hidepounder

That's a fine tribute! Please accept my condolences.

Welcome to the forum. Dan & Johnny are right...good places to start. Find something you like and copy it. Your spur straps should probably be around 8 ozs. The headstall should be heavier, but it depends entirely on the style and function. I would think 12 oz would be a minimum...mine are heavier. You'll see that the sky is the limit with regard to style on both....here's a another spur strap to look at. Good luck. SS___L_.jpg

Don't worry, you're in good company. The problem you're having is mostly just an issue of practicing. I would also bet that your cuts aren't deep enough, thus not allowing you to get the toe of the beveler into the cut. Try tipping your beveler toward the cut slightly and only progress about 1/3 the width of the beveler as you move along. Shallow swivel knife cuts are probably the most common mistakes made when starting out. And don't worry about speed...that comes later. Hope this helps....good luck.

Watch ebay...they are on fairly frequently in a variety of sizes...there are some on now, but not a #9. If you need one right away call Bob Douglas "Fine Vintage Tools" 307/737-2222. I'' be shocked if he doesn't have one in stock. Good Luck.

Vrey nice Alex...clean smooth lines. I'd like to see it the interior lined...maybe 2-3 oz calf?....it would be a nice finishing touch and easy to do. Looks great!

I do the same thing that Bruce does except that I chuck the punch a cordless drill and take it to a paper wheel....strop & polish the same way.

Timberwolf....thanks for that. For some of us old guys raised with a western heritage, that's a geat trip down memory lane.

I can't tell how thick it is..if is't no more than about 3" you can cut it with a masonry cutoff wheel on a cutoff saw...that's the one that looks like a chain saw with a big round blade on it...rent from Home Depot, etc. Very dangerous machine! Lean on a construction buddy for help!

We talked about this belt the other day but is deserves saying again. Great Job!!!!!

Troy!.......Fabulous job...you're tooling is impecable...I love the way you double bevel the swirls...that's a pain in the ***to do but it really pays off. This is top notch work! Good flow, nothing forced in your design. The first thing that grabbed me though, was that you rigged it in the skirts! I love that! I've tried to get so many guys to start doing that but they just won't. They don't think it's strong enough for roping. 99% of Bill Porters roping saddles were rigged that when I was there and the ropers were team tying in them! That's abuse! And what that rigging in the skirt does for the rider is big too...really takes a lot of bulk out from under you. I just can't say enough about this saddle! I want it! WOW Bob

Hi Bruce...just came back form looking at your site...I like it alot! It's easy to navigate which a lot of sites aren't. I'm not crazy about the blue either, but I'm not sure I would have noticed if I hadn't read the other posts first. No error messages, photos loaded fast...captions / descriptions are great. I know who I'm gonna call when I start mine ! Congratulatons!

Thanks to all of you for the encouragement...more to come!

Greatly appreciated! More to come. Thanks sam!

Anyone know a source for "makers plates"? I looking for a silver or maybe stainless manufactured plate to mount on my higher end projects, in addition to, my makers stamp. I could be stamped, engraved or cast. Any ideas?

For exotics try John Fong, www.johnfongexoticleathers.com. For hair on hides try Don Fleming, www.yourcowhide.com

Hi, I'm hidepounder and brand new to LW. I've posted photo's in a couple of other categories and just now discovered this one, which is where I want to be.....here's some photo's if you haven't already seen them in the other sections. I'll be posting new projects as I finish them......critiques always welcome! For those of you who have replied to my other posts...thanks for the kind words! hidepounder

Hi Kowboyboots! Wow! 10,000 ft barn with a 1000 ft shop? I'd be on cloud nine...sounds like you're doing what you love. I'd really like to see some your leather covered products. Do you have photos posted somewhere? hidepounder

Thanks Rawhide.....that's incredible! Hidepounder

It's a rope bag...you know....like for roping steers?

Hi, I'm Hidepounder...new to this group...I've been tooling for a few years and now I'm trying to figure out how to post...anyway, here's a few pic's of what I do......I welcome your comments...