CWR
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Posts posted by CWR
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It won't come ready to use. But if you don't mind spending the time to sharpen and polish it it will work fine.and should last for many years.
CW
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Nice clean rig Billy.
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They have nearly any kind of fastener you would need. I use mostly 3 d galvanzed nails because I can still get them locally and they hold well but I get all my stainless screws for riggings etc. fom them. They have them available in square drive which I really like because they are less prone to strip out.
Glad I could help.
CW
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McMaster's Carr carries them.
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Besides the quality of the tree, it is always a pleasure to talk to Sonny and Helen. I always enjoy ordering a tree because of the opportunity to get to visit with them. They are genuinely good people.
CW
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The first thing that catches my eye is the back rigging dee. From the pictures it looks like your plate assembly falls below the line of the skirt from the seat jockey all the way to the dee. I understand you have butterfly skirts but I think your saddle would look more balanced if you raised that line on your plate and the skirt was visible behind the seat jockey and your rear housing covered the top of the back dee. Overall a very nice saddle.
CW
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Mine is 15x28 and 4 inches thick. I would not get anything less tan 3 inch thickness because it will crack. The more weight you get the less bounce too. Like Cookie i got mine from a stone works place. I told my wife when i died she could take it back and have my name and the dates scratched in it for my headstone.
CW
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From the pictures it does appear to be to far forward. Decide the rigging position that you want and mark it on the tree then draw your pattern to correspond with the mark on the tree. I like my rings to fall about 6 1/2" below the bar pad. Measure the distance from the bar pad down to the bottom of the pattern then add the distance your ring will be below the pattern. That will tell give you a place to start. Paper is cheap, I went through a lot of it before getting a pattern that satisfied me.
Hope this helps,
CW
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If you have a set of wing dividers, use them to find the center of your strap and mark the center. Then place the point of your punch on the mark left by the wing dividers and make sure that the gaps at the rear are the same on both sides. This should get you pretty close.
CW
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Big Sioux makes some good points. In my opinion both the pictures are a little off. One to short one too long. I make mine 9 inches. Most of the horses around here QH. If there are some bigger horses in your country you might want to change it some. But 9 works pretty good for me.
CW
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That's fine work Big Sioux. It is something I will probably never have any reason to do but I admire your skill and craftsmanship.
Thanks,
CW
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I'm with Bob and Sioux. I even cut the fringe on chaps with mine. Like Bob my favorite knife came from Knipper. It and my sewing machine are the most indispensable tools in the shop.
CW
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I would use number nine copper rivets. Bob Douglas at Sheridan leather makes a nice setter.
Good luck,
CW
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The latigos should be latigo leather. It has waxes and oils impregnated in it during tanning. I use 9-10 oz. Skirting would not remain pliable as it would soak up the sweat to easily. I have seen some made from harness leather. 8-9 oz. is a good weight for saddle bags.
Hope this helps,
CW
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The carved will look better anyway. I just pick one I like from word and usually set it on italics. Type what I want in several different fonts then pick the one I like best.
CW
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McCall is probably one of the best production saddles out there.
CW
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I have seen a lot on here and other sites about corrientes saddles and have bitten my tongue up to this point. I would run from them like my skin was on fire. I have had several in for repairs and never found one with a square tree. They use some sort of plastic to plug the skirts. They use staples to hold the rawhide to the tree. The last one I had in had no stirrup leather grooves because the staples had pulled out and the rawhide had pulled loose from the tree. I'm sure there are some serviceable ones out there but I would not be willing to gamble on getting one. They sell a new saddle for way less than my material cost. This tells me quite a bit about their quality. That being said, it's still a free country so buy what you want.
CW
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Randy,
The first thing I would do is talk to the owner. When I get one like this in, if the owner has no objections, I replace the pockets with lug straps. You don't have to take the riggings off. Just cut the stitches to remove the skirts, then I trim the riggings while on the tree to the same dimensions I would make my D riggings if I was building them new. Then edge them and you are good to go. If he prefers to keep the pockets it is standard to sew them after the woolskins are on and the skirts are put on the saddle. I hate that part of the job. Get some bandaids and prepare to bleed a little.
Hope this helps,
CW
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Randy,
Really nice job. I have a vary minor critique, burnish the billet slot. I know you won't be able to see much of it when the billet is added but the top will still be visible. It just jumped out at me when i saw it. The rest of your edges look nice so it makes it show even more. Look forward to seeing the Will James.
CW
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I built my boy one when he was 3. I built it on a 13 in Will James tree from Sonny Felkins. I built it just like I would for a grown man just scaled down. It has a flat plate rigging and is stout enough to rope anything that will run. He is not ready for that but the saddle will be when the boy is. I'm glad I didn't go with a smaller tree. He will be able to ride this one until he is a teenager with the addition of new fenders. Then he should be able to move into a full sized one.
Hope this helps,
CW
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I get 90 to 95 % of my leather from them. They are very nice and easy to deal with. I always call because they have more in the store than shows up on the website and I can specifically tell them what I need. I use a lot of their buffed skirting and it is really nice on ruff outs. The regular skirting is good too. It may have a few range marks from time to time but no brands or major flaws. They usually ship the same day as I call. They have a pretty good supply of hardware as well. It is not as cheap as you can get it from Weaver or Walsall but if I just need a few pieces and am placing a leather order I get it through them. I also buy harness leather from them. It is Hermann Oak and I have gotten some really nice sides. I don't use that much, just a side or two a year for reins and headstalls etc. But I'm real pleased with it. The necks will be in excess of 20 oz. and make really nice reins.
Hope you both have a good experience with them,
CW
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I just noticed you are from Canada Ron. The shipping might be pretty high.
Big Sioux, I will try to describe it. It has a good finish, I guess you would call it a semi gloss appearance. It is not real waxy. I have used some that you could scrape the wax off with your finger nail. I didn't care for that. It has some body to it but is not hard. It will wrinkle a little if you cut into the neck. I dn't know what tannery it is from but seems very similar to the thorobred I have used from Sheridan Leather. I use the 5-7 for strings and 10-12 for latigos.
Hope that helps,
CW
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Ron,
I always have good luck with the latigo I get from Panhandle Leather. The price is good too.
CW
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Jeremiah Watt is the only one I know of that supplies them.
CW
Need Tips For Rough Out Leather
in Saddle Construction
Posted · Report reply
I make a lot of rough out saddles. You can do it the hard way or the easy way. The easy way is to order Hermann Oak buffed leather from your supplier and build the saddle. Looks great. The hard way is to get regular skirting and sand it. This takes as almost as long as stamping one and the results are not as good as buying the buffed.
Good luck,
CW