first go at chainsaw carving....

zopi · December 25, 2011, 02:32:05 PM

Third time....gonna have to score a carving bar soon...

Lud those are great...I dig that owl...gonna have to tackle that one too...

Buck · December 25, 2011, 03:58:40 PM

nice stuff guys, keep the pics coming. Hey, show some of the tools and bits your using.

Dale Hatfield · December 25, 2011, 11:04:06 PM

Here are a couple that I have done.I need to get more photos up loaded .

SwampDonkey · December 26, 2011, 03:50:54 AM

That's really nice work Dale. 8)

Magicman · December 26, 2011, 08:02:58 AM

Thanks for sharing Dale. I look forward to seeing more of your work.

WDH · December 26, 2011, 08:15:07 AM

That bear is amazing! That was some chunk of wood 8).

Busy Beaver Lumber · December 26, 2011, 09:20:57 AM

Dale

Those carvings are awesome. Do you ever work the chainsaw carving festival in Leo Indiana in September?

Would love to see you carve and see if I could learn something from a true master.

Zopi - I think you are showing quite a talent for this. After only 3 tries, the bear with the heart looks great.

zopi · December 26, 2011, 09:37:31 AM

Aww...thanks...that log sucked though...had some rot in it...
Dale those are awesome...i really like the indian princess.

I will keep messing with it...it is fast and fun to do. Have located a couple of sites with some how to's and a little deeper info....saw a little quick bear on one yesterday that I will try...and a bear that hangs on a four by four post.....gonna try. Bear with a sailor's dixie cup.

Next year am planning to own the pumpkin carving contest...will carve the pumpkin out of wood then carve the jack o lantern out of the pumpkin...

Since I live in the ham capital, was thinking of carving a decent sized hog and having it mysteriously appear downtown one night....lol...the local newspaper owner/editor would eat that up...

zopi · December 26, 2011, 04:51:56 PM

Somebody said air guitar this morning....thought it would be a good warm up excercise..done in some white oak that was too iffy to put in the sticker stack...
Youngest daughter has demanded a violin done the same way. Those f holes are doing to suck...

zopi · December 26, 2011, 04:59:45 PM

Midget bear holding a heart...
Lined up tomorrow...punkins...I hear they sell phast....
And I am going to attempt a hummingbird in flight...

Clam77 · December 26, 2011, 07:34:20 PM

A guitar, or violin, that can actually play..... now THAT would bring in some money I'd think.. 8)

zopi · December 26, 2011, 08:52:57 PM

Eh..maybe...the point of the excercise is to keep my attention deficit butt from getting..SQUIRREL!....Distracted...I like this becaise it is only as fiddly and detailed as the carver wants...

Lud · December 27, 2011, 07:08:33 AM

Dale, You have an artist's eye. Well done.

Dale Hatfield · December 27, 2011, 11:02:30 AM

Guys
When you want to put a carving bar on you saw. A quarter size bar will fit most saws. I however I like to run them with 3/8 low pro chain. They cut like a lazer. The downside to that is that sprocket chainand bar wear very fast. It so much faster that Im wiiling to pay the extra for the speed.
I block or ruff out shape with 372 husky and 20 inch bar or 395 with a 36 inch bar depending on size of carving.
Then I move on to the Qtr tip bars. I have them on Echo 360 400 ( I think)( 14/16inch bars I think)
Then to the dime tip bars for final detail. I really dont use them much as the qtr tip does about all I really nead. I would say less than 15 20 mins per carving.
A dime tip Bar will only fit some saws as the sprocket has to changed to 1/4 pitch . Because a dime tip bar can only run 1/4 pitch chain.
Check with Baileys to see if they have a sprocket to fit your saw. http://www.baileysonline.com/category.asp?catid=65
I like to wear a hardhat with forestry faceshield and muffs. Keeps the pine crumbs from sticking in my stash.
Chaps and some tunes on the MP3 player

The above info should save you a bunch of trouble and time and money. Because if you check for sprokets first, then you wont find yourself holding a bar that wont work on your saw.
Dale

zopi · December 27, 2011, 11:49:10 AM

As soon as I am able I will likely add another ms 180 or 170 with a quarter bar...might try the 3/8 low pro when my control is a bit better. I am sure the first time I get into a big sculpture I will decide that the 3/8 is the way to go.
I may get up with someone who carves woth echos or huskys and try them out...stihl is local to me and they are what I am used to.

zopi · December 27, 2011, 11:51:24 AM

It is raining here today. went out and put the sawmill back in it's shed and it looks like that is about what I will get today...

clww · December 27, 2011, 01:39:05 PM

Great carvings all!
Wet here today, too...

POSTON WIDEHEAD · December 27, 2011, 04:21:31 PM

You VA. boys ARE getting a bunch of rain. I looked on the weather map.....ya'll need to carve a boat!

We got 2 inches of rain in S.C. this morning, now the wind is blowing 30 to 40 mph. They'll be NO sawdust left to clean off the LT40 in the morning! :D

SwampDonkey · December 27, 2011, 08:34:51 PM

It's on it's way up here to. I here the old snow sliding off the roof, it's above freezing. No wind much here, yet. But suppose to be blowing in off the coast.

redbeard · December 27, 2011, 09:41:51 PM

I really enjoy this thread, I really enjoy watching the carvers at local events it is real popular around my area. I saw a advertisement for a new reality TV show coming out called "Saw Dogs" about chainsaw carvers i googled it and saw some video of it. looks interesting. Anyone know any more about it.