The stand is used to fit saddle leather to the bare tree and is likely to be where the saddle is assembled into its finished state.
The draw-down stand is made of wood, and Grant claims the cost of materials and building time will more than pay off when the stand is used to build the saddle.
Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Nails
- Saw
- Drill
- Heavy-duty hinge
- 2 2̶1;-inch buckles
- Several large 2̶1; X 8̶1; planks or boards
- 2̶1; X 4̶1; plank or board
- 1̶1; X 4̶1; plank or board
- 10̶1; metal pin
- 2 leather billets
- 2 harness-style clips
Instructions
Building the Saddle Stand
Use saw to cut two 28̶1; pieces from the large 2̶1; X 8̶1; plank. Use the same plank to make two triangular blocks.
Nail two of the longer boards you just cut to the two triangular boards, forming a V shape, with a gap in the center of the point where the two boards do not connect.
This will be the top and side boards of the stand. The gap between the boards should be left alone in order to allow tacks, nails, shavings, and other miscellaneous items to fall through to the floor.
Build the legs by using your saw to cut two of the 2̶1; X 8̶1; boards to your desired length and height. Legs should be at least 36" long.
Be sure to make the stand a height that will be comfortable for you to work with.
Use the saw to bevel the top of both legs so that the legs will fit underneath the side bars of the top of the saddle stand.
Saw a 4̶1; strip out of the center of the front leg. The strip should start at the bottom of the leg and be a minimum of 24̶1; long. This slot is designed to allow the draw-down bar to be raised or lowered as needed.
Cut two 15̶1;-long blocks from the 2̶1; X 8̶1; to form the foundation of the draw-down saddle stand. Nail these blocks to the bottoms of the legs so that they rest on the floor. If desired, you can round or bevel the corners of the blocks.
Nail the 1̶1; X 4̶1; from the front leg of the draw-down stand to the back leg of the stand to add stability.
Building the Draw-Down Bar and Cross Arm
Cut a 2̶1; X 4̶1; board so that it is long enough to extend 10̶1; through the slot in the front leg to allow you to use foot leverage on the draw-down stand. Attach your heavy-duty hinge to the back of the board.
Attach board with the hinge to the back leg of the saddle stand approximately 6" from the top of the foundation block.
Drill a series of holes through the both sides of the front leg of your draw-down stand. The purpose of these holes is to allow your metal pin to slide all the way through the leg, supporting the draw-down board at whatever height you wish to set it at.
Equip draw-down bar with a 28̶1;-long 2̶1; X 4̶1; cross arm. Drill a small hole in the center of this board and use a bolt to attach it to the draw-down bar. Attach the cross arm to the draw-down bar a few inches ahead of the draw-down bar̵7;s center. Do not tighten the bolt too tightly, as the cross arm should be able to swing freely in a forward and backward motion.
Attach 2̶1; buckle to each end of the cross arm. The buckles should face up.
Make or buy two 2̶1; wide by 36̶1; long leather billets to buckle into each end of the cross arm. You will want to put a harness-style clip on each billet, punch a series of holes in the billets to allow them to fasten to the stand at different lengths, and then attach them to the cross arm.
This will complete the basic drawn-down saddle stand, although optional attachments can be created to attach to the cross arm for use in specific projects.
This board is your drawn-down bar.