How To Carve Animals With A Chain Saw

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Chainsaw Etching is a unique art form that tends to fascinate viewers and carvers alike.

People often ask, "How did you start chainsaw etching?" And I'm eager to share a bit of my carving experience then far.

Nigh a year and a half ago, I picked upwards a chainsaw for the kickoff time, and decided to try my hand at chainsaw carving. Since then, I haven't looked back.

But it didn't just start with a chainsaw. The interest in woodcarving began almost a year prior to that, while looking for ideas on homemade Christmas gifts. After watching a few YouTube videos and power-carving groups on Facebook, I decided to start pocket-size with a rotary tool.

I began sketching out basic designs of scraps of forest, fabricated a couple of wood signs, Christmas ornaments, and etched designs on walking sticks.

I speedily grew impatient working with the small calibration and wanted to work on larger projects, just lacked the necessary tools for the increased size. That's when I started eyeing up my married man's chainsaw. Not going to lie, it scared the crap out of me. The risk for injury was intimidating, then I soaked upwardly as much info to starting time to experience comfortable with the idea. Geared up, which provided a reassuring sense of protection, and fired the saw upwards. Off I went on a determined daughter-ability mission to cut downward a expressionless tree, dragged it into the yard, bucked information technology upwardly, and attempted my get-go log carving.

The learning curve was steep. Just getting the feel for the saw, angles, force per unit area, and command took near three full carvings of "not bang-up" results before improvements started happening.

Beingness "self-taught" has provided some really insightful learning through trial and error. I've worked through the kinks, found my groove, and techniques that works for me. But the learning doesn't terminate – chainsaw carving is an ongoing journey of experimentation, creative trouble-solving, and personal evolution as an artist.

I'd encourage anyone intrigued by the artform to at least give it a try. Here are a few tips that I learned from bumbling my fashion through outset chainsaw carving.

1) Prophylactic Beginning

Chainsaw carving is inherently dangerous and it's in a carver's best involvement to acknowledge the take chances and respect the tools. Before fifty-fifty firing up the chainsaw for the beginning time, I read the manual (yes, the entire thing), took the chainsaw apart, put it back together, and just became familiar with the ins and outs of its performance. A scrap of online research and watching videos on safe chainsaw functioning were function of my self-imposed pre-apply rubber preparation.

In one case I felt acquainted with the saw, I gathered personal protective equipment, which I feel is an ongoing requirement. This includes safety glasses, chainsaw chaps, gloves, and hearing protection. If I'm doing extra dusty work, I'll add a face mask/respirator to keep the sawdust out of my lungs.

While the chainsaw may seem like the near dangerous tool in a carver's collection, precautions are also necessary with other power tools that a carver may use. I have yet to take a chainsaw accident (thankfully), simply its the angle grinder I've had a few knicks and near misses with.

So cleave condom! And treat every tool similar it could hurt you.

two) Start with Bones Shapes

Set yourself up for success and accomplishment by starting with basic shapes like a tree or a welcome sign. It provides opportunity to learn on a gentle learning curve, rather than jumping right into a complex 3D animal to start with. Just getting comfortable with the chainsaw and learning control is enough of a claiming at the beginning. Once chainsaw control becomes second nature, yous can offset challenging your sculptor mind with more circuitous subjects.

3) Beginning Small – Simply Not Likewise Minor

Starting with small carvings has its advantages, and you don't feel then defeated and wasteful when the outset ones don't plough out as predictable.
Merely speaking from my initial experience, a smaller carving doesn't necessarily mean an easier carving. My first carving attempt was on a little 2 ft log and I found information technology so hard to maneuver the saw around the modest-sized carving and couldn't become the detail I'd hoped for. Even using a 16-inch chainsaw bar, I felt the size of the saw was merely besides big in comparison to the log and I often unintentionally overcut areas.

On the other end of the spectrum, the phrase "go big or go home" could also lead you lot down an intimidating path of more piece of work than you're ready for.

A happy medium, in my opinion, is a 3-4 ft piece of wood for a starting size.

four) Anchor Your Work

To avoid tipping or moving of smaller carvings during etching, yous tin can anchor the log to something to go along information technology in place. Anchoring methods I've used include attaching a wide piece of plywood screwed into the bottom heart of the log to provide a wider base, or clamping it in a wood bench vise.

When working with larger, heavier pieces, they're non likely to move with the pressure level of the saw, and then anchoring may not be needed during the carving process. If information technology'south a big cut log, I just ensure it's straight and level before working on it.

v) Concrete Intendance
The most vital tool to maintain for a carver is their own body. If the body'due south cleaved, there'due south no carving happening.

Without a doubtfulness, chainsaw carving is a full-trunk workout that takes me to the limits of what I tin can do.

Think of carving similar an intense conditioning at the gym. Information technology will probably have fourth dimension to get used to the muscles existence used, building strength and endurance. For safety's sake, maintaining a level of physical fitness, stretching, rehydrating, and taking breaks are key to fugitive injury and ensuring long-term sustainability. And by all means, stop when tired or pain.

Mail service-etching self-care may call for additional measures at times. As needed, this may include an Epsom common salt bath soak to ease sore muscles, icing overused joints, anti-inflammatory medication, and deciding to accept several days off to allow recovery.

While some carvers may have the stamina to bang out a whole carving in a unmarried session or cleave for total eight-60 minutes days, I don't call up it'south reasonable to wait that high-level performance from every carver, especially beginners.

From my personal experience, I can usually continue up the stamina for about 2-3 hours of work earlier needing to take a break to recover (for both the torso and the mind.) It takes several sessions to complete a carving. The difficult work and fourth dimension that goes into creating a piece makes it all the more than gratifying in the end.

6) Basic Carving Steps

While every carver has their ain unique procedure and preferences, these are the bones steps I like to follow:

Selection what yous want to carve and search for reference pictures. I print off a couple photos to look at throughout the etching procedure.
Make a scale drawing. I similar sketching on graph paper to lay out the etching plan. My scale drawings usually include 1-foot markings on the height of the etching, and a center line downwardly the middle. The grid makes it easier to re-create to the forest later. If yous tin describe 2 outlines (1 from the front end and 1 from the side perspective) it makes carving a lot easier after.
Describe/spray paint the grid markings onto the intended piece of wood, then the full general outline from the front, referring to the calibration drawing.
Cleave out the front outline with a chainsaw.
Redraw the grid where cut off, draw the side outline, and carve out the side profile.
Complete the blocking out process with chainsaw past rounding off corners and removing as much bulk as feasible with chainsaw. As outlines are cutting away, cease to redraw the layout often.
Detailing – some details/textures are washed well with a chainsaw, but the finer particular is often enhanced with other tools such every bit a smaller chainsaw carving bar, a die grinder, or rotary tool with burr bits.
Finishing – sanding, cleaning the etching with compressed air, optional paint/stain/propane torch called-for, and of course a topcoat sealer that's ideally UV and water protectant.

That's merely a tip of the iceberg of what a beginner chainsaw carver might encounter forth their journey into sawdust and two-stroke exhaust. The best way to larn is to make it there and try. Allow yourself the grace to make mistakes and learn from them. Have fun with trying something new and feel proud for challenging yourself!

No affair how information technology looks in the terminate, there will be someone out there that thinks what yous're doing is pretty darn SAWsome.

Michelle Thevenot is a chainsaw carver and artist from Osler, Saskatchewan, Canada. Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

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