From Hollywood to home, Allegheny Township chaps maker roped an interesting life

At 94, Tom Phillips’ hands have served him well.

The Leechburg native and Allegheny Township resident wakes up early each day and gets to work making custom leather chaps.

He’s been at it for 60 years.

“It’s my hobby,” he said. “I start at 6 o’clock in the morning and quit at 9 o’clock at night.”

Phillips said his wife, Betty, requested a pair of chaps years ago, so he learned how to make them.

The couple, now married 70 years, performed together nationally in the trick roping and riding circuit with Flying X Rodeo and others.

These days, Betty resides in a local senior home, and Phillips lives alone.

“From Maine to Florida to California, we traveled everywhere,” said Phillips, who retired from Allegheny Ludlum.

Phillips used his vacation time to perform on horseback as a trick rider.

The aroma of leather is unmistakable as one walks into his tidy workshop, located inside his home.

“The heat of the body has to get into the leather — that’s the secret,” Phillips said. “It will stretch to their fit like a pair of gloves.”

Chaps are required by the American Quarterhorse Association, and many of his customers are members.

Phillips said that when chaps were first worn, most of them were made like an apron, loose-fitting and kept the cactus and the mesquite away.

“It was for protection,” he said.

Chaps were an important part of a cowboy’s gear and originally were named after the Spanish word chaparreras. Spanish cowboys began wearing them during the 1600s.

Phillips said he can’t put a number on how many pairs of chaps he’s made.

“I tell people, ‘I’m 94. I can only make so many,’ ” he said.

He sketches out each design himself before carving designs into the leather by hand, using a variety of knives.

The cowhide leather comes from California.

A recent customer requested an initial surrounded by flowers for her chaps, he said.

He keeps notebooks with details on each customer, most of which travel to his home for personalized fittings.

Women account for most of his business, and customers hail from as far away as Canada.

Phillips said it takes about two weeks to make a pair of chaps, depending on the level of intricacy and design requests from the customer.

Black is the most requested color, followed by tan. Chaps range in price and start around $500.

Phillips said he has no plans to quit making his chaps creations.

“I think after 60 years, it grows on you,” he said.

Hollywood days

Phillips learned his craft from his father, Port, also a trick-shot roping artist.

When Hollywood took notice of Tom Phillips’ skills on horseback, he was featured in numerous Western films and had celebrity encounters with Bob Hope, Tony Curtis, Jane Russell and more.

He recalled one incident when Russell introduced him at a show in California.

“We were supposed to dance, and I can’t dance,” Phillips said. “She said, ‘Fake it.’ ”

Phillips told her that his father wouldn’t believe his story of meeting the famous actress, so Russell quickly gave Phillips a personally autographed photo as a keepsake.

He keeps it in a photo album.

“My dad saw that all right,” Phillips said.

Famed country music singer Charlie Daniels got a custom carved belt fashioned by Phillips.

“I carved a red devil into the belt,” said Phillips, a reference to Daniels’ hit song, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.”

After a full day of carving, cutting and sewing, Phillips said he likes to relax with a beer.

“I like Coors Lite,” he said. “It’s a preservative.”