Chainsaw carving originated in the 1950s when an artist carved his brother's name into wood using his father's chainsaw. In 1961, another artist created 50 carvings for a tourist attraction, sparking the global spread of chainsaw carving. While chainsaw carving can be a fun hobby or profession, it requires skill to safely wield the motorized tool and reveal images within tree trunks. For safety, chainsaw carvers wear protective gear like gloves, eye protection, hard hats, ear protection and steel-toed boots. Artists often select suitable wood and mark designs beforehand to guide the cutting process, which mainly uses chainsaws but may also incorporate other tools. Some have developed specialized chainsaw blades and

1. About Chainsaw
Carving
www.chainsawcarving.com

2. In the 1950s, when artist Ray Murphy
carved his brother's name on a piece
of wood by using his father's
chainsaw, Ken Kaiser also in 1961,
created the Trail of Tall Tales,
commissioned by the Trees of Mystery,
a tourist attraction in Northern
California.

3. He produced 50 carvings for the Trees
of Mystery and spawning a global
movement that, unlike the old stumps
they carve, continues to branch out.

4. Although chainsaw carving can be a
fun hobby or for a living, it is a difficult
and dangerous task to wield a
motorized tool, removing wood to
reveal an image of beauty emerging
from the trunk of a tree.

5. Perhaps more than any other artistic
form of sculpting, safety gear is very
important for this art form. Standard
equipment includes strong gloves, eye
protection, a hard hat, ear protection
and steel-toed boots.

6. Often the artist will choose a piece of
soft wood of suitable size and mark it
ahead of time to aid in the process of
cutting. While most of the cutting is
done using chainsaws, it is not
uncommon for items like a grinder or
sanders to be used for rough spots,
texturing and other fine detail.

7. More classic sculpting tools, most
notably the hammer and chisel, are
occasionally used to form smaller
grooves that a traditional chainsaw
would be incapable of forming.

8. Instead of using more traditional
instruments for sections of a carving
that would otherwise be impossible,
some woodworkers have developed
specialized blades and chains
engineered specifically to be used for
this task. A standard chainsaw has a
long, rounded end and usually uses a
toothed chain similar to a bicycle
chain.

9. The specialized carving chainsaws,
however, are often designed to
produce a much sharper point at the
end in order to make deeper pivots in
the wood. A smaller, finer chain is
often used to allow even more control
over the work.

10. Chainsaw carving is a recognized art
form that enables people to create
some spectacular and highly
spectacular sculptures and carving
sculptures using chainsaws has been
growing in popularity and skillfulness
in the past few decades. Wherever
there is an interest in this type of art,
nearly any design can be created.

11. So if you want to be a skilled chainsaw
artisan requires instruction and
practice, especially in how to safely
operate the saw. Because chainsaw is
a dangerous tool that can be harmful if
not used properly.
www.chainsawcarving.com