Bodged or Botched

Someone the other day was explaining to me how he had "bodged" something he was making, That's great said I, you made a good job of it then. "Are you mucking about" he said "what are you talking about". So I had to explain that this was my favorite way of starting up a conversation in defense of the much maligned Bodger. Bad work is Botched not Bodged, in fairness I think the two words have become confused simply because they sound so alike and if you have never heard of a Bodger, whats the harm anyway. Right lets put the record straight. The Bodgers were highly skilled craftsmen turners who made chair spindles and turnings for furniture factories, who in turn used them to make chairs.

The bodgers would camp in a forest and cut coppice poles, previously cut trees that send up new growth and are a by product of the main forestry work. They would then build a shelter in which to sleep and construct all the equipment that they needed from timber they cut in the forest. The only things they brought with them were their turning chisels, draw knife, an axe and a froe for splitting and two metal screw points. These points they used to secure and hold the turnings on the pole lathe they would construct.

At the height of their popularity during the mid 19th century, there were a great number of bodgers working in and around High Wycombe the main centre of chair production in the UK. In fact there were so many chair factories there, that it was said " if you see a man with all his fingers, he's a tourist" so poor were the working conditions, with little or no guarding on the highly dangerouse machines. Sorry, I'm wandering away from the Bodgers here, but I do like these side roads. Anyway, before turning the parts the Bodgers would rough shape the spindles with a draw knife and stack these up ready for turning. These stacks were know as Bodger's gold. Although there really wasn't that much money involved for the Bodgers a couple of pence for each leg at most. So they really had to work hard from sun-up to sun-down if they were to earn enough for the year.

We can see much of the Bogers work in the many fine old Windsor chairs that still exist, I have two very fine smokers bow chairs that were made in High Wycombe. It's interesting to feel the fine crisp turnings and note that they are slightly oval. This is a sign that they were turned while the wood was still green and are genuine "Bodged Turnings" with not a hint of botching in sight.