A 3A set of Bodoni Ultra type, cut in 6L from an 18L pattern, is currently in production at the Hamilton Wood Shop. 

It’s always good to have machines running and sawdust flying in the wood shop!

The Hamilton style number (828) is written on several of the patterns. Another notation, “series 675”, is also present on some of the patterns. Hamilton increased its pattern holdings whenever it acquired competing wood type manufacturers, and the “series 675” notation could represent the name this pattern had at its previous wood type company.

Historic wood type patterns could be made using different techniques, and this particular set of patterns contains both routed patterns (cut from a single, thicker piece of wood) and nailed patterns (thin wood cut and nailed to a wood base).

Of note is the semicolon pattern, which is used to cut not only the semicolon but also the commas in this typeface.

The Hamilton collection contains several sizes of patterns for cutting Bodoni Ultra: 72, 36, 18, and 12L patterns can be used to cut type ranging from 36L to 4L high. The Bodoni Ultra typeface is an interesting one to cut and to print, with its combinations of very thick and very thin lines.