greg gomersall Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Been building saddles full-time since 1988. Run a few cows on the side just in case I need a tax write-off from the saddle business. Greg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rgerbitz Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Wide range of work around here. I am a livestock nutrition consultant. I travel around to the feedlots and dairies in the area and help the farmers to figure out how to feed their stock properly. And keep everyone on track, farmers can get a little side tracked with the 500 things they have to worry about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westtxcowboy1979 Report post Posted January 14, 2009 I work for TDCJ I'm a Sergeant I've worked there for 8 years. I love doing leather on the side. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greybeard Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Probably should retire from the navy but dont think I can handle another 11yrs of the worst bordom you could possibly imagine. Sometimes you gotta wonder why people do some stuff. Yep, That's one reason why I bailed.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdb Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Full time leather worker (actually, more than that, mostly seven days a week...lol) Not making enough to rent a refrigerator box on a heating grate, but it's the only thing that ever made me feel happy while doing it. I'm too old to go back to being unhappy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sawyer Report post Posted January 14, 2009 (edited) Right now i build custom motorcycles, rebuilds and repairs by day and leather work at night, mostly seats but i'm branching off into what ever i can make out of leather. I'm working on a set of saddle bags for my ShovelheadSoftail now and some customers stuff. I'm an ASE Certified Master Technician, have been for over 30 years,worked on automoblies for 40+ years. Started working on Harley-Davidsons about 30 years ago as a hobby. Opened my own shop in 2003 working on H-D's and building custom motorcycles I got a couple of builds going on now. Started leather work last year, i needed a seat for my custom bobber. Got hooked on leather! Between the motorcycle shop and leather work , i keep real busy, beats the time clock any day! Edited January 14, 2009 by Sawyer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cdthayer Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Worked Highlines (High Voltage Electric Power Lines) for 28 years, got tired of it, and now co-own an old fabric store in rural Oklahoma. Tooled a little leather as a hobby back in the 80s, now work half of the day servicing domestic sewing machines and mending (on industrial sewing machines) whatever fabric and leather gear walks into the shop. Spend the other half of the day selling auction & Estate Sale findings on the internet, riding my motorcycle, drinkin beer, and telling the wife how much I enjoy her making the living for us now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butch Report post Posted January 14, 2009 I punched cows and wrangled horses during and right out of High School. Did a 180 and joined the Air Force and retired after 21 1/2 years of Fighter Aircraft Maintenance in 1998. So I'm in the Check of the Month Club. I've been a Software Engineer since my retirement. It's really not my passion though, so My wife and I are heading to our property in Cross Cut, Texas within the next few years without jobs, bills or worries and take it from there and hopefully retire early. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrooperChuck Report post Posted January 14, 2009 I was an Alaska State Trooper from 1981 t0 2003. During that time I was stationed in Fairbanks, Yakutat, Juneau, Sitka, Anchorage, and Sitka again. My last two assignments before retiring were serving as the statewide search and rescue coordinator and running the state trooper training academy. After retiring in 2003 my wife and I moved to northeast Washinton to be closer to family again. I miss Alaska, but I'm fortunate in that the state troopers bring me back to Sitka about three times a year to teach search and rescue management and wilderness survival to the trooper recruits at the academy. During all that time my wife was involved in wildlife rehabilitation. I never knew what I would find when I came home... baby harbor seals in our bathtub, owls perched on our kitchen table, a trumpeter swan in the guest bedroom. Her last job, before we retired, was rehabbing bald eagles and other raptors, and training the ones who couldn't be released back to the wild for education presentations. She travelled all over the country with an eagle named Volta sharing hotel rooms with her. She even went to the Bahamas with him twice, but never with me!!! After retiring I started playing with leather, and really wanted to learn to make saddles. In 2007 I was introduced to an 82-year old cowboy/saddlemaker/jack-of-all-trades who agreed to teach me saddlemaking. I worked with him about 4 days a week for 5 months. His fee for teaching me was the cost of the materials I used and 5 cords of firewood! I learned a lot from him and will always be thankful for his willingness to spend time with me. I'm thinking of making a couple saddles, saddle bags, pommel bags, and other horse gear and setting up a booth at fairs and other shows. But, beyond that, I just make stuff ordered by people who heard about me from other people. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jordan Report post Posted January 14, 2009 Medically retired now, but I was a Psychiatric Technician in California for a long time, a Patient Rights Advocate, Computer salesperson, HVAC repairperson, Pool cleaner, Kiln unloader, Bartender, Cotton sorter, a short stint as a streetperson with no visiable means of support, Carpenter, Long Haul Trucker, Radio/Telephone/Fieldwire lineman for the government (Pershing Nukes Europe), Dishwasher, Cook, Heavy Equipment operator/ Public Works peon, a smattering of drug and alcohol testing in the old days, lots of other stuff that didn't pay good enough to pursue and of course leatherworking. I still want to try a few things, like backwoods self sufficency, grape growing / wine making, pottery, painting and to get good at playing the guitar. Looks like the backwoods thing may be soon, judging by the mess this place is in!........Jordan....Jack of All Trades, Master of a few of the more interesting ones!