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It's been a wood post swell fork month...

Here's some of the different wood post swell fork trees we have been working on this past month. See if you can see the differences!
Subscribe to RSS Feed It really does seem like things come in groups. We make a fair number of wood post swell forks – about twenty percent or so of our total output –… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/its-been-wood-post-swell-fork-month/

When the shop gets crowded...

Some days, there isn't room enough to swing a cat. Then again, the cats aren't allowed in the shop...
Subscribe to RSS Feed Sometimes it gets a little full in the shop. Freshly varnished trees take room on the bench tops to dry, and when you have four ready to go and… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/when-shop-gets-crowded/

Off to the Heritage Ranch Rodeo

Here are some of the trees we are taking to show at the Artisan's show during the Heritage Ranch Rodeo in Edmonton this year.
Subscribe to RSS Feed Well, Saturday we are headed south to Edmonton.  We have been invited again this year to participate in the Artisan's show during the Heritage… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/off-to-the-heritage-ranch-rodeo/

It's been a week...

but here are some pictures anyway of trees Rod got rawhided earlier in the week.
Subscribe to RSS Feed I took these pictures on Monday evening, planning to put up a quick post that evening.  Here it is late Friday and I am finally getting the chance… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/it-s-been-a-week/

A few trees from the past weeks

Here's some pictures of a few of the trees we have built in the last while: a Low Pro Roper, an OY Calf roper, a Bowman fork in a cutting style tree, a wood post Packer and a pretty typical Wade.
Subscribe to RSS Feed I finally got around to labelling a bunch of pictures of trees we have built over the last few weeks.  While we have been doing a fair number of… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/a-few-trees-from-the-past-weeks/

Just a neat looking tree

Take a normal Will James fork outline shape, add a wood post horn, extra stock and one inch of back sweep and you get a really nice looking tree.
This is a 14" wide Will James fork outline pattern with a wood post horn.  I wrote another post about Will James forks back in April.  Since then, we have built two more -… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/just-a-neat-looking-tree/

Ya gotta look inside...

Comparing two horse of vastly different builds, and two trees of vastly different specs...
Subscribe to RSS Feed The horse ahead of him in this picture is Winston. This is Winston.  He's a Hanovarian/Morgan cross.  He's not short.  His Dennis Lane… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/ya-gotta-look-inside/

Wood Post Will James saddle tree

Some pictures of a wood post Will James that Rod built this week. Like most of this type we have built, this one will be heading south of the border.
Subscribe to RSS Feed Here are a few pictures of a wood post Will James tree Rod built this week.  He will be rawhiding it Monday.  This one is 13" wide with a 4 1/2"… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/wood-post-will-james-saddle-tree/

Crunching the numbers

I figured out the proportion of Wades, metal horn forks and wood post swell forks so I could know how much wood to buy for the coming year. Turns out the numbers aren't a whole pile different than what we were doing 10 years ago.
The cows we have been custom grazing for the summer go home next week, so after that it will be time for our annual trip to Edmonton to buy wood for the saddle trees for the next… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/crunching-the-numbers/