Good customers are good friends too... Thank you! Subscribe to RSS Feed Rod got all fancied up for a Christmas banquet this year. He even waxed his mustache for the first time in years! And it was the first time he was… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/trinket/
Still building, for another couple of months. And doing some fun things with them too... Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees. We have two saddle fit videos available on our westernsaddlefit.com website. Western Saddle Fit - The… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/are-you-still-building-trees/
The thing about real hand made, custom trees is that we are always doing something different and while we have been at this for twenty years now, there are still firsts... 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/there-are-still-firsts/
Family, friends and professors - wood, trees and rawhide - it's all here... 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/visiting-visitors-and-what-weve-been-doing-between/
Pictures we put up in response to the challenge to post 5 pictures of our work for 5 days in a row on Facebook. Subscribe to RSS Feed There’s been a 5 for 5 challenge going around Facebook lately asking people to post five pictures of their work a day for five days in a row. We… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/five-five-challenge/
Here's a tree we just shipped out with a polished exposed bronze horn. Very nice!! 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/just-because-its-puurrrddyyy/
It is fun to do something different now and then, and this tree had some challenges that made it interesting to build. 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/pony-express-reproduction-tree/
Not all charro trees are created the same... Subscribe to RSS Feed Last week I posted this picture without an explanation of what type of fork this was. From the back, it may be hard to tell, though the horn could… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/another-charro-tree/
One of Rod's first Western Stock (Australian) saddle trees. 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/mickey-mouse/
Comparing some measurements between a tree for a larger rider and a small child. Interesting the variety we can build in one week... Or - The long and the short of it. I couldn’t decide on the best title… Here’s a couple trees we built in the same group of four. Funny how sometimes you get very similar trees… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/a-study-in-contrasts/
Regular summer stuff and another first in Rod's tree making... We got our first picking of peas today. Just under half a five gallon pail, so they didn't take too long to shell out. The greenhouse is growing well. Rod just… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/what-s-new-at-the-nikkel-s/
Pictures of a Meana style tree, and unusual fork on an endurance tree, and a tree built by copying pictures of and old saddle. Subscribe to RSS Feed Here’s some pictures of some of the more unusual trees we have shipped out over the past few weeks amidst all the “normal” trees we have been… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/some-more-saddle-trees/
Pictures and description of the finished charro saddle we built a while back. Subscribe to RSS Feed This saddle is built on a wooden rawhide covered tree made by Rod Nikkel. The saddle seat is 16” long, the cantle is 5” high and 13” wide. The… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/charro-saddle/
Pictures of the exposed wood horn cap trees finished. Subscribe to RSS Feed Well, it took longer than normal for these trees to get out the door due to our time away, but I thought maybe you would like to see pictures of… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/the-twins-are-on-their-way/
A couple of identical fancy trees! Well, almost identical... 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/twins/
Got some better pictures of the fully exposed Jarrah wood horn today, so I thought I would share them. Subscribe to RSS Feed (It still looks better in real life though...) We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/some-more-pictures/
Fully exposed Jarrah wood horn. When you start out with God's handiwork as a base, it is pretty easy to make something look good... 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/havent-made-one-like-this-in-a-long-time/
Another normal day in the shop, and this is what the camera found to photograph... 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/just-some-shots-around-the-shop/
Whenever we do a trade show, there is a certain tree or style of tree we bring that always attracts the most attention, and which one or style it is can vary... Subscribe to RSS Feed We don't do a lot of trade shows, but we have done a few in different places. We usually try to take a variety of trees with us - a finished… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/saddle-trees-and-gravitational-pull/
When deciding about ordering cantle specs, you usually don't have to think about cantle width when figuring out dish. But when a cantle is really narrow, it is a consideration. Subscribe to RSS Feed On our page about cantles in the Understanding Tree Measurements section, I discuss dish, how it is measured (as demonstrated in the picture… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/of-cantle-width-and-dish/
