Walsall in England was regarded as the world`s greatest centre of the saddlery trade. The town's craftsmen began to specialise in making bits, stirrups and spurs in the Middle Ages, developing into fully-fledged makers of saddlery and harness, by the end of the nineteenth century. As a result, over a hundred firms were exporting their products throughout the British Empire and beyond. The Walsall firms flourished as horses were so vital to everyday life in Victorian Britain and the colonies. The Walsall area emerged as a major supplier of military saddlery and harnesses, with one company supplying an astonishing 100,000 saddles for the British army in the First World War. The twentieth century saw the rise of light leather goods, such as handbags, cases and gloves. With the coming of the motor car, these products became the mainstay of the Walsall leather industry. Many companies supplied this trade and Dixon tools was one, as a commercial and industrial equipment supplier to the trade. The company started in 1843 and has continued to produce tools for the leather industries up and till August 2017 when the company was dissolved.A vintage item used in the leather working industries see additional notes at end of document for clarity on how the item was used and it's importance in making leather goods.Lap Skiver has a roller missing. Painted reddish brown J Dixonflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, lap skiver, leather industries, leather making tools, tools, j dixon

A machine used to taper a wide strap of leather for lap joining. Has leather cover joined to wooden base on one side and clip in front to hold it down.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village