Old Stitching Horses

[ramrod]

i was delivering on my route last friday afternoon down in the cornell area. i passd by an antiques barn (i must see a thousand of them) and wasn't particularly interested in what they were offering. but, i happened to look over as i was driving and saw what looked like 3 stitching horses. i thought "can't be" but i turned around anyway to take a closer look. sure enough, there were 3 of them sitting there. she wanted 40 bucks each for them (i believe she was selling them on consignment). i said that she probably could get much more for them, but she told me that the farmer who brought them in only wanted that much for them.

inside of the place, she had another one that had 3 legs - that was the way it was made. unusual, i know - and i should have gotten a pic of that one.

she also had several stitching ponies of unusual design. all of this stuff is quite old and has nice patina to it.

i was looking for a stitching horse for a long time and finally had my brother make me a rather nice one. now that i'm no longer in the market, i end up seeing these!

if this isn't in the correct forum, please feel free to move it.

also, i hope the pic sizing is o.k.

[King's X]

What a find.....I don't need one, but for that price, I am sure others on here could.

Thanks for sharing!

[Kevin]

The one in the middle looks like a Randall, we had 2 or 3 at the shop, but they have disappeared over the years.

Kevin

[JDM]

Cool. I'd gladly pay $40 for one of those. Well, if I had $40...

It would cost that in materials to make a new one, but it wouldn't have nearly as much character.

[WinterBear]

I'd love to have one, but the shipping to get it here would kill me. What a great find.

[ramrod]

The one in the middle looks like a Randall, we had 2 or 3 at the shop, but they have disappeared over the years.

Kevin

these horses have loads of character. and probably a lot of stories to tell.

so, each one is distinctive then? i didn't realize that anyone could tell a manufacturer. any idea on age?

there was a very interesting pony there, too. it had a sort of cam used to open the jaws. it worked against the jaws when you pushed down on it. i'll see if i can post that pic, too.

Edited August 9, 2011 by ramrod

[ramrod]

here are the pics. that one pony is really interesting.

[WinterBear]

That cam pony is really neat. Are you considering buying it? I wonder if it would be easier to use than the one I currently have? And if it would grip strongly enough?

Ah, I do go on. I envy you that store ramrod. Nothing half so nice around here, and it's usually been where the packrats and mice have been at it. Usually unusable or they want to sell it for too much money. The last stitching horse I saw around here wasn't nearly so nice or in such good repair as any of those horses or ponys. It had a price of $210--I think I'll attempt to make one for that price!

[King's X]

I have a cam pony like the one on the right.

[WinterBear]

I have a cam pony like the one on the right.

What do you think of it King's X? Should I start looking around myself for one? I have a pony, but I'm thinking a cam type might be easier for me to work with.

And your friend's maul is doing me a lot of good, by the way. It also took everything a bunch Boy Scouts dished out too, and the boys who used the maul liked the better control they had over the mallet.