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pete

Really Neat And Rare Saddle

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Here's a really neat rig I picked up this week. I contacted the Oklahoma Univ and got some info on it. It was made in Portland, Oregon by the Still bros. in around 1890. It was called a "freak tree" and only a few were made. They branded the gullet "STEEL TREE" and that's all that it has on it as they supposedly invented the steel tree.

Any comments or offers?

It is completely covered in shellac or lacquer. What is the best way to remove it?

pete

old saddle 013a.JPG old saddle 015a.JPG

post-5669-127561457244_thumb.jpg

post-5669-12756145892_thumb.jpg

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Very nice saddle there. keep us updated on the progress.

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Steel tree as in a tree made from steel?

What did they look at to determine this was a "freak tree"?

Ann

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Steel tree as in a tree made from steel?

What did they look at to determine this was a "freak tree"?

Ann

Yes it's a steel tree, and they called it a freak tree because of the width of the swells.

pete

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Yes it's a steel tree, and they called it a freak tree because of the width of the swells.

pete

the entire saddle tree is very likely not made of steel. Instead, what they mean by "steel tree" is that some of those old saddle had a partial steel fork. The fork was cut from two peices of wood, and then the back half of it had a steel horn and fork inset into the wood of the fork. But the entire tree isn't steel.

Ross

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How wide are the swells, Pete?

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