Chuck Smith: Leatherman Extraordinaire

Valley Center resident and lifelong leather craftsman Chuck Smith is known for his flowing Western Floral style of carving. When Chuck was a teenager growing up in North Hollywood, he considered himself lucky to be in the company of such famous leather carving masters as Al Stohlman, Kenny Griffin, Cliff Ketchum, Joey Smith, Lad Haverty and Al Shelton. He fell in love with Western movies and gun leather and even delivered newspapers to some of the old Western movie stars. He would get run out of “Nudies Rodeo Tailors” when Roy Rogers would visit the store.
“I would watch all those movie cowboys and I really liked all the leather stuff,” Smith says. “So I took a class in junior high and decided I wanted to work with leather.”
His dad bought him his first set of leather tools when he was about 12 years old. By the time he was in high school, he was an assistant to the teacher, helping to teach his classmates. He would have loved to have been a saddle maker because all his heroes were cowboys, but it wasn't practical to raise a family like that in Los Angeles at the time. So he let his love become a part time hobby until later in his life.
“I did a lot of billfolds and belts at first,” he says. “I would just work out of the house, and my dad helped me get started. He bought all the stuff I needed to get started, and he really encouraged me.”
Smith eventually tooled the Marlboro Man’s saddle but that was the year they outlawed cigarette billboard advertising in the States, so he never got to see his work except on a copy of a video provided by the company.
His work is considered expensive by those who don't understand leather carving. Most people are used to production purses and belts. Smith’s one of a kind, hand carved belts start at $450 and his album covers average about $1,000. He is world-famous for his "Western Floral" style of carving on leather. He has also done pattern design work for the Tandy Leather Company of Fort Worth, TX. In collaboration with Martin Guitar Company of Nazareth, PA., Eric Clapton commissioned the leather cover for his special guitar as an art piece. It will probably never be used in public.
He has shot fast draw, worked as a draftsman and salesman for the telephone company, designed and manufactured the Mongoose Bicycle and had a manufacturing company that made exhaust systems for Harley Davidson. Besides having spent years doing frame-off restorations for classic Chevrolets and Corvettes, he is well known for his expertise in classic car fuel injection and carburetion systems. In 1996, he was presented the Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leather Craft. He was a technical leather advisor for the movie, “Into the Wild” and has done segments on leatherwork for the Carol Duvall HGTV Show. He has many well-known clients, both in the car and leather businesses.
“Chuck loves a challenge and loves doing custom leather work,” his wife, Lana, says. “He does not really advertise for work because it seems to find him. I am always happy for him when he is in his workshop taking a piece of leather and turning it into a canvas of his artwork. He is truly content then. Besides leather, Chuck's other love is anything that goes fast and makes a lot of noise.”
A strong believer in passing on the art of leather carving, Smith has taught leather carving seminars from Oklahoma City to Tokyo, Japan. He was one of the first to promote week-long seminars for students. Long ago, leather workers were not very generous in teaching their secrets. Due to his perseverance, Smith has helped to inspire many of his fellow artists to share their talents. As a result, the craft has truly become an art form and even the tools carvers use are better due to the increased level of competition.
As a self-taught engineer, Smith wasn’t satisfied with the leather tools that were being sold so, in 1991, he started his own “OL Smoothie” line of swivel knives and stamping tools. The average swivel knife at that time cost about $10. Smith’s knife costs $100. People swore they would never pay that much until they tried it and then bought it. Smith believes in quality. It shows in his leatherwork.
Born in Detroit in 1936, before his family headed West in 1943, Smith and his wife, Lana, moved from Calabasas, CA, to Valley Center in 2003. He loves living here. He says Valley Center reminds him of his early days in the forties and fifties when the San Fernando Valley was full of orange groves and dairy farms and you could still see the stars in the sky.
“We were looking to move from the San Fernando Valley, and my wife had lived in Fallbrook, so we decided to move down to this area,” Smith says. “We wanted to get away from all the noise, so we love it here. It reminds me of North Hollywood in the fifties with all the orange groves and the avocados and everything.”

Here is a variety of leather work by Chuck. He does custom wallets, belts, photo albums, chap tops, saddles and even trade magazine covers in leather.
(click on photos for a larger image)

This is a close up of the detail on the front cover of the guitar, courtesy of Neil B. Nissing Photography. It shows Eric Clapton's signature on the guitar neck.
This leather cover for the guitar is probably Chuck's best work ever. He wanted to do something extra special for guitarist Eric Clapton. Chuck listened to Eric's albums constantly to get inspired to create the cover as he thought Eric would want it. (Photos courtesy of C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.)
This 1957 Bel Air, fuel-injected Chevrolet is a frame-off restoration done by Chuck.