One of the things I wanted to try on these is to do a stitchdown-based construction without the visual bulk in the soles. The info I have seen on norvegese builds usually suggests a vertical sidewall on the insole, which I am sure helps make the chain stitch pop, but it seemed like one could really use the side stitching to pull the upper in really tight on a stitchdown to get closer to the silhouette of hand-welting.
When I cut the insoles, I was pretty aggressive with how much I chamfered under the last.
Leather shank in and pegged and cork leveled upfront. I will run some pegs through the midsole into the shank as well to box it completely. Did the same on my last pair and I have been happy with it this far.
Haven’t decided if I want to do some cork around thr shank, kinda like a pseudo rand to level it off a bit more or not.
The cork overlays the end of the shank by a bit, so it is a bit longer than it looks. I feather it down as it approaches the front. Still probably could have gone a little longer, but it’s deceptive in the picture.
Midsole in place and about ready to start stitching. I pegged through the midsole into the shank in-between the previously placed pegs with every other one at opposite angles
It’s horween russet horsebutt strips. My usual go-to for things like counters since it’s strong and cheap. Not particularly thick for a midsole, but I am trying to go a lot lower profile on this boot compared to the last where I used a sole bend for the midsole.
