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SADDLE STAND: Through the years, I tried
different saddle stands and was never particularly
satisfied with the available designs nor the lack of
stability until I gave up trying to find one and
developed my own. I receive a number of requests for
information on these stands and while I do not
manufacture them for sale, I thought I’d post the
details on the site. They are not particularly
difficult to make and the resulting stand is stable, it
will support a considerable amount of weight – certainly
a fully equipped saddle – and the stand does not detract
from the presentation of the saddle.
The head is made of clear plastic or acrylic stock 5/16”
thick. It measures 18” long – an ideal length for any
of the American Military saddle designs – and 6” wide on
each side of the angle. I believe I had the fabricator
start with a piece of stock 13” wide so that the
finished bend would result in the 6” wide sides. There
is a cross piece, attached at the center of the head,
which is bevel cut on both ends to match the angle of
the sides and is glued – or actually melted with a
special plastic solvent – to the inside surfaces of each
side. I used 3/8” thick stock for the cross piece for
the added strength.
The head is then attached with nylon bolts to a standard
pipe stanchion plate with a threaded 1” diameter
socket. The stanchion is a standard 1” diameter iron
pipe threaded on both ends. The base plate is also
threaded to accept the 1” pipe and is nothing more than
a cruciform base commonly used for gumball and candy
coin operated vending machines.
As to where to obtain the components –
Most large cities have one or more plastic fabrication
shops which cater to businesses and trade shows, and at
times, museums. The one I use is titled “Plastic
Supply”, so assuming they are similarly named within
that industry, a quick check of your local directory
should locate such a business. The plastic for the head
could well be the most expensive part of the stand, as
it will require shop time for an employee and the price
of plastic is directly linked to the oil market as it is
a petroleum by product.
The gum ball machine base may take a bit of looking. I
haven’t bought one in a long time, but I seem to
remember seeing them offered through an online
business. They’re all pretty standard – cast iron with
a standard 1” threaded hole.
The stanchion is nothing more than the pre-cut and
threaded pipes Home Depot, Lowes, etc. sell for pipe
clamps. I used the 36” length, but 48” would work as
well. The stanchion plate and the nylon bolts and nuts
are also available at the same stores. The reason I use
nylon bolts and nuts is since they are tightened against
the plastic cross plate, the nylon is less likely to
crack the plastic than metal bolts would be, and the
nylon blends in with the plastic for appearance sake.
I assembled the base, stanchion and stanchion plate and
spray painted the entire assembly with a semi-gloss
black paint. Then position the assembled head on the
stanchion plate, mark the holes, drill them, and attach
the head with the nylon bolts and nuts. Save for
occasionally tightening the bolts, the stands have
served me well for decades now.
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