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Posted

Does anyone have experience building on trees from Lewis Tree Co, Hereford TX? If so, I would appreciate your thoughts on them. Thanks.

www.jwwrightsaddlery.com

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Posted

I relined skirts on one and rerigged the front on one. It was a calf roping saddle - heavy thick bars. I think they are all glassed, not sure if they rawhide any or not. If you build on one, you have to deal with the issues of building on a glassed tree with a glassed in seat strainer. Anecdotally, some of the calf ropers really like them. I have also had a few Texas guys tell me they like Faith trees, but I have never found a contact for them.

Bruce Johnson

Malachi 4:2

"the windshield's bigger than the mirror, somewhere west of Laramie" - Dave Stamey

Vintage Refurbished And Selected New Leather Tools For Sale - www.brucejohnsonleather.com

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Posted

Family of the great saddle making legend Wilford Lewis. Definately know their business. No longer covers trees with rawhide due to not being able to keep a good rawhide man employed so just went to fiberglass covered only. One could always add a rawhide cover themselves if it were a big concern.

"Do what you want to.....You're going to anyway" The famous T.C. BUCK STEINER

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Posted
Family of the great saddle making legend Wilford Lewis. Definately know their business. No longer covers trees with rawhide due to not being able to keep a good rawhide man employed so just went to fiberglass covered only. One could always add a rawhide cover themselves if it were a big concern.

would it not be kind of hard to rawhide one with the strainer already a part of the tree? Greg

Posted
would it not be kind of hard to rawhide one with the strainer already a part of the tree? Greg

I'm with Greg, It would not be practical. However I guess it's like anything else.....if there's a will there's a way.

Regards,

Ben

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Posted

I have built on approx 20 Lewis Trees since I posted that question originally. Ray and Steve are good people, and make a nice tree. The drawbacks to these trees, for me, are that you have to work with and around the strainer that is glassed into the tree. It is more work for me to get the seat shape that I desire this way, as opposed to putting in my own metal strainer/groundseat, or all leather groundseat. The resin they use is very hard, and that presents some issues as well.

I am primarily using handmade trees by Jon Watsabaugh currently, although I would not hesitate to use a Lewis tree if the situation called for it.

JW

www.jwwrightsaddlery.com

Posted

JW,

Your experience with the strainer is one that is shared by a couple of saddlemakers that I have talked to. One of them used the trees back to Wilford and won't change out for nothing...

Regards,

Ben

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Posted

I'm wondering if you couldn't order your tree from them without the strainer. ........

Brent Tubre

email: BCL@ziplinkmail.com


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Posted

Brent...........I talked to Ray about that quite some time back. He told me that he used to do that, but he won't do it anymore. For him, it is a strength factor. Ray says that he believes quite a bit of the added strength he gets is from the integrity of the glassed in strainer.

JW

www.jwwrightsaddlery.com

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Posted

Oh yes, I forgot about the built in strainer. Thats too bad. I actually purchased the last rawhide covered association tree they had made up some years back. Thats when he told me there would be no more made with a rawhide cover unless I was willing to hire on as the new rawhider. Needless to say I declined.

"Do what you want to.....You're going to anyway" The famous T.C. BUCK STEINER

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