complicated set of subsequent circumstances and events,
he's now been commissioned to make a hat for President Bush. He's waiting
on Dubya's hat size to be faxed to him: Whitman is allegedly measuring
the prez's head.
Ramsey has been making wooden hats for only a year. He sold 160 in
that time. "I sold a world of them at Derby time," Ramsey
says. You can check it out on the web at http://www.knot-head.com but
a visit to Indian Fort will allow you to see the real thing firsthand.
And have your head measured with a curvex ruler, if you're so inclined.
Lexington Herald-Leader, May 18 2001
Downtown Has Its
Day - Miss America Joins Derby Breakfast Crowd
Miss America 2002 Katie Harman, dressed in light blue
and white, was a big hit on the Old Capitol grounds at the Governor's
Kentucky Derby Breakfast Saturday morning. So was Gov. Paul Patton's
smooth brown walnut wood Derby hat, made especially for him by craftsman
Chris Ramsey of Somerset.
The State Journal May, 5, 2002 - Charles Pearl
Governor Patton in his Walnut Hat
The walnut hat looked
good on Gov. Paul Patton
Governor Patton
The walnut hat looked good on Gov. Paul
Patton. His Derby cover was a spectacular piece of wooden headgear.
And no wonder. With the state's Republican leaders trying to corner
and pummel him, he needs the extra protection….A reporter who wrote
about Patton's walnut Derby hat let a smart-alecky Republican congressman
from Louisiana say that he heard our Governor has a "wooden personality,
too." That's a cheap shot, as I can testify.
David Hawpe, The Courier Journal May 8, 2002
Gov gets a walnut topper
Governor Patton
Hats are always a topic of interest at the Derby, but rarely on male
heads. Gov. Paul Patton turned that tradition on its head yesterday,
sporting a Stetson-style chapeau crafted by Chris Ramsey of Somerset
from one solid piece of walnut. Patton said he thought to himself, "I
need a hat like that," when he saw Ramsey's display at the annual
Kentucky Crafted market in Louisville six weeks ago. "It's unique.
I'd never seen anything like it," Patton said. "It's Kentucky-made,
fine workmanship." The hat wasn't a hit with everyone, though,
and when U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., heard about Patton's wooden
topper, he quipped, "I heard he had a wooden personality, too."
Courier Journal, May 5, 2002
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