Saddle Shop
After creating this web site, many people have created an image of our shop in their heads, and when they come to visit, find it completely different. This is my attempt to show you just how we really are.
This is the front of our shop, located behind my house in Ririe, Idaho. Our shipping address is Idaho Falls, but we are 15 miles northeast of there and just 2 miles west of Ririe.
The shop started as a 15x15 milking shed. We have added on to it from all four sides as we have needed the space and as we could afford it. It now consists of 8 rooms. Come on in and I’ll show you around.
Watch your step, it can jar your back if you´re not aware.
This is the biggest room in the shop, and has 3 work stations.
This is Kent’s work station.
This is where Crystal works.
Through this doorway is the cutout room which we all share.
This is the cutout room. This is the original saddle shop that Kent started with. It was the milking shed; now it is used to store all the saddle patterns. On the big table, the saddlemaker cuts out their saddle then returns to their station to build it, allowing the next saddlemaker to come in.
This is Tyler´s room, just north of the cutout room.
Dave´s room is just south of the cutout room.
The chap room, or Emily´s room, is in the northwest corner.
This is Emily´s stash of chap hides.
This is our "Rawhide" room. This is where we cover our trees with rawhide and make dog bones out of the scrap placed on the drying rack.
As you can see, the shop is nothing fancy, but well organized. Each person has the tools needed to make top quality leather goods. Dave and Kent are always close by to help and to check the work to assure it is being made to the standards of Frecker´s Saddlery.
Tree Shop
The tree shop has also been added to over the years. It was originally the tractor shed, 15x20. The tree shops sits about 100ft north of the saddle shop.
This is where all the wood work is done to create the trees. (Looking from front to back)
(and from back to front)
The front end of the shop is where all the grinding and shaping takes place with an air filter overhead, trying to keep most of the dust in the front.
As with the saddle shop, the tree shop is not fancy but well organized.
Kent is the only one working out here with the wood, so there is plenty of room to work.
|
