Legcut Bowman

[Aurelie]

Hello Guys and girls!

I hope you 're all doing good!

I am starting a new saddle and here i am wondering about something.

I ve got a Legcut Bowman saddletree:

And i am wondering about this "weird" shape at the back of the fork (surprise, surprise!! another "new thing" to try!)

i ve looked for some posts here and i have found nothing

so i ve gone on internet hunting some pictures of Legcut bowman saddles to see how people do the fork cover

i Have found 3 ways of soing it :

1/ all molded (that was my option but i was wondering how to take the turn and keep the leather stuck to the tree in that area)

2/ with a welt ( not lateral one but one coming from the front toward the back => is this more tricky than a lateral one to do?)

3/ the ugly and easy option (no way i am doing it!!) a welt without a welt => leather cut and glued with a tooling on it to "camouflage" the cut

My questions are :

between option 1 and 2 (forget about the 3d one), which one is easier for a rookie like me (this will be my 4th saddle)

and i guess there are some tricky things = which are?

and what is the "best" way to get through them?

i would really appreciate some tips, advices or whatever you throw at me

Thanks guys and girls

[Aggiebraider]

If you get your front skived down thin enough to cover this correctly, you shouldnt have any problem just molding the leather down into the leg cut. You might have to make a few more relief cuts in the bottom around where the swell attaches to the bar, but shouldnt be too difficult.

Of course, Ive never done this, just going off the little that I know, so if Im wrong someone please correct me.

CW

[Aurelie]

thanks a lot

that was solethingl ike that i had in mind but befoire doing it i wanted to "cover all bases" just in case!

[kseidel]

Aurelie,

That weird shape at the back of the swell is the "leg cut." It is intended to allow the rider to sit closer to the swell and for the leg to get a grip under the swell as needed. If you so not want it, you can fill it in with leather. I prefer to cover swells like that without welts, just sweating the swell cover and shaping it to the swell. The more under cut, the more difficult this can be. You can put a welt following the edge of the leg cut, or pull excess leather around from the back to the front, and put a welt in the front.

Either all molded or with a welt, you should be able to get this swell covered without too much trouble. The welt will be easier.

Keith

[Aurelie]

Thank Keith for the trick!

I will think about it

see how my leather work and do it the way it seems to work the best way for me!

Guys, i really appreciate your insights!

[Aurelie]

....That weird shape at the back of the swell is the "leg cut." It is intended to allow the rider to sit closer to the swell and for the leg to get a grip under the swell as needed. ....

:D i thought of something like that....but i was just not expecting it that steep

been caught out of guard!

[Aurelie]

Hello guys!

sorry, i have not been around for a while....

been "overbusy" and had a "hellish" saddle to finish for a customer

"Legcut".....i learnt from my mistakes on this one.....

Not at all easy to do!!

+ i had all kind of bad luck and troubles so that i really thought about quitting the job!

but lucky me, i do not like to quit...so it's finally finished and delivered to a happy customer !

it's not my best saddle, in my opinion, (some things really good and other not that good ) but hey this is my 4th one.....i will do better on the next one and on the next "legcut" (even if it s not scheduled for soon)

here is the result :

in-skirt rigging (3 way)

coming along with matching headstal, mohair cinch and breast collar

Now i am going to enjoy a bit of "free time", chill out a bit before starting my next saddle ( enduro) and 2 others are coming after this

so keep tuned! :D