Here's a pretty normal week in the life of a tree maker... Monday On Monday, Rod rawhided a couple of trees to go to Sweden. These are Buster Welch forks and the saddle maker calls them his "cowhorse" style trees. There are two… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/this-week-in-the-shop4/
Now that we've shown you some of how tree makers do things differently, how can we make a tree that the old leather will fit back on, but do it our way? Here's what we did for this one Subscribe to RSS Feed A key thing to get right is the distance between the point of the cantle and the fork where we commonly measure thigh length. If that is too… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/so-how-did-the-duplicate-work-out/
Here's some of the differences under the rawhide. Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/every-tree-maker-does-things-differently-part-two/
Here is a close look at some of the things that can be different in how trees are made by different tree makers. And this is just the outside! Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/every-tree-maker-does-things-differently...-part-one/
From overfull to relatively empty... Subscribe to RSS Feed So here are two single boxes heading to Texas (one with a Wade and one with an OY roping tree) and a single going to southern Alberta with a wood… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/clearing-out-the-shop-still-more/
On December 11th, there were 21 trees in the shop. On December 21st, there are 12, and four of these have been built in the meantime. Hmm.... Subscribe to RSS Feed There used to be seven trees on these flat, marble slabs - four freshly rawhided and three waiting for payment. Today there are six trees in… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/amazing-the-difference-ten-days-makes/
Just what I saw when I went out to the shop tonight. Pretty typical... Subscribe to RSS Feed All day I've been trying to think of what I should post tonight. I haven't had a lot of pictures of the shop lately, but how many more pictures… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/what-the-shop-looks-like-tonight/
Inside trees and outside trees - we worked with both this week. Subscribe to RSS Feed Hers is a barrel racing style tree... and his is a Wade. By the way, freshly rawhided trees are at the ugliest stage of production. … https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/of-trees-and-trees/
It is time for our varnish bench to go back to its original condition - or as close as may be possible... Subscribe to RSS Feed In 2007, when we expanded the shop to house our dust collection system, we needed more bench space. That weekend we had most of my family out… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/five-years-worth/
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/
Rod's work on this walnut saddle tree which will have an exposed fork and cantle. Subscribe to RSS Feed Rod started with this. Then he did this... And then he did this... And then he did this... And then he had that...… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/from-this-to-that-part-2/
A couple pictures of some the trees we have drying in the shop at the moment. Subscribe to RSS Feed So often I show you the fancy and the different, so I thought I would just take a couple pictures of what is currently on the go around the shop. … https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/around-the-shop/
Building an exposed wood saddle tree from walnut - step by step. Subscribe to RSS Feed We started with this... And then I did this... And then I did this... And then I did this... And then we had that...… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/from-this-to-that-part-1/
Here is some the process we use to figure out how to make things that we haven't built before. Subscribe to RSS Feed Despite the fact that we have been at this over 16 years and have built over 2100 trees (one at a time!), there are still lots of types of trees… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/increasing-our-repetoire/
It is nice to see our saddle trees get shipped out to the customers that ordered them, even if it isn't an especially exciting aspect of our job. Subscribe to RSS Feed This afternoon Rod helped me pack up trees to ship to customers. This is generally my job, but since I was running behind time and there were a… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/shipping-trees/
As the foundation of a house determines its final shape, so the tree determines the final look of the saddle. Here's some things we do to make that shape look "right" to your eye. Subscribe to RSS Feed To someone who knows about saddles, there is a "look" to a saddle built on a good, hand made tree that is neater, cleaner, more refined. One of… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/reason-3-to-order-a-hand-made-tree-the-overall-look-and-shape-of/
Some of the steps in finishing an exposed wood post horn cap. Subscribe to RSS Feed Here's the line up that he uses after the grinder, sander, rasp and 80 grit sandpaper he normally uses on everything. (The 80 grit is the small… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/working-on-an-exposed-wood-post-horn-cap/
Here are some explanations for the top two reasons we start with when asked why someone should pay the extra money to order a good hand made tree. Subscribe to RSS Feed When we try to give people good reasons to order a hand made tree as opposed to a production tree, the two reasons we discuss first are always the… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/reasons-1-and-2-to-order-a-hand-made-tree-materials-and-workmans/
Pictures from the shop - and more about cantles. Subscribe to RSS Feed So if you are tired of pictures of snow (I am, especially the one outside my window), here's some pictures from the inside of the shop this week. … https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/this-past-week-inside/
Springtime in Alberta - what could be... more variable????? Subscribe to RSS Feed Remember this picture from just two weeks ago? Well, last Friday... this started, and the white stuff floating in the air ain't dandelion… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/this-past-week-outside/
