Newfman

Hey folks, I'm a Barefoot Hoof Trimmer for horses in Maine. I usually wear a Farriers Apron (chaps) to keep from rasping my kneecaps off. Now that Winter is here. . .again, I am thinking I would like to just wear my insulated Carhartt cover-alls but with a hoof between my knees i am bound to rasp into my pantleg. What I would like to do is adhere some leather pads to the 'working' area of my cover-alls. I don't see me hand stiching them on, (because I would likely suck at it) I don't think it would be very cost effective to take them in somewhere, have them rip the seam, sew on the pads and resew the legs together again. Atleast that is what I think would have to happen. Any suggestions?

so, do I assume this is a no? I would beat someone silly if they ever touched a file to my chisels! They are sharpened on a diamond hone 1200 grit. I got lazy once and asked a neighbor, that has a sharpening buisness, to sharpen my chisels. He stopped by to pick them up and we discussed the angles etc. He unsheathed the slick and touched the edge very lightly before I had a chance to say anything! I got him a bandage and he decided that he couldn't get them any sharper than that! These are not Stanley handyman chisels. It was just an idea. Barr is an expert. If there is a preferred hardness or industry standard, let me know. These are "Hand Forged" by Hammers, not machines. I'm not making money on these. Thought it was a good idea. . . The $99 Osborne 70 price was out of the 2009 Tandy Catalog #183 page 8 ($80 whsle) I don't have an Osborne Catalog, sorry. The Stohlman is $59.99. http://www.barrtools.com/

I have been looking through leather tools from various manufacturers and when it comes to the head knife. . .I can't imagine not getting one from my framing chisel maker. Barr Quarton is a master of hand forging fine tools and the quality is second to none. He told me he as made a couple round knives before out of 1095 that worked very well. My slick peels paper thin curls of wood from timbers and leaves an absolutely perfectly flat smooth surface behind. What a joy to work with. Barr has studied in Japan under a Samurai sword maker and his knives and chisles will really take an edge. My chisles have an edge that is comparable to a surgical scalpel and remind me of that when I get to lazy or quick. So, my question. Would anyone else be interested in owning a hand made, hand forged knife or two? I'm not sure what a good price would be. I see the Osborne 70 which I assume is stamp forged, selling at $99. Any ideas? [img=http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp172/Newfman/Buffys%20Barn/ArtandCraft.jpg]

WOOHOO! Books are in! I like how Al writes. It is like he is in the room talking to you. Would have liked to have met him. Thanks for recommending these books to start with. D.

Thanks Blake, Getting customer input on the Maxwell kit sound like a good idea. We built this from a couple books, so my confidence may be out running my talent. If the Maxwell Kit turns out to be of decent quality, I should have to consider it. [img=http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp172/Newfman/Buffys%20Barn/AnofferingtothetimbergodsWelldone.jpg]

Hi Theresa, Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I can't throw a stone quite that far. I also have to work for a living (when it is available) so taking a jaunt across the country isn't practical either, unfortunately. I used to live in Mt. Home (wayyyyy back in the very early '70's) I miss it. I also lived in Lewiston, ID. which is sort of where I am from. Don't really miss that. Hopefully we have a member/saddle maker here in New England that just hasn't bumped into the post yet.

Thank you for the help. I will read the books and gather what infor I can from here and where ever else I can. I'm not exactly in the middle of Western Saddle making country. Getting live help may be out of the question. I like the used saddle rebuild idea, except, again I am in the wrong part of the world and finding one of good original quality is difficult or impossible. I have a lot to learn before I get to that point anyhow. Thanks again, Dennis

Part of me says to shut up but here goes anyways. . . If you peen only the center of the filler down (Similar to Bruces "hammerjacking" method), would this not help significantly reduce the dome look, at the same time provide an outer perimeter to nail down through that still has a fuller thickness (more tear/twist resistant) rim? So, instead of making an actual doughnut, use a peening hammer to compress the "hole area" instead of completely removing the material, yet be sure to leave room for a proper nail hold in the thicker part. Of course, i could be missing the point entirely.

