Ken Nelson

I put the antique on with trimmed sheepskin and use several pieces to remove the excess but then I always have a lot of scraps laying around the saddle shop. I use tan kote and do not let it dry before I wipe it off with sheepskin scrap. Kind of pulls the antique out of where you don't want it. I buff with full wool sheepskin after the Tankote. I use clearlac for the final finish, and always apply with sheepskin, usually trimmed to about 1/4" wool.

Big Sioux, I love your description of the eastern SD people. I agree with you and WELL put. Go Get Em. Ken

I would double think about putting a dime into that saddle and selling it.. A number of years ago my insurance agent told me to never send anything out the door, I was NOT POSITIVE, about being safe to ride His rule was, " Last guy that had his hands on a piece of riding equipment that fails is the first guy sued"! That old saddle would make a neat bar stool though.

Mr. Watt, in his instructional videos on building saddles, drills all the holes he puts screws in to keep from splitting the wood. Most trees are pine and it does split pretty easy. I use Lewis trees, which are fiberglass covered pine and predrill nearly all the screw holes. These trees are kind of " you get what you pay for". Some of those lower end production saddles have 50 or 75 dollar trees in them and they are not worth that. They are Dangerous. I would advise you have a good saddle maker inspect this tree before you throw good money at it. Saddles are a common sense not- much to them but a whole lot more complex than most people realize. Actually, they are kind of like riding a horse. You will stop learning about building them the day you quit or die. Just my 2 cents worth.

Reduced to $300. shipped to lower 48. Good deal, nothing wrong with it. "Customer" cancelled the order for it after I got it. Ken

I know of a real good saddle maker in West Texas that lines his billets, flanks and breast collars with Harness leather as he feels it resists sweat better than latigo. I use latigo on mine and line billets, flank cinches and breast collars every time . I feel it is a quality factor. Good point on the sheepskins being large enough to properly lay out your skirts. Panhandle's woolskins are all 13 FT + and good quality. Harry Adams Book Saddlemakers Shop Manual covers blocking Skirts to the tree very well. Harry also covered leather selection very well on laying out patterns. I plug my skirts pretty heavy. But my saddles weigh in at about 40 + also.

There is a reason why most saddle makers that build saddles for cowboys that use them really hard, cut Herman Oak. I build for working cowboys and a lot of them compete both roping and ranch rodeos. I am talking about men that ride nearly every day and long days in all kinds of weather. They have wrecks on occasion and bad wrecks every once in a while. Hermann Oak holds up with proper care better than any other leather I know of. I have used Wickett & Craig (years ago), Teneria and some bargain leathers for stuff that don't get used much. NOW, I use Herman Oak and only Herman Oak for saddles. My cowboy saddles are all 13-15 oz and I figure just over 2 sides for each saddle. I use some 11-13 for breast collars and misc stuff. Light weight saddles will not hold up for the people I am building for. I have had really good service from Panhandle leather in Amarillo, TX. They will sell you 1 hide or a pallet. They have the best woolskins I have found anywhere, but I haven't tried everyone either. They also have the tan thread that Ferdco used to call Peasant Beige and it is really good thread. Good luck on your project. I hope you block your skirts, a lot of production saddle aren't. Ken

You might check on the market place on this forum. There are several good trees for sale on it right now. Lewis Tree Co in Hereford TX builds good trees and if you contact them, they may have an extra or two around that hasn't been picked up. Their trees have worked really well for me. They are good to do business with.

I never use less than 13/15 for fenders or stirrup leathers. I build for working cowboys but any lighter will not hold their shape with very much use. I cut my stirrup leathers on the back side by side. I cut my fenders out of the butt top to bottom on the hide but back to front on the rear end of will work also. I just prefer top to bottom. But that is just my 2 cents worth. HTH. Ken

Where are you located?

How about absentee bids? Some of us cannot get away to make the trip? Thanks, Ken

I have a Lewis Modified tree for sale. Customer cancelled order after tree was ordered. 15 1/4" seat 13" fork 6 1/2 X 8 Gullet 4 X 12 X 1 cantle Arizona bars # 17 horn with 2" cap $350.00 Shipped to lower 48. Message me your phone # if you want pictures. Thanks Ken

Wiz, I have done some saddle maker schools. I usually figure a month as a mininium and if I teach someone, they will know my way of doing it and there are a lot of other ways of building saddles. I let a couple of young guys do apprenticeships in my shop in New Mexico. One was there part time for a year and a half, partly because he did not have a shop at that time. The other was there, part time, for one school year. I would do a repair school pretty reasonably. If you do or if anyone goes to take schooling from anyone, be sure the person knows how to build a good saddle. Try to find out if the person is a "teacher", some are and some aren't. And that is just my 2 cents worth.

