TrooperChuck

Very, very impressive!!

Ray: In Stohlman's Encyclopedia of Saddle Making, Volume 1, he gives complete plans for making "Old George" and the rigging guage. Plans for his "Stitching Pony" are in his book, Hand Sewing Leather. I actually took some photos from his books, to show you what these things look like, but then I read the disclaimer that says I'll be severely spanked if I reproduce any part of the books without permission from the publisher. So... The stitching pony is unlike Tandy's stitching pony, in that it has two legs which rest on the floor, while the rear portion of the device rests on the seat of a chair. You sit on the chair, straddling the pony, with the clamping arms in front of you, like any other stitch clamping device. "Old George" is an adjustable saddle stand/clamp device which holds the saddle tree during construction of a saddle. It can be tilted to securely hold the tree at various heights and angles. It's kind of a low-tech version of Weaver's saddlemaker's stand. The rigging device is made of adjustable rods and clamps. It clamps onto the front of a saddle, and is used to ensure the rigging rings are positioned identically on each side of the saddle. I've never used any of these items, so I can't attest to their usage.

Marlon, thanks for the advice. I've contemplated rasping down those ends for a while, but just haven't done it yet. There have been a few times, when sewing small pieces, that I've wished they were a bit more narrow. Yep, I was an Alaska State Trooper for 22 years. During much of that time I was involved with youth groups like Boy Scouts and Civil Air Patrol Cadets. The kids always called me Trooper Chuck, so it kinda stuck with me.

I'm hoping to build a stitching horse some day. Until then, I'm using two stitching clamps I built after viewing several owned by other people. The first one is made of 1" x 4" pine and is held shut with a large spring clamp. I guess you would call this one a stitching pony, because you put it under your legs while sitting on a chair. For a couple years this was the only stitching clamp I had, and it was a real challenge to clamp and sew saddle skirts in it! The second one I made from some 1" x 4" hickory that my brother gave me. (He's a cabinet maker, so I get lots of excellent wood from him.) The clamp that I used as a model for this one had a swivel base, but I opted to make mine with a fixed base. I now do almost all my stitching on this clamp. I've looked with envy at some of the stitching horses members of this forum have made. Someday...

Kanga: Our prayers are with you. I live in an area prone to wild fires, so I can KIND OF understand what you're going through, but I'm sure nothing can compare to experiencing the real thing. Please keep us posted how things turn out for you. It's a long way from Australia to USA, but if there's a way to help, please let me know. Chuck

I have a 1965 Ford F350 flatbed truck that's in pretty good shape for its age. Over the years, the steering wheel lost most of its surface coating and, if your hands were a bit wet, they got coated with a sticky black stain. I figured, "well, it's time for a new steering wheel", and went to a couple auto parts stores to find one. That was an eye opener! Steering wheels for that vintage of truck are well over $100. That's a bit more than I wanted to spend on a truck that I only use for hauling hay. So, I took some chrome tanned chap leather, which was about 5 oz. in thickness, cut a long strip of the right width, and sewed it on the steering wheel with a baseball stitch. I put the stitches on the inside of the wheel's circumference. It didn't turn out beautiful, but it has stood up to lots of use. If I did it again, I'm sure I could do a better job.

Karl: Great looking holster and belt. Thanks for sharing the pics with us. I agree that trying to keep the oval punches in line can be a challenge. I put a piece of tape on the front of the tool to help me keep the holes lined up. Unfortunately, I don't speak photonerd-ese, so my eyes are still a bit crossed from trying to decipher that particular post! It sounds like it was a lot of work though, with all that pushing going on. Chuck

Thanks, Roo. That's exactly what I was looking for.

I just use whatever smooth, rounded item is close at hand. Like JRB, I seem to end up using the handles of my edgers and stitching wheels a lot.

Maybe Roo, or some of the others who live there, can answer this... Is there any kind of relief fund set up that we can send donations to?

I, like lots of folks, just got my copy yesterday. I think UKRay got it right... Somebody (Johanna???) must have mentioned something on our behalf. It's the first time I've seen this magazine. I liked it.

Hmmm... After reading these posts, I'm seriously wondering if I want to subscribe with a company that so disfunctional. Sending renewal cards to people who haven't even received the magazine yet? Sending out envelopes full of blank papers? Ignoring numerous requests for sample magazines? Yeah, that seems like a recipe for failure to me. It sounds like the magazine itself is a good product, but the distribution and support staff seem to be woefully incompetent. Maybe if someone sent this thread to the owners of the company they could shake things up a bit and get these problems fixed.

rhall: I'm wondering the same things. Here's another example of government idiocy... Last year, here in WA state, they wanted to have meters installed on people's private wells so they could tax us for the water we take out of the ground. (Luckily, that didn't go anywhere, but there are still legislators who think it's a good idea.) This year, our kind-hearted representatives in Olympia are introducing a bill to tax people who use studded tires in the winter time! Their idea is that studded tires cause more damage to the roads, so you will have to obtain a $100 permit in order to use studded tires! My question is this... if this law passes, some people will opt not to use studded tires in the winter because they can't afford the $100 permit, so how many vehicle accidents (and deaths) will be caused because people can't use the proper traction-tires? I am sooooooo sick of these money hungry jerks contantly looking for ways to milk more and more money out of little guys to support their out-of-control government spending.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing the pics with us.

