jwwright

Joel, Thank You. I like rough outs, but you're right.....they look "used" quicker. Bob, Thank You. Both of these particular saddles are for repeat customers, which is what we are all after. JW

Hi Billy......certainly no apology needed. I'd be happy to talk with you about your horse situation. Feel free to message me. JW

Thanks Bill. No, I do not build trees , yet...............the trees in these 2 saddles were designed by myself and Jon Watsabaugh, and built by Jon. JW

Hi Stacy...........Thank You. I agree with you, I prefer the look of natural rawhide over the bleached also. I have seen some saddles with rawhide on the swells, but never have built one, nor owned one. I have had a few saddles over the years with rawhide bindings on the horn and/or the cantle. I don't see much advantage to rawhide bound cantles, and I have seen a few drawbacks to them......the ones that I had were regular straight bindings and tended to gradually curl up toward the seat. Maybe it was just the way those were done. I myself have not built any saddles with rawhide bindings. Hi Billy.........Thank You as well. How does your gelding do the rest of the time when riding, other than the on/off situation? JW

I have not posted anything in a while, so I thought I would post photos of a couple of recent saddles. Both are on identical trees, other than the horns. It's what I call a JW ranch versatility tree. Both are 15 1/2" finished seat, and 4" cantle. Many Thanks, JW

Mike, the way I do it is................I've got 3 holes , in the relative shape of a triangle. I go through the bottom holes with my lace front to backside, then bring each side of the lace back around the edge, and back through the same bottom hole each side. Then, each side through the top hole back to front, and back through the same bottom hole again. It's harder to describe than it is to do. I use the same tie on my latigo tie straps. JW

Kewl Billy.....nice job. JW

You might look through the topics in this category, as this topic has been discussed a few times over the past few years. There are lots of good saddle makers who drill holes for strings....lots of good saddle makers who do not........and all have their reasons for their preferences. You just need to probably decide what will work best for you. JW

I have built only a few saddles on the LaPorte trees so far.........most of my orders are still for saddles on handmade wood trees. I do however, have a couple more orders for the cable rigged on my books. Below is a saddle I built on a LaPorte tree about 90 days ago. The man that owns it makes his living horseback all day, every day, and rides quite a few different horses. I heard from him yesterday................he loves the saddle, and gets along good roping out of it as well. JW

I use 1/4" lace. Panhandle Leather in Amarillo www.panhandleleather.com usually has some 25 or 50 ft. coils. You can also buy direct from Tejas rawhide (that's where Panhandle gets it), but I don't have their contact info handy. JW

Very kewl Alan. Great job. JW

Very nice job. JW

I started using the method Bruce describes a couple years ago, after Bruce told me about it. It works slick, and really cuts down on possible bad language in the shop doing reline jobs. JW

It makes alot of difference on how your tree maker does things. There are tree makers , that if you order a 16" length, they will build it 16 1/4" so you can finish at about 16". Others, if you order 16", that's what you'll get, and the seat will finish shorter. So, visit with who ever you are ordering the tree from, and let them know your desired finished seat length. On another note.....................seat length is really a not very accurate way to determine how much room there will be in the seat . With many tree makers.............if you take 2 identical trees as far as swells, cantle shape, etc., .............and one is built with a 4 1/2" cantle , the other with a 3 1/2" high cantle.........with both measuring 16" seat length...................the one with the 4 1/2" high cantle will ride quite a bit smaller than the one with lower cantle. The measurment from the back of the swell , straight back along the bar to the point of the cantle is a better way to judge seat size really. Also the measurement from the back of the fork to the top of the cantle gullet is a good way to compare. More than you asked about, and I apologize for rambling..............have a good un. JW

Joel..........most that I have seen are 6 - 7" drop from the front bar pad of the tree. Depending on the tree type and rigging hardware I'm using, most of mine are 6 1/2" to 6 3/4". JW

Very good first saddle Tom..........good job. JW

Sold, Thanks.

I have for sale The Art of Leather Carving DVD set by Jeremiah Watt. It has been viewed a few times, but all is in perfect condition. 6 hours of instruction. This set sells for $180, plus shipping. I am asking $100. Email me bluestem82 at aol.com , or message me through this forum. Thank You, JW Wright

Hi Justin...............Thank You, and yes sir, that is a Playgun , and a good one, if I do say so. I won quite a bit on a 1/2 sister, and he is undefeated in reined cowhorse competition. Only problem with him in our breeding program is that I can't keep his offspring around very long................not a bad problem to have. Keep up your good work, JW.

I agree with Chris.....I think the important thing is to have both skirts running the same way. Personally, I put the front of the skirts to the butt of the sheep. JW

Howdy Justin,.............I really like this saddle. I don't know how many you've built, but congrats, well done. This is strictly a matter of personal preference, but I tend to like a little bit more skirt in front of the bars. That's just me, and the way my eye sees lines. At any rate, a job well done, and I sure like Rod's trees myself......just wish that you north Americans would lower the exchange rate. All the best, JW.

I use a french edger to trim the welt. JW

Good job Alan. Very nice...............JW

You're welcome, hope this is helpful. JW

Mike, I use one piece welts rather than folded welts, and I hand sew them. Typically, when I trim the fork cover after fitting, I trim out 1/4" beyond the pinched line. JW