This wagon wheel had my name on it, making the trip home from Quartzsite in the basement of the motor home.
There were several vendors in Quartzsite, specializing in antique items like hand pumps, gas pumps, wagon wheels, ore carts, and a variety of other things that are no longer used. Seeing an old gas pump, similar to what I used on a daily basis, while working as a teenager at my Grandfathers Shell gas station, brought back some memories. Maybe, that's why I like some of that old stuff, it takes me back to a time when cars & girls were much more important than things like school & homework.
The only yard art making its' way home from the "Q" this year, was the wooden wagon wheel. The item pictured below, was given to me by my son Marc. It belonged to his great grandfather, and he thought it had something to do with saddles. Hey Nancy, you're the horse person, do you have any idea what it's use was around 100 years ago? It had some sort of seat on the end where the branding iron is, but what was left, fell off during the move to our front yard. Items like this make perfect yard art, and I suspect a few more old things will find their way into our yard art garden, in the middle of the circular driveway.
What is it?
Your "seat" was used in saddle-making. Pieces of leather were wet with water, then formed around the piece sticking up using wooden mallets. The leather was then partially dried before being nailed and sewn on to the "tree" (made from wood in the old days). These are still used by saddle makers and there are lots of varieties. Google saddle makers bench.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling that you would know what it was, after seeing a picture. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOkay. This is an old Saddler's Clamp bench. This is were they would sew leather, like bridles, reins, etc. They are worth a few hundred dollars even in this Condition. This is not a a saddler tree, as previously mentioned. They don't use this to hammer leather on it.
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