Arts, I saw that video this past weekend. It brings me to yet another metal strainer question. In that video, it appeared that there were two tins used. Am I not seeing that correctly? If that is what I am seeing, what is the purpose? Thanks, Dennis

That is beautiful! I can't imagine the patience it took to do that much basket weave. The stitching looks so clean. I hope to be able to make such a fine saddle someday. It is motivational and inspirational. Did you make those bosals? Is that really just number ten?!?!? Dennis

I just bought Al Stohlmans encylopedia vol 1 and 2 on ebay. Vol 3 had just sold before I could get it. I also watched some great Videos on www.cowboysaddlery.com The amount of info is overwhelming. Thanks folks for pointing me in a good direction. Cheers Dennis

Well Andrew, that's a step in the right direction! Until I gather a bit of knowledge and some tools to get started, I know where to go for harness work! The Chin strap on my hackamore is a couple inches to short for my warmblood. Until I found this website I thought I was going to have to find a suitable dog collar to use in its place. It is such a nice piece of tack (Schutz Bros.) that I hated to junk it up. It was given to us, unused by a friend. Nice to meet You Andrew. Are you near Harrisville, NH? I get all my horse and goat fencing supplies there. (3 hour drive). Cheers, Dennis

I agree with the others on the Vet suggestion. An x-ray would be a good idea as well. A good Equine vet can palpate in just the right spot sometimes to find a sore area. Plus they can manipulate the leg properly and perform blocks to narrow down the true location of the source of discomfort. Basically, once they determine the region, they numb (nerve block) the most distal part and see if they still respond to the painful stimulus. If they do, they block higher. This continues until the manipulation of the leg no longer gets them a response of discomfort. That is where the source is. Hopefully it is simple. Corrective shoeing, suppliments, rest and relaxation and not something too serious. Good luck to you and your horse buddy.

Just thought I'd see if there are any Saddle Makers in my area. Maybe someone interested in a little mentoring. I'm in South central Maine. It is mostly English around here but there may be a couple other displaced individuals. . .

Can the true difference in weight be so discernable as to truly provide a significant weight difference? A pound, maybe 2? If you are that concerned with weight, skip breakfast before riding, and ride a saddle with a quality tree. It sounds deceptive. They want to make cheap trees real fast, but need a gimmick to get them to sell. I am sure they do not compare their products strength to a proper tree do they? This is exactly why I hate the idea of going to a tack shop and buying a saddle off the shelf. Do you really know what is inside? My money is just so hard to come by. A buyers perspective.

Thanks, I'm looking into purchasing the series right now. Studying them will give me something positive to do while waiting for work to pick back up. I met with a client of my wife's yesterday, as he has been dabling in leather work for awhile. He has a saddle kit that he bought from Tandy a few years ago. It is perfect for someone that interested in , just as a one time hobby kind of thing, or a parent/kid sort of project. I'm not sure I would put it on my horse though. I was not real impressed with the plastic tree. I'm sure that a Bowden or jjmaxwell kit is better, but I will take your advice and start from scratch. I don't want a fancy rig. Even if I had $3500 to buy a saddle right now, I would just buy a plain rough-out wade, no decorations. After I make my first saddle, I can practice tooling on the scraps. I then would like to make a second wade with some simple border decoration and maybe a few embellishments, assuming I learn to do them nice enough, but nothing major. I will be concentrating on improving my techniques from building the first saddle. Plus, I need to be able to make sure my borders land on the saddle where they were intended to go, once the leather is stretched, fit and glued. Then, see where things go from there. Does that sound about right? Thanks folks for the guidance. D

I just visited your website. Your saddlery is amazing. The carving is incredible. While I can understand how (not that I can do it) you folks can carve a flower or something. I can easily wrap my head around that. The creating this whole flow around and through all the parts of a saddle, the maze and mural like artistry, and to have it all start and finish so completely, yet no percievable start or finishing point. . .yup, I guess i am just dumfounded by artists.

