Harness making

by Unknown

Fig. 99.—Cart Saddle Panel.

A third wisp must now be placed in the side farthest from the operator, and worked into place with the right hand and stick, the left hand being employed to keep the straw in position. Wisp after wisp can now be added along the front until the side is filled, but no more straw is put in the ends after the first wisp.

Beat the panel level and flat with the collar mallet, and run a piece of leather of the same width as the opening and about 9 in. long inside the slit for about half the length between the straw and the lining; this will clear the opening for the flock. Have a hamper full of carded flock, and put a thick, even layer over the straw, and press it down with a stick or seat iron to the edges and corners, making it as smooth as possible; then beat it again with the mallet, and use a seat awl to level the surface, feeling for lumps with the left hand. Work in the same way on the other side to complete the panel.

A dock to fasten the crupper to the saddle is placed across from board to board at the back. Two 1¾ in. tinned rings are needed, and the leather must be cut 1½ in. wide, and doubled to reach on each side as far as half the width of the board. It is better to make the dock in four thicknesses, running double through the rings. Insert these, one at each end, and drive a clout nail through each extremity and clinch it on a piece of iron; put one or two nails in the centre, the points being shaved to make a good joint in the leather. Spot it with white lace, or stitch it coarse with strong thread, a row on each side. Trim the edges, and black and rub it with tallow.

Take two fine-pointed staples, and, with the dock in its place, mark the position with the points of the staples. Make holes for these with a gimlet half-way between the tree and the end of the board. Run the staples through the ring and knock them down in the holes until about ¾ in. shows on the other side; turn the points and knock them against the iron level with the board, turning in the tips a little to enter the board. The dock must be slack, with at least the same sweep from board to board as there is in the tree. Some harness makers nail to the centre of the tree a 2-in. strap, about 10 in. long, for fastening the crupper. This device can be adopted instead of the dock, and a buckle put on the crupper; with a dock the crupper goes round it.

The flaps to protect the horse’s side from the back trace reach from end to end of the boards on each side of the saddle. Cut them 9 in. deep more or less, according to needs, making them ½ in. longer at each end at the top than the boards. Swell them out at the sides from the top and round the corners at the bottom, and cut a fancy point in the centre of the lower side.

Now hold them against the board with the same length exactly over each end, and mark the width of the tree on both sides on the flaps. At the marks cut a slit about ¾ in. deep towards the near edge, and turn the leather inwards between the cuts in the centre. Knock it down between the slits, and cut a hole to admit the 1½-in. girth or strap at about the middle of the flap on each side just opposite the junction of the boards and the tree; as there will be two girths, a strap will run from each end of the board. Edge the flaps and holes all round on both sides, and make two or three rows round them with the race compass; finish them with a hot iron after having blacked the edges. Reverse the cuts in cutting the flap to catch at the top on the boards, as these may not be the same length, back and front, over the trees, and there may be a difference in the positions of the holes for the girth.

The girths and straps must be made from good leather, the fore girth being 4 ft. 10 in. and the hind 5 ft. 2 in. long, an allowance of 2 in. being made to turn down for the chape. The fore strap must be 1 ft. 6 in. long and the hind 1 ft. 8 in.; the width of girth and straps is 1¼ in. to 1¾ in. Edge the girths along both sides, and turn down the chapes and shape the points of the straps. Leave the best end of each girth and strap for nailing to the tree; put two rows along the edge with a race compass and bevel with a hot iron. Stitch the buckles and make the loops, adding two running loops; finish the loops with a loop-stick, and then crease them. Black the edges before using a hot beveller and cut four or five holes in the straps.

Now take the flaps and place the slit in the centre opposite the tree, and turn down the part below, thus having about an inch of leather on the board under the slit. Drive a saddler’s tack in each end of the board; do this gently to avoid splitting. Put the shorter strap in front and the longer behind into the flap hole from above so as to bring the square end out at the top between the flap and the board. Adjust both in the same manner, and put four or five nails along the edge of the flap and board, taking care to drive two of them through the straps and flap; finally put another nail in the centre of the strap above the edge of the flap. Add the girths on the other side in the same way, and see that the straps are on the near side and the girths on the off, and that the longer of each set is behind.

It is not difficult to determine which is the front of the tree because in this part the boards rise a little and converge towards each other. Sometimes, instead of cutting a hole, a leather loop is stitched on the flap with an opening wide enough to admit straps and girths.