dirtclod

Boy their sure is a lot more to making a tree than i ever though. It is very intresting to see how things are done. The raw hideing is the most intresting part to me, You need a lot more tools to make the tree than i though to. I have a whole new respect for custom tree makers now !!! Thank you shareing how it's done !!

I'm thinking you will have a hard time tooling the skirts after their on the saddle. The sheep skin will be more a cushion than you think. If the maker will let you do your own tooling ask for the skirts, fenders and seat when their cut out. If your lucky enough to find a maker that will do that. Because it is going to be a long drawn off build for them. Mailing both ways plus waiting for you to do your work.

I use a regular table mount wood belt sander 4x36 . But you need to flip the sander to where it turns toward you instead of away from you. On mine there was a bolt or nut i had to loosen to flip it. I work on the end of it and i use a 50 grit belt to get things even. The smaller grits fill up to quick and quit cutting. It was a 100.00 i think when i bought it 6 or 7 years ago.

You did a nice job on it for sure !

I've never had any luck burnishing it or any type of chrome tanned leather the few times i tried.

Looks good to me. Maybe your buddies will come around and want one after they see yours.

I like the design on the middle and next one the best. I do think you need to work on your basket weave. I never seen anybody do it that way.

I have never seen and damage from baby powder and i have worked on a lot saddles that have had used on them. Some of them for years.

I would say leave it alone. Even if the trees in good shape the horn needs to be covered and it needs a new seat. You might get the skirts to lay back down like their supposed to by taking them off wetting them and setting bunch of weight on them. But the main thing is Billy Cook is way over rated. The last few i had to work on the bars on the tree were straight no twist and i haven't ever seen a horse with a straight flat back.

That's just pretty durn neat !

Nice job on the seat and the rifles fit right in with BSA. Hope you have a great time at the classes.

Nice job Spinner !!

Pretty durn neat !! Wonder how long it took to make it ?

Do you any pictures of the inside of the hat ? It will be easier for folks to understand what you want / need to do to fix it.

Nice !! Really nice !! Somebody is going to very happy to have it !

Looks good to me. But i think the board on the bottom should be going the other way. The way it is now your only going to be able to put one foot bottom to hold it still. The way it is now if you set in a chair with the wing nut facing you, you have to reach over the top of what ever your sewing to get the needle through your work. But you may sew a different way than me.

Schpacko here in the states you generally buy paraffin at the grocery. It comes 4 pieces to a box and it is a block shape. I bet the grocery stores have it where you live. Look where they keep the canning jars that are used for storeing food.

In the figure carving book of Al Stohlman i think. It tells about doing portraits and how to do them. I know it's in one of them.

Get a piece of one by wood and two spring clamps and you have a guide to sew against. I do that on somethings i make. As for slowing it down turn the hand wheel by hand. To sew with a clutch motor it's on and off with your foot. Takes some getting used to but it can be done till you get the other motor.

Other person and other people were the first things that popped in my head.

Texas Lady OP means other person or other people. Their is poor custom work (where the maker should be shot for running the hide that animal gave up ) good custom work and then their is great custom work. That you wonder how in the world did they do that. I've seen things made were it looked like they held a rat by his tail and let the rat naw it out and the people were tickled to death with the quality. I try to make a good product one that i am proud of and one that the customer is proud of. Am i the best? Heck no !! Am i pretty good, maybe, i get by. But no where nearly as good as somethings i see on here. Those folks are the real custom makers in their field. To me quality in a lot of peoples eyes is hearing other people say he or she is the best i ever seen or they do wonderful work. If people hear that enough they belive it wheither it's true or not. Then theirs the good BS er that can sell anything and make people think they have the best one ever made. And the one i used to hear quite a bit ( well he or she worked for a real custom builder ) and my question always was so ! Just because they worked someplace don't mean they learned how to do it or know anything about it. For all you or i know they swept the floor and that's it. For me it comes down to pride in what you make, if you do your best then that's your best work. But all ways try to improve. You don't become a Master at any craft in a year or two. It takes a life time to if ever to become Master of your craft man or woman. Making one or two things doesn't mean you / they are a custom maker.

I have to agree with Luke get the 16 inch arm no matter what brand. You will be glad you did !

I tried one and didn't much like it. It was to hard for me to see where i was going. I went back to using a round knife. The one i had was a Fisker pretty sure i'm not spelling it right.

You can try putting some baby powder on what your sewing and see if the helps. That stuff is pretty sticky. I put baby powder on patent leather when i sew it because it's pretty sticky. I put the powder in a sock and pat the leather before i sew. At least it's something that won't cost anything to try because you probely already have both.

Nice job !!