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The art of chainsaw carving is a fast-growing form of art that combines the modern
technology of the chainsaw with the ancient art of woodcarving.

Contents

 1The beginning of the art form

 2Today
 3Chainsaw carvers' guilds
 4Images
 5See also
 6References
 7External links

The beginning of the art form[edit]

The oldest chainsaw artist records go back to the 1950s, which include artists Ray
Murphy and Ken Kaiser. In 1952 Ray Murphy used his father's chainsaw to carve his
name into a piece of wood. In 1961 Ken Kaiser created 50 carvings for the Trees of
Mystery.
Many new artists began to experiment with chainsaw carving, including Brenda
Hubbard, Judy McVay, Don Colp, Cherie Currie (former Runaways lead singer), Susan
Miller, Mike McVay, and Lois Hollingsworth. At this time chainsaw carvers started loading
up their carvings in the back of their trucks, functioning as traveling galleries.
In the 1980s the art form really began to grow with Art Moe getting much exposure for the
craft at the Lumberjack World Championships held in Hayward, Wisconsin. This event
was broadcast nationally. The addition of carving contests from the west coast to the east
coast brought carvers together to test their skills and learn from each other. The first
Chainsaw Carving World Championships was held in 1987 and won by then 24-year-old
Barre Pinske. The 1980s also saw the development of the Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors
Guild and their newsletter, The Cutting Edge, mailed out to many members throughout
the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the United States. The 80's also brought the first
book on chainsaw carving, Fun and Profitable Chainsaw Carving by William
Westenhaver and Ron Hovde, published in 1982.[1] Other books soon followed, including
a book by Hal MacIntosh published in 1988 titled Chainsaw Art and in 2001 Chainsaw
Carving: The Art and Craft. He published material on chainsaw carving that predated the
popularity of the Internet.
The first booking agency dedicated to promoting and preserving the integrity of
performance chainsaw art was founded by Brian Ruth in 1992. It was appropriately
named Masters of the Chainsaw. The company has represented some of the most
respected artists in the U.S., such as Brian Ruth, Ben Risney, Josh Landry, Mark Tyoe
and Marty Long, as well as select artists from other countries. In 2007, Masters of the
Chainsaw, under the direction of Jen Ruth, created the first international group of female
sculptors under the name Chainsaw Chix.[2] Featured in this all-female team are greats
like Stephanie Huber, Angela Polglaze, Lisa Foster, Alicia Charlton, Uschi Elias, and
Sara Winter.
Brian Ruth introduced the art as a performance art to Japan in 1995. Since then, he has
established a division of Masters of the Chainsaw and a chainsaw carving school in Tōei,
Japan.[3]
Although the general impression of the public is that it is largely performance
art (because of the noise, sawdust, and very fast carving results), there are a few
chainsaw carvers now producing stunning works of art. These works can be produced in
a fraction of the time that would normally be expected if only conventional tools such as
mallet and gouges were used. Although many carvers continue to use other tools
alongside the chainsaw, the chainsaw remains the primary tool.
With the growth of the Internet, chainsaw carving has become a worldwide phenomenon
with chainsaw carvers all over the world.[4]