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bree Report post Posted January 14, 2009 I am a webmaster for a certain Big Blue company. I build enterprise websites and develop web applications using Cold Fusion and Oracle among other things. Currently I am primary production support for 6 different applications and a couple dozen websites on the AT&T account... our largest customer. I also have a little business sewing patches and doing leather repair mostly for bikers. I have been equipping my shop for the day that IBM send me a pink slip and a request to train my replacements from Mumbai. I dodged that bullet recently and bought a few more months but the day of reckoning is coming. Then I will join all the leatherworkers reveling in the poor house!! Hopefully I can get a production operation running quickly and efficiently and make enough to pay the bills... and have a little fun doing it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Washroad Report post Posted January 14, 2009 As a young newlywed many years ago, I worked in the operating room of a large hospital in Newport Beach, CA. John Wayne came in one day looking for a particular surgeon that was working on his neice! How cool! Then, went to work in a cable factory 'cause the hospital didn't pay enough and the woman I was married to complained about a lack of money. After a couple years in the cable factory she complained again and I started driving trucks. I hauled lumber, gasoline, various building products, heavy equipment, asphalt, rock and sand, roofing granules, lots of stuff. She still complained. I divorced her. I went back to college intending to become a paralegal and during that time I met my current (and LAST!) wife. We finally moved in together, moved to Truckee, CA and spent a year in a beautiful place. Worked very hard and made no money to live on and came back to Orange County. We decided to have her finish her degree in Accounting as it would take less time than my goal. I continued to drive trucks and hauled groceries, cookies for Nabisco, and finally couldn't stand trucks anymore. Now I'm a dispatcher/warehouse supervisor in Anaheim, CA and I've been here 18 years this month. My fiance finished school and at the same time her company was bought out and she received a bonus good enough to put us over on saving for a house so we bought one in 1999. We got married in 2000. My wife in now the Accounting Manager for a high-tech company in Anaheim. I get to play with leather when all other stuff is done. I usually go out to my garage/shop after 9pm and can work for a couple of hours. OK, I'm at work and I'm gonna go do some of it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go2Tex Report post Posted January 15, 2009 I am a webmaster for a certain Big Blue company. I build enterprise websites and develop web applications using Cold Fusion and Oracle among other things. Currently I am primary production support for 6 different applications and a couple dozen websites on the AT&T account... our largest customer.I also have a little business sewing patches and doing leather repair mostly for bikers. I have been equipping my shop for the day that IBM send me a pink slip and a request to train my replacements from Mumbai. I dodged that bullet recently and bought a few more months but the day of reckoning is coming. Then I will join all the leatherworkers reveling in the poor house!! Hopefully I can get a production operation running quickly and efficiently and make enough to pay the bills... and have a little fun doing it. Bree, don't worry. With your credentials, you won't be living out of a van any time soon. Your story rang true with me, though. I dodged that bullet myself 2 years before I retired. Never so scared in all my life. I was literally 3 days away from walking out the door with the box of personal effects in hand when they changed their minds and decided to let me stay. From that moment on, my theme song was, "I'm a survivor, I'm a survivor...." and nothing much mattered after that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildrose Report post Posted January 15, 2009 Wow! This has been a really interesting topic to read! Like most, I don't do leatherwork full time. Right now, I'm working part time in a coffee shop. The humor there is that I don't drink coffee and knew very little about it when I started there (latte? what's that?) But it's a great place with a terrific crew. I'm lucky there. I've also been really fortunate with the leatherwork this past year. I do that in the mornings while my son is in pre-school. My husband is in the computer field and has a good job at Virginia Tech, and he also teaches a few courses at the local community college. So that leaves me with more time to spend with our son. At some point in the future though, I'll likely find something full time, hopefully in the education field (my degree is in Spanish and secondary ed, but I don't really want to teach full time). The longest I was anywhere was 10 years at Raritan Valley Community College in Somerville, NJ. I loved that job, where I worked with a lot of foreign students and administered a variety of tests, along with record keeping tasks. My pet peeve there, though, were the "it's not my job" and "why bother?" staff, those who would do only enough to get by. I can't work like that. I give my all where ever I am. