Wild Huntsman Report post Posted January 18, 2014 Hello, I have a couple English style trees I'm wanting to build on. One of them was pulled from a worn out synthetic and is fiberglassed wood and steel(it is sturdy still), and the other I found on ebay and is some type of plastic(never built on). I would buy trees from an actual suplier but I don't know where one acquires English trees. Regardless, my question is does anyone know how to build onto the plastic tree?? Is it safe to put tacks or staples into? If not, how would one go about attaching the webbing for the billets to it, and the rest? I have not made a saddle before, and I do not know of anyone that isn't several states away(or countries) who knows how to construct an English saddle, I can't even find a local person to reflock them. I'm hoping there's someone on here who is able to help answer, otherwise I suppose experimenting on the plastic tree will have to do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Huntsman Report post Posted January 18, 2014 I would also like to know if it would be an especially bad idea to build the seat up like one does for a western saddle. I probably wouldn't on the wood and steel one, but maybe for the plastic one...?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fivewayswelshcobs Report post Posted January 18, 2014 English saddles are constructed very differently to western saddles. Webbing is used to form the base of the seat of the saddle then various other layer of foam etc before the leather seat- too complicated to describe in a post so I would try to get one of the few books written on the subject to give you some idea of what is involved or possibly you tube. On the wooden tree tacks and staples can be used, on the plastic tree staples can be used. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AdamTill Report post Posted January 19, 2014 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=40636 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Huntsman Report post Posted January 22, 2014 AdamTill, thankyou for the link to the other link! That will be very useful! fivewayswelshcobs, thankyou for letting me know about the staples. I was already aware webbing is what is normally used from deconstructing two worn out saddles--which is how I go the wood and steel tree--and the very scarce youtube videos I could dig up. I was more asking if it would be detrimental to build up the seat like one does on a western saddle. The plastic tree did not cost me very much, so I was thinking about trying it that way if it wouldn't botch the whole thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fivewayswelshcobs Report post Posted January 22, 2014 As I have no experience with western saddle construction and only having ridden on them a few times sorry can't help you on that side of things but I would think it could be possible but would need some experimenting to get it to work. It may work best if the tree was strained with webbing then built as western type seat Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