Today[edit]
In the United Kingdom, the English Open Chainsaw Competition draws thousands of
visitors annually. In 1989 Duncan Kitson was the first British carver, with notable
success, to represent Wales and The UK in international competition. His work is
recognized for its individual, engineered and tactile qualities. [5] English chainsaw
artist Matthew Crabb has carved the largest wooden statue of the Virgin Mary in the
world, at 9 meters high, in Schochwitz, Germany.[6] Welsh veteran, Harry Thomas of
Thomas Carving is highly respected in the industry and specialises in bears, along with
his son Danny Thomas. Harry has appeared on ITV's Daybreak, where he carved Queen
Elizabeth II's head, in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.
In Canada, many wooden statues produced by the chainsaw artist Pete Ryan decorate
the small town of Hope, British Columbia. Glenn Greensides, another Canadian artist,
branched out into Japan in 1995 and visited Japan each year for 12 consecutive years to
create one 5 meter tall sculpture from an exported British Columbia log depicting the
upcoming year's Japanese zodiac symbol.
In Japan, the Toei Chainsaw Art Club established the World Chainsaw Art Competition,
which was the first chainsaw carving competition in the country. The 2011 World
Chainsaw Art Competition at the Toei Dome was to be dedicated to raising money for
disaster relief due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that has affected the
country.[7]
1999 marked the first year of the Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous.[8] Every
February hundreds of carvers go to a small town in the mountains of Pennsylvania for
this event. The Chainsaw Carver Rendezvous is the biggest gathering of chainsaw
carvers in the world and takes over the small town of Ridgway, Pennsylvania.
In 2010 American sculptor Bob King was awarded a "Star/Sprocket" on the Carvers Walk
of Fame in Mulda, Germany, the location of the World Cup competition. This award
confirms Bob has won more carving competitions than any other carver in the world to
date.
In 2013, American chainsaw carver, Josh Landry, was awarded first place at the "Rally in
the Valley" chainsaw carving competition. In previous years, Josh Landry was the
youngest chainsaw carver participating in national and international chainsaw carving
competitions.
As the art has evolved, special chainsaw blades and chains have been developed for
carving. In Finland such equipment is affectionally
called konepuukko ("mechanical puukko").
The chainsaw "blades" are technically known as "guide bars". For chainsaw carving
these bars have very small noses (typically around 25 mm diameter). This enables the
artist to create detail in the carving that would be impossible with a standard guide bar.
The chains that are used on these guide bars are normally modified by reducing the
length of the teeth in order that they are able to cut efficiently at the tip of the bar. The
reason for this modification is that all chains manufactured currently (circa 2007) are
made to be used on standard guide bars only. These "carving bars" are manufactured by
"Cannon", "GB", and by a companies in Japan supplying "Stihl" and others. The other
very important advantage with these guide bars is that they do not "kickback" when using
the tip. they are therefore very safe to use in comparison with standard guide bars.
In order to reach the high levels of skill required to be a "chainsaw carver", a
considerable amount of instruction and practice is required in the safe operation of a
chainsaw. This is then followed by plenty of study and practice in carving basic shapes
which then ultimately leads on to more ambitious projects. Chainsaw carvers
wear protective clothing. A cut from a chainsaw is not just a cut, it actually removes a
whole centimeter or more of flesh and bone. A victim can die very quickly from blood
loss.

Chainsaw carvers' guilds [edit]

Two guilds have formed for chainsaw artists. The Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors Guild
(CCSG)[9] is a nonprofit organization that was founded by a group of chainsaw artists in
1986. In 1993, the CCSG started putting out a bimonthly newsletter, "The Cutting Edge".
Another nonprofit guild, United Chainsaw Carvers Guild,[10] was established in 2002 and
published a quarterly newsletter titled "The Chainsaw Letter", but has since stopped
publishing its newsletter. Both guilds claim to promote chainsaw art and the sharing of
ideas amongst fellow artisans.

Images[edit]


A man carving a Bernese bear with a chainsaw in Brienz, Switzerland

Carving of owls, Brighton Recreation Area, Michigan

 

World's tallest Virgin Mary carving at Schochwitz, Germany

Acorn Carving at Dauset Trails Nature Center

See also[edit]
 Ice sculpture
 List of chainsaw carving competitions

References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Chainsaw
carving.

1. ^ Westenhaver, William (1978). Fun and Profitable Chainsaw Carving. Westho

Publishing.
2. ^ Chainsaw Chix
3. ^ Toei Chainsaw Art club
4. ^ Masters of the Chainsaw
5. ^ The English Open Chainsaw Competition
6. ^ Exmoor The Country Magazine
7. ^ Toei Chainsaw Art Club
8. ^ Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous, The. "Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers
Rendezvous".
9. ^ Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors Guild
10. ^ United Chainsaw Carvers Guild

 Groeschen, Jessie (2005). Art of Chainsaw Carving. East Petersburg, Pennsylvania:

Fox Chapel Publishing. ISBN 1-56523-250-X.

External links[edit]
 Chainsaw Carver Creates A Buzz For His Unusual Creations Video produced
by Wisconsin Public Television
 Chainsaw Carving Step by Step Instructions Sculpture Step by Chainsaw carving