I requested one, but haven't received it yet.

Darc: Those are some impressive looking machines. I bet you could sew patches on car fenders with those! Steve: I bought the cutting/skiving machine from the old cowboy who taught me to build saddles. I actually bought two of them. The other one is like the one your grandfather had... it only cuts, doesn't have the skiving attachment. I didn't include a picture of it, because I'm leaving it in the old cowboy's shop for now. He's 83 years old and still putters around with leather. His hands and fingers don't work as well as they used to, so it's easier for him to use the cutter than to use a round knife. I also bought the Singer sewing machine from him. He rarely used it, which explains why it's in such good shape.

Here's three old machines I use regularly. The first is a leather cutting/skiving machine. It says "AMERICAN" and "ST. LOUIS" on it, but other than that, I don't know much about this machine. I don't use it a lot for cutting leather because it leaves a cut with ridges on it, but I love using it for skiving. One crank of the handle, and the leather is perfectly skived to a feather edge. The next picture is my Singer 29K60 sewing machine. It was built in Scotland in 1946. I use it for quick sewing of simple lightweight leather projects. I don't use it as often as I might, because I enjoy handsewing. The third picture is what used to be a hand-cranked grinding machine. I bought it at a second-hand shop for $15.00. I took the grinding stone off and replaced it with 6 inch diameter leather discs which I cut out from scraps of saddle skirting and rivetted together. I applied jeweler's rouge to the disc and it works perfectly for honing knives and other cutters.

Jerry: If your saddle is going to used only for pleaure riding (as opposed to hard usage like roping, ranch work, or wilderness packing trips) you could probably get away with using some medium weight leather. Something in the neighborhood of 10-12 oz. If you are looking to make a really light saddle, think about making a Hope saddle, an old-timer skeleton-rigged saddle, or a McClellan saddle. My old M1928 McClellan only weighed about 18 pounds, versus about 35 for my western saddle. I loved riding that saddle. It was the most comfortable saddle I've ever owned. The problem was that it didn't fit my horses well, but that could be remedied by building one on a tree designed for today's broader horses. Hope you'll post a pic of whatever you end up building.

This has been a great thread, and I'm so glad the people who created this forum included a section for Off-Topic discussions. There's been some great comments, ideas, and information here. From Johanna's anecdotal information about tough times in Small-town America. To Marlon's premise that the current situation is a result of our society's addiction to out of control spending and failure to save for hard times. To rdb's advice that we can, in small ways, help by doing positive things for others. These, and all the other postings, have been fascinating to read. One of my favorite postings has been by TwinOaks... "Has it occured (and I'm not thumping my Bible here) that the current crises are exactly what we need? Maybe this will move the country away from the 'gimme gimme gimme' ideology... Take things back to a simpler way of life when honor meant something, a man's (woman's too) word was binding, and a handshake was better than any stack of papers a lawyer could produce." It might just be wishful thinking, but I would love to live in that kind of society. Until that happens, I'm going to keep hoping for the best, preparing for the bad, and (as rdb suggested) try to help where I can.

Brent: I only use the corner area for stitching, so bounce isn't an issue. For stamping, I have a heavy metal plate mounted on 2x6 legs. I made it the same height as my work bench, so the bench can support the leather while I stamp it. Since it sits on a concrete floor, there's no bounce. As a bonus, I can use the metal plate for clinching tacks when I need to use them for temporarily holding together leather before stitching. I covered the metal plate with a layer of heavy packing tape so the wet leather doesn't get stained when I use it. Here's another view of the shop, showing my work bench and the stamping plate.

My workshop is located in our basement. The thing I love the most about it is that in the summer, no matter what the temperature is outside, it's always 65 degrees (F) down there! I have all the tools mounted on one wall. On the opposite side of the room is my "stitching corner" where I do all my hand-sewing. This room didn't use to be so large. There used to be two rooms there, neither of which was as large as I wanted. So... the work bench in the picture was made from lumber I recycled after removing the wall.

Maybe someone from California can confirm or deny this... I recently heard that CA is in such bad shape that they've issued IOU's to pay some of their bills. Is this true, or is it some type of "The Sky Is Falling!" propaganda? Johanna: My dad is a perfect example of the type of hard times you're describing. He's retired from a construction company, and last month he got a notice in the mail that said his retirement pension will be cut by $700 per month. They cited tough financial times as the reason for the cut. Bree: Dang it! Now, you've given me one MORE thing to worry about... I hope the black helicopters don't start showing up! LOL

Wow. I wish my second saddle looked that good! Excellent job, for both of you.

Madmax22: That key rack is VERY cool! Excellent work and a beautiful design.

rdb: I have the same problem, here in northeast Washington state. A customer recently ordered a holster for his 9mm pistol. I only charged the guy $25.00 and he acted like I was taking his first born child. I don't know what he would have done if I had asked $50 or $60. Maybe throw the holster back at me!