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jdavies Report post Posted January 15, 2009 I work part-time on a ranch/feedyard and part-time saddlemaker. I used to be a full-time saddler but after we moved out here to Montana I took some part-time work. I am very close to going back to full time again which will be great. I still love the horses and cows, but when you find something which feels so fullfilling such as leatherwork (for me anyway) I find myself thinking of it all day long. As does everyone on this site I'm sure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jbird Report post Posted January 15, 2009 I work part-time on a ranch/feedyard and part-time saddlemaker. I used to be a full-time saddler but after we moved out here to Montana I took some part-time work. I am very close to going back to full time again which will be great. I still love the horses and cows, but when you find something which feels so fullfilling such as leatherwork (for me anyway) I find myself thinking of it all day long. As does everyone on this site I'm sure. I hear you I am at work and I find my self thinking of my leather work. Josh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greybeard Report post Posted January 15, 2009 I hear you I am at work and I find my self thinking of my leather work. Josh +2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdkid Report post Posted January 15, 2009 Been a service tech at a Caterpillar dealer for 2 1/2 years. I have been pulling wrenchs for a living since 1990. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McJeep Report post Posted January 15, 2009 Medically retired after 20 yrs of flying in the back of Auroras (canuckian P3's) as a sensor op in the Cdn Airforce - arthritis :0/ Been in the financial biz as a Certified Financial Planner since then, Am presently taking that shingle down as I really don't do the Herb Tarlick thing well and apparently that's what people want rather than facts. Got a few different irons in the fire right now - who knows where they'll take me ;0) Leather's gonna stay a hobby :0) I hope? LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Russ Report post Posted January 15, 2009 I'm another one of "those guys"...sergeant on a City police force, just hit 20 years. I've got a small embroidery business on the side, and any profit I make in that goes to my leather hobby. I'm implementing my 5 year plan of figuring out what business I want to own when I retire and move to New Mexico. I can assure you it probably isn't going to be owning a saddle shop, like I thought it was going to be. I'm not sure even five more years of practice can overcome my deficiencies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HorsehairBraider Report post Posted January 15, 2009 I'm another one of "those guys"...sergeant on a City police force, just hit 20 years. I've got a small embroidery business on the side, and any profit I make in that goes to my leather hobby. I'm implementing my 5 year plan of figuring out what business I want to own when I retire and move to New Mexico. I can assure you it probably isn't going to be owning a saddle shop, like I thought it was going to be. I'm not sure even five more years of practice can overcome my deficiencies. Well, NM has treated this horsehair braider OK... and pretty much all of my neighbors (the ones that are not cows) rope and ride. So you never know - it might work out pretty good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skip Report post Posted January 15, 2009 very interesting hearing from everyone. I have been doing leather work since I was about eight, although it wasn't until 1994 when I got the bug again and my wife and I bought our first horse. I kept seeing all the tack and thought to myself I can do that and started building her tack and finally found someone who would teach me to make saddles. I have been doing that part time for the last 13 years. I have worked as a gas jocky, car detailer, donut baker, Psych tech at the State mental hospital, Water well rig worker, half way house parent, auto mecanic, autobody and car painter, then finally a X-ray/MRI tech. I currently am a supervisor of a small clinic AT Brigham Young University in Utah. That pays the bills but what I am planning on is retiring to my leather shop which I hope will happen before I end up to medically impaired to do the work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
barra Report post Posted January 15, 2009 Medically retired after 20 yrs of flying in the back of Auroras (canuckian P3's) as a sensor op in the Cdn Airforce - arthritis :0/ Been in the financial biz as a Certified Financial Planner since then, Am presently taking that shingle down as I really don't do the Herb Tarlick thing well and apparently that's what people want rather than facts. Got a few different irons in the fire right now - who knows where they'll take me ;0)Leather's gonna stay a hobby :0) I hope? LOL A Canadian Cone huh. We might have attended a few of the same piss up's, ala Fincastle International nights. Barra (Australian P3 world and lover of all things Moose Milk) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rod and Denise Nikkel Report post Posted January 15, 2009 We build saddle trees full time. Rod started the business just over 13 years ago, and I joined in full time 10 years ago. Prior to that Rod worked ranch jobs, rode pasture and feedlots, and was in charge of the horse herd and riding program at a camp (which is where we met). He finally got tired of building other people's empires for poor pay and decided to start his own business. Best job related decision he ever made. I am a retired veterinarian (it is nice to retire in your 30s!), having worked farm animal and small animal practices. Never did much with horses as a vet though. Go figure... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McJeep Report post Posted January 15, 2009 A Canadian Cone huh. We might have attended a few of the same piss up's, ala Fincastle International nights.Barra (Australian P3 world and lover of all things Moose Milk) One never knows ;0) I was east coast 85-89 west 90-94 back east 94-97 My crew went to fincastle in 94 - alas the sqn chief decided that my gig was up and it was time for me to teach :0/ Guess who took over the crew for that summer Per Ardua ad Astra my friend Rob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
