Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

In "The Piano Factory", a novel by Jonathan Davies, I came across
another derivation for a Bodger as someone who knocks things up in a
makeshift way. Bodger's according to Davies was a firm that made cheap
beech furniture.

Ring any bells?

Andre Jute
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("Saki")(1870-1916)

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Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

Andre Jute wrote:
In "The Piano Factory", a novel by Jonathan Davies, I came across
another derivation for a Bodger as someone who knocks things up in a
makeshift way. Bodger's according to Davies was a firm that made cheap
beech furniture.

Ring any bells?

I don't think so. Bodgers were polelathe turners who specialised in
turning for furniture (legs, etc). They were prolific in the High
Wycombe area (where one of the surviving manufacturers of quality beech,
ash and elm furniture, Ercol, started up).

So yes, Bodgers made furniture - but it wasn't a firm. Unless someone
knows otherwise!

Knocking things up in a makeshift way certainly bears no resemblance to
the skills of the original bodgers. I suspect the way the the turning
was done looked makeshift to those who didn't know what they were watching.

Roy.

Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

On Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:27:14 -0700, Andre Jute
wrote:

In "The Piano Factory", a novel by Jonathan Davies, I came across
another derivation for a Bodger as someone who knocks things up in a
makeshift way. Bodger's according to Davies was a firm that made cheap
beech furniture.

Ring any bells?

Sure. That's the standard usage of "bodger" in the UK, at any rate.

Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

Roy wrote:
Andre Jute wrote:
In "The Piano Factory", a novel by Jonathan Davies, I came across
another derivation for a Bodger as someone who knocks things up in a
makeshift way. Bodger's according to Davies was a firm that made cheap
beech furniture.

Ring any bells?

I don't think so. Bodgers were polelathe turners who specialised in
turning for furniture (legs, etc). They were prolific in the High
Wycombe area (where one of the surviving manufacturers of quality beech,
ash and elm furniture, Ercol, started up).

So yes, Bodgers made furniture - but it wasn't a firm. Unless someone
knows otherwise!

Knocking things up in a makeshift way certainly bears no resemblance to
the skills of the original bodgers. I suspect the way the the turning
was done looked makeshift to those who didn't know what they were watching.

Roy.

Bodgers love mashed potatoes

oh no, hang on, that was badgers :)

daz
xxx

Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

Owain wrote:
Roy wrote:
So yes, Bodgers made furniture - but it wasn't a firm. Unless someone
knows otherwise!
Knocking things up in a makeshift way certainly bears no resemblance
to the skills of the original bodgers.



The Wikipedia article (which appears less factually accurate than many)
says:

The term "bodge" (and "botch", which means bungle or ruin) comes from
the surname of Sir Thomas Bouch who designed the original Tay Rail
Bridge. During the design phase he used a wind pressure of 10lbsf/sq ft.
This proved to be insufficient and the bridge subsequently collapsed on
the 28 December 1879 with the loss of 75 lives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodge

Owain


Much as I would like to say "********" to that, apparently the term
bodger only started to be applied to the polelathe turners in the 20th
century. So it had to originate somewhere.

Roy.

Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

I thought "bodge" was a polite synonym for "****".

Beech is a light inexpensive wood but guitars can be made form it
that have a nice poppy sound. That's also true of larch and poplar and
some other such woods.

Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

On Sep 15, 4:34 am, Roy roy@somedomainsomewhere wrote:
Andre Jute wrote:
In "The Piano Factory", a novel by Jonathan Davies, I came across
another derivation for a Bodger as someone who knocks things up in a
makeshift way. Bodger's according to Davies was a firm that made cheap
beech furniture.

Ring any bells?

I don't think so. Bodgers were polelathe turners who specialised in
turning for furniture (legs, etc). They were prolific in the High
Wycombe area (where one of the surviving manufacturers of quality beech,
ash and elm furniture, Ercol, started up).

So yes, Bodgers made furniture - but it wasn't a firm. Unless someone
knows otherwise!

Nobody will gainsay you, Roy. I checked the novel in which I found
this and see that Mr Davies doesn't say anything about a firm but only
about people who were polelathe turners. I just read it too quickly in
my bath. Just as well I checked after reading your post. -- Andre Jute

Knocking things up in a makeshift way certainly bears no resemblance to
the skills of the original bodgers. I suspect the way the the turning
was done looked makeshift to those who didn't know what they were watching.

Roy.

Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

On Sep 15, 2:27 pm, Bret Ludwig wrote:
I thought "bodge" was a polite synonym for "****".

Ludwig, for you *everything* is a synonym for "****".
If you can't get a woman -- and we all understand why -- mailorder a
rubber doll.

Beech is a light inexpensive wood but guitars can be made form it
that have a nice poppy sound. That's also true of larch and poplar and
some other such woods.

Mr Root

Bodger's return: makers of beech furniture?
 

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:06:40 -0700, Andre Jute
wrote:

So yes, Bodgers made furniture - but it wasn't a firm. Unless someone
knows otherwise!

There's a department store called Bodgers in Ilford.