Equiplay Saddlery

Those are amazing. Great job.

I guess the update on the site deleted all the pictures of the briefcase I posted but left the writing...weird. I'll post it again and feel free to critique. Like I said this was my first one and I learned a lot from it but had fun doing it. The inlay is from her father's briefcase that he had made in the 1940's. It was the back panel and was the only part that was salvageable due to age/dryness/rot. He was a bull rider so I was glad I could at least save that part. It is 6-7 oz veg tan lined with latigo (mainly to protect the inlay and give it some rigidity). The gussets are one piece chocolate colored chap leather. It has Horse Shoe brand buckles, rolled handle, oiled and Tan Kote for a finish.

Thanks everyone. It was fun and frustrating at the same time but I learned a LOT about making cases. It seemed like I was basket stamping forever but I do have a tremendous appreciation for my Barry King basket stamps now. They made life a whole lot simpler.

It was good leather but it actually isn't quite as light as it appears. I think the led lights in my shop made the pictures look lighter than they really are. She has only seen pictures of it so far and she said she had tears in her eyes. She is coming to get it in a couple of days. Thanks for the compliment Boriqua. I'm just glad it turned out nice and she trusted me with designing it using such a cool family heirloom.

This is a briefcase I just finished for a friend. The inlay is from her father's briefcase that he had made in the 1940's. It was the back panel and was the only part that was salvageable due to age/dryness/rot. He was a bullrider so I was glad I could at least save that part. It is 6-7 oz veg tan lined with latigo (mainly to protect the inlay and give it some rigidity). The gussets are one piece chocolate colored chap leather. It has Horse Shoe brand buckles, rolled handle, oiled and Tan Kote for a finish.

I like it. Clean and simple.

I bought a couple of the JW Quick Change edgers from Weaver recently and they really impressed me. I liked them so much I bought the rest of the set and now I have 5 sizes with spare blades for the cost of one traditional edger. They are sharp and cut great. I really don't care what it looks like as long as it works. I also bought the #3 for a friend to try and now he wants the rest of the set even though he has plenty of other older very good edgers. As far as sizing consistency overall I have no clue how to help you with that one.

Thanks Colt. Good tools will definitely spoil you in a hurry.

electrathon I at least to NO offense to your reply. After 21 years in law enforcement I'm just use to people being angry and not thinking about the details when something like this happens. I just hope his tools don't get scratched up when they slide down the asphalt after the stinking theif's head pops open under the truck tire.

I second what electrathon said. I'm sure ALL of us would love to see you get your tools back but we need an idea as to where they went missing from. Good luck with it. And start checking pawn shops in the area. Things without serial numbers don't get checked by NCIC to see if they are listed as stolen.

Vikefan thanks for the compliment. It's really not hard to do especially if you have good stamps. Bruce Johnson has 2 tutorials pinned to the top of this forum that are excellent and can get you started. You just have to reverse the angle for each side of the arrowhead. Also TimKleffner did a really nice tutorial on this pattern. I found it and "bumped" it back to the top of this forum. Just look for Basket weave Arrow. Here is another one I did as a Christmas present a few weeks ago. I used a #2 BK rope basket weave and a #2 BK crescent for the border on a 1 1/2" belt

Bump for Vikefan

Don't rule out the rider's skeletal differences in other parts of their body as well. I have one leg that is 1/2" longer than the other. That doesn't sound like much but it is enough to put me off balance when I put weight in the stirrups. After a while it gets me and my horse really uncomfortable that's why my personal stirrup leathers have half holes to compensate. She may also be sitting differently than you because of issues somewhere else in her body not just in her seat bones.

LW, From a current 20+ year FL Deputy I would like to say Thank You to you and your friends for honoring a fallen Brother in such a special way. I'm sure the other members of the department will cherish your work for many years. Great job on the ticket books.

I agree with Bob. I don't have very many BK stamps but now that I've tried them I can assure you I will NEVER buy a cheap stamp again. The quality of the impressions will take your work to a whole new level.

What a great gift for him. And a blessing in return for you I'm sure.

Thanks.

Check out the Jeremiah Watt Quick Change Edgers. They are very inexpensive and I was hesitant about "wasting" my money on them because who would have thought you could get a great tool for about $10. After I tried one I ordered ALL of them and now have a full set for what one decent edger would normally cost. They are unbelievable. Look them up at RANCH2ARENA.COM or Weaver leather.

Thanks Primosand. I was lucky enough to already have the building and the ability to do the work myself. Someday I would like to add a tv/computer but that is certainly way down on my priority list. For now I will just have to settle on a good old fashioned radio and walking to the house to use the computer.

I finally decided it was time to dedicate a work space to leather work and getting serious about building saddles. I closed off half of my woodworking shop and turned it into a leather shop. I used a lot of recycled/donated lumber and have less than $800 in the whole project (including the new pegboard, tables, etc.). The catalyst was getting my new CB 4500 and needing a controlled environment to put it in (that and my wife was tired of all the leather boxes in the house). My cutting table is 39" x 87". My stamping/tooling table is 32" x 48" and the top is made of 3 layers of 3/4" oak plywood glued and screwed together. My gluing/skiving table is 32" x 60". The glass top was a freebie and is bigger than I wanted but hey that is easy to change. The metal pegboard is great. I use it in my woodworking shop to hang a LOT of tools on. I even used it here for hanging patterns. My used A/C was a gift and the heater and ceiling fan were Christmas presents. (Yes I had an AWESOME Christmas this year!) The belt is the first thing I made in my new shop and was a Christmas present for a friend. Feel free to critique it. I always enjoy hearing different ideas.

I couldn't agree more Bob. Although for my personal bridles I'm kind of old school and like to use plain simple working gear. All of my using gear is made of heavy harness leather. No tooling, conchos, dyes, etc.... There are different types of veg tan. If you want to tool it then make sure you ask for skirting or tooling leather. The supplier should be able to help you choose the right stuff. Just ask. Danny

I get my leather from Weaver (Hermann Oak) or Wickett and Craig directly. I use 6-7 oz Latigo as a liner. The straps need to be strong so I leave them 10-12 oz. That is where all of the pull and wear will take place so you don't want it too thin. You should be able to get latigo blanks but I've never really looked for them. The straps will be NARROWER than the breast collar but the same thickness of veg tan. Good luck with it. You may be about to be bitten by the leather working bug.

Thanks Sandy. You are right about them being expensive and I just have a hard time paying for something I know I can build myself. Then if I don't like it or something isn't quite right I can only blame myself and I usually have more time than money.

BarrelPony, 10 - 12 oz Veg tan will be fine for the breast collar. It's what I use and I line it with latigo. Make the straps out of the same veg tan but you don't have to line them. They need to be strong but you need to be able to bend them around the d rings. Depending on how wide you want the breast collar you may be able to just order belt blanks and use them instead of a large hide. It would give you a little experience with making something without spending a lot of money.

Thanks TZ. Welding is probably the one thing from high school that I've actually gotten some use out of.