BigSiouxSaddlery

Well that looks like a challenge for sure. I'm afraid I have no insight to offer. The sheepskin for saddle skirts is only on the bottom side as it is stitched, so the foot doesn't come in contact with the fleece. I've heard people complain about the fleece getting caught in the standard feed dog, but oddly enough, I've never ever had a problem with mine. I think the problem with the narrow dog not feeding it as well was due to there being less surface area to contact the material rather than any fault of the parts. Saddle skirts with dense wool an inch in length is asking plenty of any machine with feed dogs. I guess now that I think about it, I have sewn fleece to leg hobbles, for horses. With that project the fleece is on the bottom, then wrapped around the edges of the body and sandwiched between the body and a top layer. Not such a fun sew. But the foot still doesn't come in contact with the fleece, so I still have no advice!

Keith, I thank you as well for that advice. I have never used a blind stitch on a swell cover, because I could never get it to look like I thought it should. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong. Even the cutters I've built I have used a welt in the swell cover. My question to you is, exactly what type of stitch is used and how is the leather positioned when stitching? My failure to perfect this type of stitch has irked me for years.

I have used my set for over a month now, and wanted to test.it on all types of work before I gave a review. It works splendidly for fine and narrow work. In fact I didn't find anything that didn't work well with it until I sewed new sheepskin on a set of saddle skirts a couple days ago. It didn't feed as well as the standard dog, which is understandable. I have plenty of other machines to do that on however, and I think I will just leave my machine set up with the narrow dog and plate. Thank you for developing and making available to the rest of us a much needed accessory to these machines!

Truest words that will be spoken today!! There are many items in saddlery and harness that this can happen if things were not fit up perfectly, or the layers shift the least little bit during stitching, or if the operator isn't paying attention. It does indeed make for a bad day.

Thank you Tom. I've tried resizing, and even when below the required size I still get the message that they are above the required size.

I have tried many times to post pictures to this site, and no matter what I do, I can't get them to post. There are probably some pictures associated with my old account, under the same name. I got locked out and never could get back in. Even the admins couldn't get me in. Yes the #1 s are slow. Sometimes that is an advantage. I sewed on a #1 exclusively for the first 15 years in business. But I did eventually upgrade, for various reasons. I have two Randalls, a UL, a Landis 3, a Landis 16, a cowboy 4500, plus others. The #1 is more forgiving of different types of thread than any of the others, including the 4500. It also requires less tinkering than any of the needle and awl machines. I can put a knife in it to cut a channel and hide the bottom stitches, which I do on my harness traces. Some of the other machines have that capability, but I don't have knives for the others. I won't argue that there is no machine that can compare to the stitch made on a properly set up hook and awl machine, especially a Randall. But sometimes they can make a person pull their hair out in frustration trying to figure out why it went from sewing fine to not sewing. They all have their place, that's why I own so many, plus I just like machinery.

Lol, well I'm somewhat of a collector but definitely no Swartzentruber. However, I DID sew a set of round reins on one of my Landis 1s today, and have two more pair fitted up to sew tomorrow. I'm running 207 top and bottom with an original old stock number 6 needle and the correct size old stock bushing. I also have a set of harness tugs to sew on it, (with a heavier thread and needle of course) as soon as I get to them. I have many other heavy stitchers, some vintage, some newer, but some things I still prefer to sew on a #1. Most people familiar with the #1 wouldn't even believe me if I showed them some of the work I've done on one.

I don't know much about the 97-10s, but I see a Landis #1 in the background, plus a bobbin winder, that I'd take ahead of the 97-10. As old and obsolete at the #1 is, I think parts and needles are more easily available. But I could be wrong.

If you have customers that are willing to pay for the best, there are people that custom make conchos and buckles. They like to work in Sterling silver, and be prepared for $100+ a concho, and at least that for a buckle. Otherwise, there's Mincer and Horseshoe Brand (Jeremiah Watt, Ranch2arena). I'm not necessarily endorsing those companies, because personally I'm not a fan of a lot of the HB hardware, but they are options.

I know Eli personally, having worked closely with him for several days a couple years ago in preparing for an auction. We visit on the phone every once in awhile, and met again this past July at the harness makers auction in Wisconsin. I have to say I have never had anything but great and generous advice from Eli. I might add that I have never purchased anything from him, in fact we have bid against each other for the same machine parts multiple times and still always had a civil conversation following. His behavior experienced by the OP sounds quite out of character. I guess everyone is entitled to a bad day once in awhile?

This is generally something that should done by a qualified saddle repair person. The saddle needs to be partially disassembled, leather pieces cut which will hold the dee rings, which will then be attached to the tree with screws and nails. If you have no experience with saddle construction or repair, it is typically not a do-it-yourself job. Inquire in tack and feed stores in your area for someone who can safely and properly do the job. While the strength of the rear rigging on a pleasure saddle is not quite as paramount to the safety of horse and rider as the front rigging, improper installation can compromise the tree and/or reduce the value of the saddle.

The saddle appears to be what is marketed as a so called "training saddle". A qualified saddle maker or repair person would need to inspect the saddle to determine if what you are asking is advisable. It may be just as easy and cost effective to add a rear rigging in the traditional manner, rather than rotate the existing dee ring, which would require a horizontal slit to be cut in the skirt, after drilling out the rivets, which would require removal of at least a portion of the sheepskin to access the rivet burrs. I shudder at the thought of it. If you're going to add a rear rigging, do it correctly and retain the value of the saddle by not cobbling it up.

When I was growing up back in the 70's, that was a popular method for attaching reins to a bit, especially latigo reins. I never knew there was a name for it.

To add to Yintx's good advice, splayed end stamps are harder to run also, angled stamps a little less so. The easiest are the stamps where the ends are parallel to each other and the center portion is 90° to the edges of the stamp. Practice with one of those in a high quality stamp, then once you've become proficient with it, move on the the others.

I'll take this, Joel, and the 4 strands of rawhide videos please.