I am really serious about retirement at this time. I have a house for sale with the basement set up as a closed saddle shop. I will sell the house which has a nearly complete remodel and the basement set up and ready to go. House, saddle shop in basement including inventory. Located in Wessington Springs, SD. A nice little town with good services, low cost of living, VERY low crime area, a block from hospital and clinic. Good Schools here. Message me for further details. Ken

Panhandle Leather is stocking the thread we used to get from Ferdco in Peasant beige. I think they said they are calling it tan. It looks the same and feels the same but I have not used it yet. Cost me $25.00 for a 1# spool. Give Jim a call if you are looking for this thread. Ken

It has been my experience that due to a lot of horses being bred today that are of different types, it is almost impossible for one saddle to fit them all. A saddle that will fit a 10 year old thoroughbred that is rode down hard, will not fit a mutton weathered 3 yr. old that is fat and I don't care how many blankets and pads you have. A lot of people don't have to ride that wide a range of horses. 50 years ago I had 1 saddle, 1 double weave Navajo blanket and 2 hair pads and fit everything that I got on for about 10 or 12 years. AND I wasn't soreing horses either. Then I started having problems fitting some of the horses I rode. Just too many different types of horses and some of them come into my string thin and some fat. Some could be close to be classed as deformed. I agree that if you have a knack for working with your hands and a strong enough desire to learn how to do it, it is possible to be a really decent self taught saddle maker. I did it and the saddles I built when I first started 15+ years ago are still in service but I did make some mistakes on them. Like the previous poster, I had rode a horseback for a lot of years. I made most of my living for over 35 years working cattle a horseback. I figured it up after I quit ranching and cowboying for a living and the best I could tell, I had been on close to 900 head of different horses, maybe a bit over that If you have rode extensively, been on a lot of different horses and repaired your own and maybe done some leather work it is definately possible to be self taught. However, when you figure in the machines, tools, and material needed to do a good job of building a saddle, not mention a good manual, and a good video or two, you will probably have more invested than what a good handmade saddle will cost you and a lot more than what a good used one will cost. I have repaired the best and the worst and learned from all of them. Good ideas and what not to do. I think it all depends on how long you want your learning curve to take, and how good you want to get. Going to a school is not going to guarantee you will get off to a good school. I have seen a couple of schools that were really good and a couple that are awful and some in between. The best instructor cannot teach you if you are not open to learning and doing it his way. I was fortunate enough to work for and under one of the best saddle makers on the northern plains and I did learn a lot. I had a lot of respect for the saddles this man built and I wanted to learn how he built them. If I had not wanted to learn his way, I would never have walked into his shop and asked for a deal. Rule # 1 is, in my opinion: If you don't know what a good saddle is, what makes a good saddle, You will never build a good saddle. I know a lot of people that think they know and don't know. Some of them should know but don't. That is my 2 cents worth. Ken

If you can learn to build saddles online, why would you not use the resources on this site to learn how. There are some very informative video series out there that can be bought reasonably. Hands on instruction will never be replaced by videos and online instruction in my opinion. But it is an option for a lot of people. I am a self-taught saddlemaker, using two different teaching manuals and the help of a couple of friends that had some experience. After building 60 or so saddles, I did an apprenticeship under a really good saddle maker and learned a lot. So with 15 years of doing it behind me, I hope I have learned some things. Make sure the person teaching the course is a good saddle maker. Make sure you know a good saddle from a poor or worse junk saddle. Be aware setting up to build saddles correctly is not a cheap investment You have to have the proper tools and machines of good quality to do a good job. You are not going to be a saddle maker after building a few saddles. It takes a number of them to learn it and master the skills. It takes room to build saddles and you need a designated shop space. You need to use good trees and materials to build good saddles These things cost a lot of money and if you are lucky, you may get your materials out of the first 10 or so you build. Bottom line is this.: Education costs and it does not matter rather you go to a really good saddlemaker and pay him to help you learn or buy a set of books or videos and learn how yourself, It is going to cost you. In my case, I worked as a straight up cowboy for a lot of years I knew good saddles from poor saddles and that is an important part of it. I used to frequent Harry Adam's saddleshop on a regular basis for 4 or 5 years before I started on my journey and I picked up a lot of information there. I wouldn't even consider teaching someone to build a saddle for $500.00. The cheapest good guy that I know that will teach you to build a saddle and I think you build 2 there was getting $6000. and you room and board yourself. He is cheap for as good as he is. I don't even know if he is still doing it. Best of luck on your journey. BTW I work full time building saddles, just saddles and I am out nearly two years. Ken

Check some of the livestock supply web sites, Might start with Valley Vet. Not really hard to figure out but I do hate making them. HTH. Ken

I would like to see someone put this good bench machine back in service, So for $450.00 I will ship it in the lower 48. Thank you for looking Ken

Lewis trees have the strainer fiberglassed in them and are really easy to get a good ground seat on. Good Trees. I have been using them for 8 years and never have had one come back.

I will pay the shipping for the $500.

How much for the 4 punches?

Thank you so much MadMax! The knob on the bottom is where you adjust the thickness you want to split down to. Dixon went out of business not too long ago. This splitter is old but I do not know how old. I have had it about 20 years and it was old when I got it. Works good though.

I have an old Dixon 6" splitter I will let go. I have an extra 8" blade that I will let go with it. I have been told someone with a water jet can cut the blade down to fit this splitter but DO NOT know that for certain. Anyway, I will take $500.00 for it + shipping and throw in the blade OBO. It is in really good shape. I am having problems downloading pictures of this but if you contact me with your pm, I will email you photos of it. Thanks Ken

I would guess Mexican by the looks of it.