A constant dictation of Tom’s designs is by drawing upon historical antecedents and pushing them a step further. The look of the Bowback Stool is no stranger to this formula. The signature backrest of the stool is a wooden permutation of cousin Walter’s motorcycle panic bar.
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Tom Moser’s American Flag
As humans, creation and the capacity to create are in our DNA. These creations spark joy within oneself and have the ability to unify the human spirit. For Tom Moser, the spark that led him to craft his artistic rendition of the American flag came from a photograph of a wooden flag and a gentle nudge from a retired lawyer friend in North Carolina. He knew his flag would be crafted using North American hardwoods- specifically cherry, maple, and walnut- and would be crafted with the same attention to detail as his furniture. Tom Moser, himself a veteran of the United States Air Force, decided to tackle his interpretation of the American flag.
History of the First Flag
The first official United States flag, popularly known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. This historic resolution established the flag’s design as consisting of 13 stripes, alternating red and white, representing the original 13 colonies. In addition, the flag included 13 stars, set on a field of blue, to symbolize a new constellation—the birth of a new nation. While there is some debate about who designed the first flag, either Betsy Ross or Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey, Ross is often credited with crafting the first flag, becoming an iconic figure in American history. This flag marked the birth of the United States of America and became a powerful symbol of freedom, unity, and independence that continues to inspire and represent the nation worldwide.
“On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress, seeking to promote national pride and unity, adopted the national flag. Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation in a circle where no state is higher than the rest. Although many early American flags featured stars with various numbers of points, the five-pointed star is a defining feature of the Betsy Ross flag.”-PBS
Personal Sentiment
The Flag has evoked numerous feelings and memories over the years. When speaking of the Flag, Tom says, “There are times when I haven’t liked it, and there are other moments when it all but broke my heart. However, above all, there are times when this symbol soothes and unifies the human spirit.”
As a young airman in 1953 in Greenland, one of his jobs was to lower the base flag every evening. Every morning, it was to be raised briskly and, every evening, lowered ceremoniously. Tom recalls, “Lowering a frozen flag in 40 mph winds in 20-below-zero weather while being slapped in the face by the Flag was an incredibly unpleasant and rather painful memory. We needed to bring the Flag inside the hanger and wait for it to thaw out before it could be folded every night- a less pleasant memory.”
While stationed in Tennessee as an air policeman, it was his responsibility to attend the funerals of American soldiers who were killed in the Korean War. At the interment, he presented the Flag to the mourning widow or mother- a painful memory for him even now.
Stars and stripes
Representing vigilance, perseverance, and justice, the stars on the flag have taken many forms and display permutations over time. From the original design, which included six-pointed stars in a circular shape, to the 5-pointed version we see now, both Betsy Ross and Tom Moser have adapted the way they have created their versions of our American flag.
Tom’s first stars were created on a ten-inch table saw. Each point took a thousand saw passes to create the sixty-four pieces that constitute the wooden base relief iteration of an American flag. As time moved on, the stars came to be fashioned on a numerically controlled router.
Laid side-by-side, the individual pieces of cherry and maple combine to depict the red and white stripes. Thirteen horizontal stripes begin and end with red. The rich patina of cherry symbolizes hardiness and valor, while the lighter tones of maple symbolize purity and innocence.
Putting it all together
But how does one make a red, white, and blue object out of materials that, by their nature, are inherently brown? It is through the selection of the material and the keen eye that an artist who crafts within their medium. For Tom Moser, those materials are a curation of the finest cherry from the Allegheny plateau, maple from Maine, and walnut from river-bottom land in Missouri that creates a truly American piece of art.
To assemble the flag, Tom first joins strips of cherry and maple that will separate the upper and lower portions.
The upper seven stripes are joined to the rectangular walnut section or “union of the flag” with a series of half oval-shaped cuts on the biscuit joiner.
Each cut receives epoxy and a compacted football-shaped biscuit, which expands once exposed to epoxy, creating a secure bond.
The entire piece receives a thorough sanding before the final steps of attaching the stars begin.
Each star consists of five individual pieces of maple, epoxied by hand and allowed to cure.
An individual “brad jig” has been created for each of the three different sizes of Tom’s flag. Every mark denotes where these small wire nails will be driven into place.
Each star is placed on its own brad equidistant from the next.
As a bas relief, the sculpted stars rise 3/16″ on the small, 5/16″ for the medium, and 1/2″ for the large flag above the walnut background they rest upon.
As Tom places the final star on his flag, the edges receive a final sanding and wipe down. The entire piece is then given a coat of linseed oil and allowed to dry overnight before it receives a conversion varnish. This finish allows for easy cleaning and dusting of the piece. On the back of his large and medium-sized flags are French cleats, while on the small flag, a wire hanger allows for an easy and secure way to attach the flag to walls and mantles.
As Tom finishes each individual flag, he proudly signs each one in indelible ink and marks the date.
“I could not, and cannot to this day, imagine a life in which I am not creating objects in three-dimension. This urge runs deep in my bones, and for better or worse, I define myself by my output. The unexamined life may or may not be worth living, but for me, life without a project is a shallow experience.”
–Tom Moser
What started as a special edition has become a time-honored classic available from Thos. Moser. Through careful selection of the raw materials and expert technique, Tom’s Flags tell the story of a life well-crafted. Today, one can find Tom pulling into the parking lot of our Auburn shop to work with his son Andy on his signature interpretation of the American Flag. His same gentle touch, keen eye, and a firecracker of a spirit remain the lifeblood of this American-made business.
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