Re doing my first saddle

[j20]

I think I have a good grasp of what I need leather and tool wise now.  Which brings me to tread I'm leaning towards the nylon thread from panhandle at the moment mainly because thats where my leather is coming from, but what are some suggestions on that? 

[cowboycolonel]

If you are going to be stitching by hand, you'll find nylon thread to be a MAJOR pain.  Your stitches won't stay tight and they'll constantly be slipping.  Get some good quality linen thread or some flax sinew.If you're going to do machine work, then nylon will do, but I don't use it for anything heavy - like a saddle skirt or rigging.

Edited July 5, 2017 by cowboycolonel
spelling

[j20]

So after tearing into this saddle I'm very glad I never tried riding in it.  The rigging is hanging by a thread so now thats going to get replaced as well. Its currently d ring rigged but ever since I traded my other saddle off for this one a few weeks ago I've been riding in an old big horn of mine thats in skirt rigged and forgot how nice it rode and fit.  I dont think I'm ready to tackle a in skirt project but think I can handle flat plate rigging it.  What are some of your thoughts on that?  Switching from d to flat plate?

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Just a word to the wise. . . if your rigging was hanging by a thread, make sure to check where it was attached.  Very often I get saddles in that the rigging has torn out, or is about to, and it is due to tree breakage at the point of attachment. I've had at least a half dozen come in this way this spring.  The edge of the bar cracks or breaks where the screws and nails were put into the tree and everything lets go. This is very common, especially on the lower grade production saddles. Even a good rawhide covered tree can break at this point if whoever installed the riggings was not careful about screw and nail placement, or if the saddle was involved in a bad wreck (under a horse usually).  If possible I'd like to see pictures of this saddle that you are planning to rebuild.  Good luck!

[Ken Nelson]

Mr. Watt, in his instructional videos on building saddles,  drills all the holes he puts screws in to keep from splitting the wood.  Most trees are pine and it does split pretty easy.  I use Lewis trees, which are fiberglass covered pine and predrill  nearly all the screw holes.

These trees are kind of " you get what you pay for".   Some of those lower end production saddles have 50 or 75 dollar trees in them and they are not worth that.   They are Dangerous.   I would advise you have a good saddle maker inspect this tree before you throw good money at it. 

Saddles are a common sense not- much to them but a whole lot more complex than most people realize. Actually, they are kind of like riding a horse.  You will stop learning about building them the day you quit or die.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[oltoot]

Drywall screws don't need to be predrilled as they are the least likely to cause splitting. Predrilling the larger wood screws is a good move, especially when repairing older, wooden trees. Avoid placing either type of screw in a straight line, aligned with the grain of the wood in the tree

[j20]

Ok I'm sure it's on here somewhere but can't find it. Is it possible to upload pictures directly from my phone?

[480volt]

With an iPhone, I email pictures from the camera roll to myself, using the "medium" image size, then save them back to the camera roll. This reduces them enough to post. 

[j20]

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Is it Ralide or hollow fiberglass?  Either one and I personally wouldn't put the amount of money into the saddle that you're talking about.  If it's hollow fiberglass, I wouldn't put a dime in it.  Those trees are absolutely unsafe from the get go.  Ralide is a little better, but it wouldn't be my choice for a working saddle.