Ground seat construction

[AZThunderPony]

I have actually been searching this topic since I joined the sight. I would love to see a tutorial from a bare tree to a complete ground seat. There have been several discussions on ground seats but if we could get a tutorial that shows how to cut the peices and where to cut them from on the hide it would be invaluable. That is the part that is generally skipped over in the other discussions, although they do a good job of explaining about casing and stretching the leather and about skiving it to make a seat pocket, they don't really mention beginning the ground seat at all.

david

I agree here and if we could have a 1/2 seat version tutorial from bones to end product that would be helpful too..

Thanks in advance

;)S

[Echo4V]

AZ thunderpony--

This may not be exactly what you are looking for but you should take a look at this if you're wanting to build a half seat. It's from another forum where one of the members here posted a sort of blog on building his own dream saddle.

http://shootists.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=2231386

Hope this helps

David

[AZThunderPony]

Thanks David,

That was exactly what I needed.

Much appreciated!!

;)S

[Echo4V]

Thank Don, He did all the work and documented it. I just shared the link that he shared with me.

Seriously though, you're welcome and I hope it helps and inspires.

david

[nobearsyet]

Wow, that was really informative, I will be refering back to that one a lot

[JAM]

Hi,

I've tuned in a little late here, but I'm in the process of building an all-leather ground seat right now, and following the pictorial "Buckaroo" tutorial that was posted online by Bill Howe - it's gone now, but I copied it out into a Word doc, and have attached the first ten pages (the ground-seat part) here.

The big difference I see is that he shapes and then thoroughly seals each layer of the ground seat before starting the next layer - the result is a ground seat that's really firm but still feels a lot more comfortable than a metal-strainer seat. It takes a very long time - it's not for the quick-turnaround shop.

Also he starts with a three-part bar-riser that I neglected to use - I contacted him with questions and he chewed me out for not following his instructions and using the bar riser , but then told me he learned to make saddles without the bar riser and a lot of leather-seat makers do it that way (I feel a little better now) but he changed how he did it and began using the bar risers because it made more sense. And it does - I'll do it his way next time.

Anyway, here is the document (the ground seat part) that was posted at www.buckarooguide.com. I hope this works - I haven't attached a Word document before.

Edited June 13, 2009 by Johanna
removed attachment pending owner's permission to post it here

[tnestes]

I have another need to be educated- sure are a lot of them! What are your preferences between using a seat strainer vs an all leather ground seat? Anyone with long-term experience making and riding all leather ground seats? Do they stretch and sink over time? How do they hold up? I have always used seat strainers (now have built about a dozen saddles) but am interested in what others think now that I saw in an old thread that mentioned the all leather ground seat. Please enlighten me,

Chuck

DALE HARWOOD uses seat tins. Would Dale take a "short-cut?????" The BEST makers use seat tins/strainers.

[JAM]

DALE HARWOOD uses seat tins. Would Dale take a "short-cut?????" The BEST makers use seat tins/strainers.

Just curious - how do you define "best"?

[Tkleather1]

Just curious - how do you define "best"?

I sure dont know the whole answer to that question but I think Mr. Harwood would be among the list.

[JAM]

I agree, Dale Harwood is likely one of the best, but there are many at the top of that list and they don't all use tin seat strainers. Each "top" saddlemaker does things his/her own way for his/her own reasons borne of long experience - things like rubber cement or contact cement for skirt linings? Machine stitching or two-needle handstitching? Tool the seat housing/cantle binding/horn cap on or off the saddle? Cut saddle pieces dry, or wet/case them first? And - metal or all-leather seat strainers?

It's insulting to many long-time outstanding saddlemakers to imply that only lesser saddlemakers would use all-leather strainers (because "The BEST makers use seat tins/strainers."). Thus my query "How do you define "best"?" Do the BEST have saddlemaking videos and so you've heard of them? (Yep, video saddlemakers tend to use metal seat strainers). If you haven't ever heard of someone, does that make them less than the best? Does not using metal strainers by definition make one less than the best?

Debating the pros and cons of seat strainer construction is really useful, but implying that there's only one right way to construct a ground seat isn't so useful.

Regards,

Julia