oltoot

NO

There is no bureau of standards so they can vary from tree maker to tree maker. Your most conclusive answer would come by asking each tree maker that you might deal with for pictures or other descriptions of their styles.

OOOOOPs!!!, I meant that KEITH, not Steve, had about said it all.

Heated or not, about a quart of barges thinner for every two gallons of cement makes for better outcomes for me.

The old guy weighs in. Steve has just about said it all. Tradition and, and, I forgot what else says drilled through. And there is even the possibility of a combined approach. Drill the back ones through and screw the others. On some, one can even leave off the middle string. And then there's barrel saddles and so on. If one were to decide to give screws a chance, there are better and worse ways to do that. And what kind of screws to use? I have changed my views on that in the many years that I have been whacking and pounding. I now use what started out as drywall screws and have morphed into a huge selection of sizes and finishes. And while I hated phillips head screws when I was younger, I have used them exclusively for a long time. I still have straight bits for my screwdrivers but I usually have to hunt to find them on the rare occasions now that I need one. And i have three color TVs in my house instead of one B&W. Keep on trying and one day you too will be old and ugly.

"square" meaning that you would have to exercise care to hold the mallet so that it would be square to tool face vs it being aimed regardless of how you would hold it, rotating as you go to distribute wear. Sure sweet spot is smaller but its always right there.

When I was much younger and working in a full scale shop, I worked on as many as 5 at one time but kept each one separate in my young mind. Of the 5 maybe 3 or all would be custom orders. In most cases, no 2 would be alike. As you said,there is always something to do while the glue (or the leather, itself dries) Having said all that, it looks to me like you could still benefit from trying out something before deciding whether or not to duplicate or modify it for future use. One (ha ha) disadvantage to that could be that #2, because of that trial and improvement process turns out way better and then you would have the difference to live with or maybe even decide to make a #3 to incorporate all the experience and subsequent pondering which could then mean #4 ad excitem. By then you might be the old guy teaching somebody and telling them what you went throught to get to where you will be trying to start them out.

Wouldn't life be dull if everybody liked the same things? That said, my experience has been that roughout is my last choice for anything to be used outdoors. Reasons: 1. Moisture repellency 2. Dirt repellency Roughout saddles when used much get slick with a combination of oil, dirt and compression; Yes they can be brushed back but smoothout is better IMHO. And then there is the decoration aspect. Life's too short to ride ugly tack some have said and I have oft repeated as I passed on another night of tomfoolery to buy another piece of silver for saddle or headgear. That's been my experience, but obviously not everybody's. Oh yeah, and there is the cost factor. Now when quality makers just turn a piece of skirting over for roughout it doesn't come into play but rough out skirting is a product offered by many tanners that can be a little cheaper in bulk. For a custom maker to save ~$20 on materials for a saddle doesn't pencil out but if you're turning out a bunch of them $20 each will add up at the end of the year. REPEAT: Good custom makers DO NOT use 'roughout skirting' they turn what they normally use over and it often takes a little extra handling to end up with the desired appearance.

2 things, trim or clip wool just to the point that you will want it when finished then plain ol water. Keep the wool soaked just around the edges as you sew and you will be able to easily part it with your fingers as you go. Masking tape is also helpful. The pad still gets my vote.

blade to roller adjustments

There is a big difference in the gunfighter wannabe analysis and the old cowboy comments. Understood that the first is your customer base and what matters the most and you already have your most important feedback: REPEAT BUSINESS!! All that said, the old cowboy says this. The buckles and straps should be quite a bit smaller, as small as will still stand up to wear, perhaps out of a different kind of leather, eg latigo. Small roller buckles with keepers offer easy on. The centar bar type of buckle would catch on a rope, rein, even a horse's mane. And where laced together I would suggest using either a gaucho or braided style, one that uses about twice as many holes and four times as much lace yielding a tougher join, and the bottom of the lace column will be a stress point so should start on that end so that there is a double pass where there will be the most stress. Like I said at the beginning, your customers are what counts and there will definitely be more gunfighter wannabes than old cowboys that see your wares. Keep on doing what makes people happy and you might even end up nearly famous.

Just another little tidbit, most local zoning laws are the result of western communities expanding beyond their original roots when nearly every growing place had a small pit tannery and as the community got organized and grew, among the issues it was faced with was the growing dislike among it's citizens for having these facilities in amongst them. And then came a phase when tanneries began to consolidate into the larger operations, a few of which have survived. They produced a product which was just basically bark tanned and the the end users 'curried' these hides with their own mixes of oils and fats to produce their end products. The bridle leather that you seem most interested in gets more hand finishing than other leathers, in addition to being applied only to hides usually selected after initial treatment. In early operations the skill of 'spoke shaving' the often lumpy and uneven straps produced before machinery that can trim whisker thicknesses off of green hides before tanning was an important part of a jouneyman strap worker's skill st. That along with the other 'currying' necessary to produce good work. But you seem determined and you have developed an answer for every issue so forge ahead. One last thing, don't expect me or any other end user that I know of to buy your product at those or any other prices.

