Workers in the shingle mills took blocks of cedar, called bolts, and cut them to the right size with a series of saws. They then cut the wood into thin shingles. These skilled workers were called shingle weavers because of the way they moved the wood in the sharp saws. This was very dangerous work, and many millworkers had their fingers cut off if they didn't move their hands carefully.
<p>In this photo, taken in a Washington shingle mill around 1915, the men are cutting wooden shingle bolts to the proper length so that the next group of workers can cut them into shingles.
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<ul><li>Subjects (LCTGM): Men--Employment; Shingle industry</li></ul>
<div class="fn value">
Webster &amp; Stevens</div>
circa 1915 <div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1915-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902</div>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/imlsmohai/search">Museum of History and Industry</a>