Members steve mason Posted March 11, 2011 Members Report Posted March 11, 2011 sorry guys, hope you don't take offence to this but there is one way to increase the cantle height 2" that will last over time and use, get a new tree made!!! Quote check out www.stevemasonsaddles.com check out my saddle blog
Members Norwegian Posted March 11, 2011 Members Report Posted March 11, 2011 It would be very difficult to make a cantle taller, do the leather work necessary and keep it economically viable. new cantle cover, new seat, new cantle binding Probably new ground work. Better off to start from scratch. IMHO Whoever built that tree in the pics. wasn't shy about using knotty wood. "Knotty"? Quote
Members AndyKnight Posted March 11, 2011 Members Report Posted March 11, 2011 sorry guys, hope you don't take offence to this but there is one way to increase the cantle height 2" that will last over time and use, get a new tree made!!! Steve is 100 % correct. that was what I wanted to say... Knotty wood... wood with knots in it which will compromise the strength of the tree. Quote Andy knight Visit My Website
Members Norwegian Posted March 11, 2011 Members Report Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) Steve is 100 % correct. that was what I wanted to say... Knotty wood... wood with knots in it which will compromise the strength of the tree. Festus, sorry for hi-jacking your thread, but maybe you've already found your answers..? AndyKnight, since you are commenting on one of my first saddles/trees (I have not built the tree) that is used on the farm as a "hobby saddle", what knots are you reffering to? These? They are hardly not enough to compromise the strength of the tree, are they? The other marks on the (unused) tree are, as you surely know, miscolorings from the nails that were used to attach the original rawhide.. I'm sure you guys are interested in selling a new tree, but why not instead discuss the reason for putting on a high cantle on the "wade saddles"? It's mostly for looks, right? Maybe comfort? I'd say that a good and secure rider doesn't need a high cantle to feel secure in the saddle.. Hope you don't mind me picking on what you are writing, I just enjoy a discussion.. Rik Edited March 11, 2011 by Norwegian Quote
Members steve mason Posted March 11, 2011 Members Report Posted March 11, 2011 Festus, sorry for hi-jacking your thread, but maybe you've already found your answers..? AndyKnight, since you are commenting on one of my first saddles/trees (I have not built the tree) that is used on the farm as a "hobby saddle", what knots are you reffering to? These? They are hardly not enough to compromise the strength of the tree, are they? The other marks on the (unused) tree are, as you surely know, miscolorings from the nails that were used to attach the original rawhide.. I'm sure you guys are interested in selling a new tree, but why not instead discuss the reason for putting on a high cantle on the "wade saddles"? It's mostly for looks, right? Maybe comfort? I'd say that a good and secure rider doesn't need a high cantle to feel secure in the saddle.. Hope you don't mind me picking on what you are writing, I just enjoy a discussion.. Rik As far as I know Andy does not sell the trees he makes, they are for his own use, I am a saddle maker so I am not trying to sell trees. I was trying to say that raising a cantle 2" is not a practical thing to do, there is no way that the bondo will stay in place if you get is any kind of a wreck, and you will need to put in new ground work, and a new top seat and cantle back and cantle bind, this is just not a practical thing to do, the cost of these repairs are not worth it, since you will end up with an inferior product. It just does not make sense to do this. In regards to your comments about "wade saddles" they can have any cantle height or width you would like to order, the cantle and swell style have nothing do with each other. Some customers will order a cantle for looks, comfort or whatever reason they have for wanting a cantle high or low, the reasons are their own and every customer will have his own reason for why he likes his cantle the way he likes it, personal preferance. this thread has gone a long ways from where it started, back the topic. to raise a cantle 2",,, don't do it IMO. Quote check out www.stevemasonsaddles.com check out my saddle blog
Members Norwegian Posted March 12, 2011 Members Report Posted March 12, 2011 this thread has gone a long ways from where it started, back the topic. to raise a cantle 2",,, don't do it IMO. Ok, let's just say YOU are right, get a new tree, and kill this thread.. Or.. I do realise that I might seem to be disrespectful in this thread. But, I do have the deepest respect for you guys! Your knowledge and craftmanship is something I, as a beginner, only can wish and hope for in the future. But, please, your answers might seem easy to you experienced guys, but for me as a novice in saddle making, and the guy who started this thread (since he asked about how to raise the cantle, I suppose he is a beginner too) it might not be that easy.. I might be new in saddle making, but I'm not new when it comes to horses.. We "breed" and sell race horses to some of the top trainers here.. I know horses. Their physical strenghts and weakneses, how different one horse can be from another, etc.. That, and the fact that I'm a beginner in saddle making, might make it easier for me to see the problems with a new tree instead of raising the cantle for a beginner.. If it's a crappy saddle, sure, throw it away or practise on it, and start over with a new tree. But, let's assume this: The saddle in question really fits one or more of the owners horses. It might be a high quality tree under the leather, but the owner would like some changes on it anyway.. As a BEGINNER here, it might actually seem easier to change the ground, seat and cantle, instead of starting over with a new tree. Why? Because if you don't mess too much with the seat etc you will still have a pretty good saddle that fits the horse! Fitting a new tree/saddle WELL to the horse might be easy for you that are more experienced, but maybe not for a beginner. And two inches of cantle top is not a vital part of the saddle, IF it will break later, it's not the end of the world. And two inches of bondo, put on top of the cantle the right way, on a good quality tree is probably far better than a new tree(of what quality?) that might not fit the horse and rider as good as the old one.. Ok, I'm done with my bla bla bla.. Rik Quote
Rod and Denise Nikkel Posted March 13, 2011 Report Posted March 13, 2011 Knotty wood... wood with knots in it which will compromise the strength of the tree. We agree with Andy. Any knots are a weak spot in wood, and knots the size you have pictured do compromise the strength of the tree. Those are what we cut out of the wood and burn as scrap while using the solid pieces to build our trees. Quote "Every tree maker does things differently." www.rodnikkel.com
Members spur2009 Posted March 16, 2011 Members Report Posted March 16, 2011 I did the first post on using bondo. It works, however, I agree that the cost and labor of doing the entire project is damn high and you would be better off as noted previously posted to just order a new tree and start from scratch. Quote "Roll a brown paper cigarette"
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