johannes michelsen

Wood Hat spirits founder/owner, gary hinegardner, is known not only for his amazing craft in spirits but also for his unique styling of hand-turned wood hats. his craft was tailored over time but he learned from the very best. read all about his teacher, and the “leader of the ‘wood hat movement’”

I started turning wood at age nine in 1954, my father bought a lathe for my brother and I when he bought a shop full of machines for our impending renovation of a barn. Bro and I had a great time turning gifts for our family members for and friends for number of years. Then Life got in the way, work and military service we both did a stint in Vietnam.

I started turning seriously at age 30 so I could turn the balusters and newels for the stairs I was building. Soon after I learned of the crafts world existence and I moved into natural edge bowls, once I discovered that someone was already doing that I decided I needed my own “thing”! I went into the production of large constructed Vases some of which had natural edged neck parts. These were great fun to make and they fit well with my architectural scale tendencies being the builder/stair builder that I had become. Problem was that my “thing” was too big; most collectors had neither the space nor the pocketbook for these vases.

I turned my first hat in 1990; it was a ten year old idea at that time but needed to come out and when it did it sure grabbed hold real quick---an instant hit!!! After thirty years and 5000 hats of all sizes I am still totally enthralled by the process and will probably always make hats simply because there are hats that only I can make. I’ve given away the store on the basic hat making process but there are the nuances of shape and special materials that I find hard to “share” even with my good abilities as teacher. So I will make only the hats that my followers don’t make!

I have gone back to some vessels and am focusing on forms that I don’t see out there, mainly one piece turnings of wet wood thin as hats---my own thing!

Meanwhile I am happy and proud to be the leader of the “WoodHat Movement”