Saturday: Got seat rough fitted - Pulled it in and then let it dry up to where the seat and front jockeys were firmed up. I follow Jeremiah Watt and Dale Harwoods theory that you need to pound the leather into the middle - Draw the bubble into the center and pound it in. I also do like Jeremiah Watt and work a bubble into the cantle face and then compress it in - Really helps leather fit into cantle dish.

Sunday: Wet the center part of the seat down and pulled it back into rig. Marked my cut lines on the on side and cut that out. Flipped it over off of center line and cut off side. Pulled it back into seat and nailed in. Went in very symetrical. My clearances off of rigging rivets tuned out to be identical on either side.

Here is a grainy cell phone image - I will post proper images soon.

There is one thing I do not like. I made my handhole too shallow. I wish I had the back edge of the handhole 1" further back.

I used a centerline on this seat and worked off the centerline on the ground seat - I believe this really helped the seat go in square. The other thing obviously is that this tree is dead square - Sure makes the amateur saddle makers life easier.

More images to follow.

This saddle is going to have a padded seat. Hope it looks like this: (Saddle by Gordon Andrus Sage Creek Stock Saddle Co.)

Maybe without the scallops on the back edge though...

I picked up my 3" monel stirrups on sunday too.

R