ALAIN MONTPIED CHARRONNAGE

Alain Montpied has a family tradition of four generations of cartwrights. He works with wood and iron for the construction or repair of horse-drawn carriages and vintage cars. Today, he is one of the few to work in this field. Its expertise of excellence has been awarded the Entreprise du patrimoine vivant award.

History. Alain Montpied is a charron in Saint-Ours, at the foot of the Auvergne volcanoes. He became passionate about wood and metalworking, an interest passed down from the previous three generations. After studying general mechanics and training with Roger Méténier, a Charron craftsman, he settled alone in the former family workshop, inheriting traditional machines and tools to perpetuate this craft work. He mainly sculpts ash and acacia, woods that are both soft and resistant to make all types of wooden wheels (from the old velocipede wheel to the mill wheel and the cannons). He keeps the traditional gestures: cutting and cutting the wood, steam bending, wood strapping... The manufacture of the wheels has remained partly manual.

His meeting with Michelin enabled him to develop the automotive sector.

Achievements. In France and abroad, for carriage collectors, museums and stud farms, Alain Montpied reproduces English carriages, carts for the transport of goods or to serve as a setting or even wheels for vintage cars. He has also worked on original creations such as a water mill with horizontal wheels or wooden bicycle wheels or an artillery piece used for Napoleonic reconstructions.

The most. As one of the last ten cartwrights in France, Alain Montpied performs numerous strapping and other demonstrations in order to help preserve his trade.