Saddlemaking books?

[bruce johnson]

One other thing about the Hopper book. Probably a third of the book is dedicated to patterns for other gear - saddle bags, hobbles, halters, bucking rolls, etc. I find these a good resource sometimes too.

[undeberg]

I like many others here am pretty new to saddle making. I have both the Dusty Johnson book and the Stohlman series. I must agree with Bruce that he was a saddle maker and not thee saddle maker! He has great information in his books, but like stated before some is pretty dated. The whole ground seat section is probably the most dated information, in my opinion anyway. Also his tool for making sure rigging is centered is a bit cumbersome and time consuming to construct. On the whole though I would recommend that one first though.

I bought the Dusty Johnson book first and disagree a little with his order on assembly, dealing with the Horn mainly, I took his pattern for a horn cap and wrap and chucked it out. I'm not saying that this was a bad purchase though, don't get me wrong, I think he explains things very well and I still use a lot of information that I got from his book. I just feel that if a cap is put on properly it would take a serious wreck while roping to dislodge the cap and tear things up. I prefer to have my horn done before I do the swells. Dusty's book says to put the whole horn cap and wrap on after the swells are covered. Yes it would be easy to replace if it ever did come undone, but if you're just making a pleasure saddle it's more appealing, at least to me, to do the swells after the horn.

By the time you get everyone's 2 cents you'll be able to pay for the materials!

Edited March 13, 2008 by undeberg

[jonwatsabaugh]

Just a word on covering the horn after covering the swell. This is common practice when the horn will have a final wrap with mule hide or latigo. Agreed though, a pleasure saddle should have a standard "wing wrap" before covering the swell.

Jon

[unicornwoman]

Well, if you want something different, how about Ron Edwards books on Australian Stock Saddle Making? LOL! Had to throw it in! (Email me if by some freak chance you want copies.)

[Mike]

I'm not a saddlemaker but Bill Gomer of Kansas also produced a video on saddle making.

Mike

[barra]

Well, if you want something different, how about Ron Edwards books on Australian Stock Saddle Making? LOL! Had to throw it in! (Email me if by some freak chance you want copies.)

It has been mentioned before that saddlemaking is a learning journey that never ends. No one way of gaining information is the be all and end all. Every available method at our disposal should be exploited in order for us to gather the information we are after. We should gather all the books/dvd's/photo's we can. We should attend trade shows and seminars, watch and listen to experienced saddlemakers who all have different ideas, get the perspective of the tree maker, the person who has spent their working life in a saddle, the equine vet. Look closely how items have been constructed when we visit the saddlery. Sit quietly in a comfy chair with a coffee and simply watch how a horse moves or reacts to being saddled or ridden under saddle. All of these methods (and more) will enhance the learning tool box.

To that end I think the late Ron Edwards book on Australian saddle making is a valuable addition to any saddle makers library. He was a very accomplished artist in his own right and illustrated his own comprehensive range of leather work books clearly and consisely. I am sure that if you read his book you would be able to adapt his techniques to western saddle making. After all it is still attaching leather to a tree. You might even see a solution to tackling task X, Y or Z you never thought of.

http://www.ramsskullpress.com/crafts.html

I have attached the link to the rams skull press again for those newer members who may not have seen it. Ron produced as comprehensive range of diverse leather work books as have ever been set to print. All are excellent. Scroll down and listed are the topics covered in his books. His Plaiting/braiding books are very good.

Edited March 18, 2008 by barra

[D.A. Kabatoff]

An excellent book was put out by John H. Beck and was simply titled "Saddlemaking". It is a very difficult book to find and usually quite expensive if you can find a copy but the information in it is excellent. I would say it is the equivalent of the Dale Harwood videos in that a person needs basic saddlemaking skills to get the most out of the book. The man was obviously a saddlemaker who understood his craft and the small nuances that make a good saddle.

Darc

[unicornwoman]

To that end I think the late Ron Edwards book on Australian saddle making is a valuable addition to any saddle makers library. He was a very accomplished artist in his own right and illustrated his own comprehensive range of leather work books clearly and consisely. I am sure that if you read his book you would be able to adapt his techniques to western saddle making. After all it is still attaching leather to a tree. You might even see a solution to tackling task X, Y or Z you never thought of.

http://www.ramsskullpress.com/crafts.html

If you don't like hassling with international payments and customs, I have a few copies HERE in the USA and can order in all the others.

[yaklady]

Just thought I'd add my own two cents to all this. Back in the 1900's, I was taking a saddle making class at Tandy's when the instructor was transferred to another state, right in the middle of class. I had a saddle half way done. The second half of the saddle was done strictly with the help of Al Stohlman's books. I didn't know what I was doing, but that saddle turned out very well. I won 3rd out of 5 in a saddle show at the state fair. Al is very thorough in his books, explaining every little detail. I highly recommend these books for a beginner.

Kathy

[Rayban]

I have all three volumes of Al Stohlman's Saddle Making Encyclopedia that I'm about to put on ebay, unless I can sell them to somebody here.....very good condition, I have refered to them many times over the years. I'm just never gonna get that saddle built, so I'd rather someone that can put them to use, have them.

I will take $120 plus shipping for the set of 3.