Now there is some information I can run with. http://www.jjmaxwell.com/saddle_kits_page.htm This was the kit I had found, and it was in the 1200 dollar range (the mind is the first thing to go.) I have been one to do without rather than go cheap, so the leather quality and tree quality I wouldn't really compromise on. I like Rod Nikkels philosophy, as it is right in line with how I feel about whatever work I do. So I am confident in the quality of his trees and would likely go with him if it were possible. Tools, I can handle middle of the road quality for awhile. If I have reasonable success, I would like to think that, since I will never be in a position to retire, I could make quality saddles and tack in my later years having gained enough knowledge and experience. I just need to start somewhere. As far as a draw down stand goes, I would likely build one to start out with. I recently built a saddle stand for one of my draft horses saddle. I used the coat-hanger method of tracing her whithers and back, then built the stand to that shape and size. This way her saddle rests on the shape of her back. I will figure out how to post a pic, then you could tell me if you think a taller version would work. I have not a clue how I did that.

Ok, now I got it. I had assumed it would cost as much as a production model ($1500ish) not a custom ($2500-$4000). Well, in that case it certainly sounds like I would be wasting money. I didn't realize that tools would cost so much. I believe I saw a saddle kit (maybe Bowden but will have to find it again) starting at $600. I wasn't sure how much a good tree and leather would cost for a wade (not pre-cut) so there was no way for me to tell if that was junk or not. I'm a bit confused as to how much hand tools could possibly cost. I have hand forged timber-framers chisels made by a certified Samurai sword maker that only cost an average of $175 each. Which tools are pushing the cost up so high? Knives? Don't take this wrong, I am looking for your input and appreciate it. I'm just surprised by the answer, though not completely dissuaded. Any input on the Bar angle question? Thank you for taking the time to respond as well Alan. p.s. I see you braide rawhide as well. I,someday will be looking for a well made working reatta. I bet there are some folks here for sure! What an incredible form of working art. D.

That makes a lot of sense and was what I was hoping to hear. I tend to get pretty involved in things when I decide to. As far as the investment is concerned, until I am back to work full time, educating myself is the only investment I can make at the moment. Thanks for your response.

How truly fortunate I am to have stumbled upon this site. I will try to learn quietly in the background as much as possible, but, I do want to introduce myself and get a little direction. I'm Dennis in Maine, though not a "Mainer". I am from everywhere but hope when I die, it will be in MT-CO-or Wyoming (in that order. . .but, in just one, not across all three. . .I'm not that big a guy). I am not a true cowboy, at least not on the outside, but truly am in my heart. I am working on becoming a true horseman and hope one day that my horse tells me I finally made it. I am a do it yourselfer and technician type. My wife calls me MacGyver. I learned to Timberframe building my own Timber frame barn. That's pretty much it in a nutshell and kind of tells you where I am coming from. . .if not a bit weird. So, I have been looking at saddles for 2+ years (I am decidedly a Wade/Slickfork man). The price of a well made, hand made Wade is out of my price range, and I can't bring myself to put a questionable saddle on my horse. So, that leaves one alternative, maybe. Build it yourself. The more I read here and learn here the more I think I really want to learn this. So, for my first saddle, amongst all the books and videos I need to study, do you recommend building one from a kit? Are there good ones and bad ones? any recommendations either way? Would that totally preclude ones ability to customize the ground seat shape? Lastly (for now), We have a 4 year old German Warmblood (Oldenburg TB/ Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar) that, much to my wifes horror, is going to get to spend some of his time as a western horse as well. I also have very definate plans of adopting a wild Mustang as well. To top that off I would like to ride as many different horses as possible but can't buy a saddle for every horse. Curt Pate ( a well known horseman/clinician) uses a Wade (made by Frekkers Saddlery I believe) because, it 's design allows it to comfortably fit a variety of horse types. He never knows what students horse he will ride at a clinic. What kind of bars would be best for that type of application? Qh, semiQH etc., and what is the difference really? Just so you know, I am fully aware that I, for now, do not imply that I could build a saddle comparable to the quality of a handmade saddle from one of the great saddlemakers out there. I just know that I will put much more care and concern into making one, than a machine can. Oh yeah, i also have two draft horses but they have their own saddle issues and aren't included in this discussion. . .for, rather big reasons! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great forum! Dennis Limerick, Maine