First Saddle!

[davnasca]

Whew. After a long five month process and a truly hectic and sleep deprived past week, I am done with my first saddle!

First the basic specs:

15" Ray Hunt Wade tree from Timberline

Half Double fenders

Half Breed stamped (minus the cantle binding) with J. Watts Navajo Diamond stamp

Its been a fun and trying time and leatherworker.net has been a fabulous resource. For the record I use J. Watts video series with a bit of guidance from a rancher with some saddle making experience.

Things I'm not so happy about and problems I ran into:

-The cantle binding, I opted not to stamp it from the get go because I have no clue how to go about it and since the saddle is for me and me alone, it doesn't bother me from an aesthetic point of view. Forming and sewing it were at best miserable. I had to start over once and I don't think I skived the binding thin enough the second time and couldn't form it with out major wrinkles on the bottom. I ended up breaking down and putting a relief cut low on the near side. I know thats not too cool, but I was frustrated and will walk away with a lesson. The dark spots in the picture are from when I used a vice clamp in a vain attempt as smoothing wrinkles. I'm waiting on some oxalic acid to take care of that. The sewing looks great from the top, but underneath the cheyenne roll, looks pretty abysmal. By the end of the cheyenne roll it was looking decent so next time I'm hoping I can do a bit better on it. Also, were the cantle binding meets with the ear cuts is not nearly as smooth as I would like

-the off side of the fork, for some reason, wouldn't stamp right. Maybe I had it cased poorly, maybe the fibers got too stretched/ compressed during the fitting process, or maybe my draw down stand wasn't solid enough to take the continued abuse of a 36 oz mallet. Whatever the reason, the impressions were not quite deep nor burnished enough.

-I had to use a frog on the skirts instead of lacing because I cut them at a bit too severe of an angle and if I laces them flush up against each other, they might sore a horse

-Jockeys aren't quite tight enough

Other than these things, I'm pretty thrilled to have finished my first saddle and happy about the product. Below are some links to pictures and any advice and criticism would be most welcome. I have literally hundreds of pictures from along the way so if anyone wants to see how I did anything to pinpoint where I went wrong or for their own reference, just ask.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/367654...b574509.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2438/367718...a22717c.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/367572...276f0b8.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/367571...9046501.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2638/367651...54a13bb.jpg?v=0

Tomorrow I take it on on its first ride! One of this summer's projects is a nice pair of eagle beak taps and some braided reins and a headstall to complete the outfit.

Thanks and let the advice roll in,

David

P.S.- Its still awaiting its second coat of oil (and some sunshine) to even things up and darken it. Sadly, when I flew with the finished saddle and some of my tools back home from college, the TSA impounded my neatsfoots because it is flammable so I gotta pick some more up.

[Butch]

David,

I'm not an expert at saddles, but I sure like what I see. It sure looks like the time paid off.

Great job.

Butch

[rickybobby]

Whew. After a long five month process and a truly hectic and sleep deprived past week, I am done with my first saddle!

Thanks and let the advice roll in,

David

P.S.- Its still awaiting its second coat of oil (and some sunshine) to even things up and darken it. Sadly, when I flew with the finished saddle and some of my tools back home from college, the TSA impounded my neatsfoots because it is flammable so I gotta pick some more up.

David,

I remember how I felt after my first saddle!! It is a great feeling!! I still get it after finishing one, I guess thats why I keep doing it. Nice job!!

I am not going to add any critique because it is not in that forum.

You might post there so some saddle makers may make suggestions and give some tips!!

Rick J.

[Go2Tex]

After reading your intro remarks I was expecting a real mess, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a real nice job! You have obviously picked up a lot of good info and it really shows. You are a quick study, as they say.

As for the underside of your roll, take a look under almost anyone's roll and you'll notice most aren't perfect by any stretch. You may be correct about not skiving it enough, but you'll find that selecting the right piece of leather to use is even more helpfull. I've had a real battle at times trying to get them shaped and then the next one is a snap. go figure. If I have trouble with it right away I rip it off and get another piece of leather. It just ain't worth the hassle.

Yeah, the jocks are pretty loose and that can be fixed. I'd take them off, take the frog off, trim some off at the join at an angle toward the cantle, zero the cut at the cantle. That will pull them down tight in the back.

Besides that, congrats on a job well done and I look foward to seeing your next project.

[davnasca]

Go2tex:

Thats probably just it on the cantle binding. Like I said I started over once and I totally forgot to look for a stretchy piece of belly when I cut the second binding. I just took it out of something I had laying about. Ah well, live and learn. Thanks for the tip on the jocks too.

Just an update:

I ran to the local ag supply store and picked up their very last 8 oz bottle of neatsfoot oil. It was just enough to get a nice second coat. Currently the saddle is sitting outside and waiting for some Buffalo sunshine (I'm back home in WNY right now) to do its work. As if... we're getting at best random 5 minute periods of sun right now. Ha.

[RichardCollmorgen]

That's a great job. I haven't gotten up the gumption to start my first saddle but when I do I hope it's half as good.

[nobearsyet]

All I'm going to say is WOW. it turned out a heck of a lot better than mine but then again I, like you stated, built it for me, and mine is well constructed, as is yours, and what it lacks in good looks it makes up for in the "I built that" factor, although yours doesn't lack anything for looks as far as my eyes see.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

All I'm going to say is WOW. it turned out a heck of a lot better than mine but then again I, like you stated, built it for me, and mine is well constructed, as is yours, and what it lacks in good looks it makes up for in the "I built that" factor, although yours doesn't lack anything for looks as far as my eyes see.

David, nice job! I see what you are talking about, and the fact that you can see it is a real plus. Looking at you first piece tells me that you aren't afraid to tackle all the hard stuff, and are ready to put in the time to get it done correctly. That is good. You will get the hang of all the tricks as you go and it will get easier, most of the time. Like some one said here, don't be afraid to stop and start over, if you are going in the wrong direction with a part. It pays off in the end. Also, The tip about the way your cut your jockeys is a good one. I will add, be sure to dampen them and "draw spike the living he__ out of them". That will get them down tight the way you want them. As for the cantle binding, take time there to make sure that everything is just so. Where your seat leather, cantle back leather and filler come together, take the time to skive them to a nice neat, and rounded edge. I strive to get mine to about 5/8" combined thickness after they are glued, and then stitch them for added support before I start the binding piece. It will help you mold the binding as you put it on.

All in all, it is a very nice job and much better that many I have seen after thdy have made several. Remember pay attention to the details and the rest will take care of itself.

[dustin29]

WOW! You should be really proud of yourself David, that looks really great. Keep up the good work.