Very nice work but this little caveat from personal experience. It makes for a puzzle in design but any kind of knot on the end of braided split reins can be unpleasant if reins slip clear through your hands and makes for undesirable catching when layed over something. All that said, I still would not trade back to regular reins especially when I figure out a best of both worlds way to finish ends.

There was a time when I would said to wash my mouth out for saying such a thing but the years have changed a few things. If you really want to "try" this and after coming to the decision to go on or forget it and be prepared to nearly start all over again as far as tools, etc are concerned I would got Tandy and look at some of the lower end starter kits for the initial mix of tools. They also have project kits and handbooks. 60 yaers later, I still have a few of those beginner tools but have long since moved on to more and better things. That will also familiarize you with some of the basic tools. If you decide that this is for you, then Bruce Johnson is indeed a great source for the gently used and professionally refurbished vintage tool. You will find a plethora of other sources by perusing this forum. Have a good ride.

The investment in machines, etc is not small. In addition, tanning produces nasty by-products and getting set up to get permits (if you live in a community) is not small either. The Artisan would not be suitable for working with green hides. That would take a band knife spllitter which you can price on the internet. If you go to developing countries where tanning is still an important local industry, the pits are usually made from clay and are above ground so that every once in awhile they can be broken and drained. In short, why are you even thinking about this in the worst, oops I mean first, place. If it is to save money, forget it. If it is to produce something a little different than you can buy, look around some more, you'll probably find it. If you are looking for a new hobby, keep looking. The buckskinning craze has popularized some primitive home tanning methods but they, to my admitedly somewhat limited knowledge, all emphasize either a soft product or rawhide. There are my opinions on the matter and they are wort at least what they cost you.

I don't know if it will fit your situation or not but here is what I do. As a saddlemaker I do have more uses for belly leather in fact, I find that in most bellies they have a pretty firm middle but that's not my way out. Since I live in a pretty rural setting, every so often when my "scrap" gets to be a bit overwhelming I call the local 4H leader and they bring a garbage bag and leave with it full and a biig grin on their faces.

One more tip. If they are to be for serious winter use, remember to size full for fitting over winter clothing and just a dab short if hair is long so they won't drag in mud/snow on the ground.

About 60 years ago I made one modeled after the lacing pony that Tandy sold only beefier and from oak. I glued up pieces and clamped them tight for a good while then shaped them with a horseshoe rasp and finished with sandpaper. Sewed sitting on the floor for about 20 years and then put them on base modeled after stitching horses, sawing off the bottom to match up to the base. I amstill using it. So if you are handy, go for it, if you aren't, punt.

When ready for final assembly and oiling of everything at that stage, you should have seat installed, cantle back and binding on, horn and swell covered. Oil skirts when they are lined with strings and lugs in place. I must confess to being a bit confused by your questions and therefore the flood of answers. TIP. if you are going to be installing any kind of horn wrap, wait til after oiling to do it, especially mulehide. And before long you will get your groove and be answering instead of asking questions.

My vote is for needle and awl if you are thinking about pushing the upper limits of use often rather than ocaissionally. But as Wizcrafts says you need to define your desired results better in order to get a firm answer. Each type has its limits and the users just learn to adjust accordingly.

The easy way is to punch holes in each piece of leather and stack them on the rod/dowel one at a time instead of trying to drill a hole through the center of the stack. Oh yeah, you would be surprised at how much compression you can squeeze out of wet pieces as you build the stack, then a fan to dry before the turning/smoothing.

I don't know if you could chuck up the finished maul but I have done it using a drill press and coarse sandpaper. I cut the stack to near finished dimension with a knife before finishing with sandpaper. To turn out a lot, I think that they are stacked up on a threaded rod, compressed to prevent slippage, then rough turned. They are finished when final assembled. It's a bit on the hard side to do just one and get by without all the creative solutions learned the hard way.

I have used cement coated nails from the lumber yard in sizes 4, 6, 8 for years in mix with tacks from Weaver in sizes ranging fom tiny (4 oz lace tacks) to 22 oz. And for the last 20+ years I have used drywall screws in increasing ratios to the other products. No one type will accomplish everything that needs doing. In saddlemaking, I am of the school that says think about having to repair an item in 10-20 years and proceed accordingly.

Never having used one or even seen a rawhide one I would guess that square would be bad from about every angle. More care would need to be exercised in keeping a flat face parallel to the work surface to prevent glancing blows and that would just be the start.

Lots of good info, as usual. The collection of many lifetimes. A little hand cream before use will help to minimize staining but I just let it wear off as a badge of honor.