Another Chainsaw bear

Lightningbolt · #1 06-24-2007, 02:40 PM

It's been almost a year since I posted my last chainsawed bear (and the last one that I did) but I finally got back to it! I haven't changed the "generic" standing pose too much since I'm still learning but I did try to add a little more detail to the face on this one AND I believe that this is the first one that I dared to saw an open-air space between the two rear legs. Sooooooo... I suppose that I've taken a few new baby steps in my attempts at chainsaw carving.

On top of all that, I still haven't gotten me one of those revered dime-tip pro carving bars so I'm having to do a lot of the finished detail work with my regular carving blades and especially when it comes to the head with the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. All in all it took just a little over an hour to rough it out with the chain saw so I don't have to "think 'n ponder" so much anymore! The log is pine which I've had curing in the open air for about a year now and that wood really cut nicely with a new chainsaw blade.

As I mentioned in last years posting this bear was also carved as part of our camps annual fund raiser each fall. This particular bear won't make it to this year's closed bid auction since the fellow who won my previous bear for $200.00 put it on his porch which made all the neighbors jealous. Well, one such "neighbor" found out who I was and drove up one day saying that he'd donate $250.00 to our program if I'd carve him a bear with a style and size of my own choosing. I really appreciated the creative freedom that he allowed me to take so I did the very best job possible for him.

It stands around 4 feet high total and I finished him with a light cedar deck stain purchased from the local home improvement store after torching him a little for added accent. I must say that there appears to be a big market in my local area for chainsawed carvings and I really don't know of anyone tapping it. If it wern't for that darned full-time job that I already have (and love) then I'd be going this route for sure myself.

Oh yeah, and of course no bear would be complete without a name so I've been referring to him as both "Herbie" and "Booger Bear" while carving and hugging him each day so I'm gonna tell the new owner that he's "Herbie the Booger Bear" !

Lightningbolt · #2 06-24-2007, 02:42 PM

And the other pics...

gene messer · #3 06-24-2007, 03:23 PM

Great job Lighting bolt ... Your a wiz with that chainsaw ..

Keep 'em coming ..
Gene

GeorgiaCarver · #4 06-24-2007, 05:25 PM

Great job on the bear. Thanks for showing us the progress pictures.

Greg

Colin_Partridge · #5 06-24-2007, 07:35 PM

Great job Dave really cute little bear. I like the way you squared the log before carving. It is way easier to do it that way because you can draw your bear two dimentions, side and front profile. You will be amazed how much better it is to carve one with the dime tip bar. Mind you the roughing out I always do with a regular bar its just the detail I do with the dime tip. If you ever think of getting a carving saw I would highly recommend the Redmax 3200 I use it almost all the time now.
Colin

Ron Davidson · #6 06-24-2007, 09:36 PM

Now come on Colin. Does that bear remind you of anything! Comon go outside your box.
Ron

Lightningbolt · #7 06-24-2007, 10:41 PM

Thank's everybody and Colin for the tip's. As for squaring it up first, I believe that it's the first time that I tried that on a big bear. I've never had any formal chainsaw carving instruction so it just "hit" me as perhaps a good way to start it off since the little bears that I've carved by hand and sawed the rough-out on the bandsaw were started that way. Seems to have helped me get it more into perspective.

And yes, I do so desperately need a good dime tip saw for the detail and I'm gonna bet that it happen's before next year's carvings... hopefully a lot sooner. I'll have to look into the Redmax for sure.

After looking back at my pictures it seems that the ears look a little too big. I left the bear on display back at work for the weekend so tomorrow I'll have to inspect the real thing. Amazing what can be seen from a bunch of pictures of a project but totally overlooked during the entire carving process.

Oh well, I'll just say that he's in the "advanced" teddy bear category... but I'm leaning more and more toward realism. Or maybe I'm just developing my own style and brand of bear carvings.

Joy · #8 06-25-2007, 07:17 AM

He looks good. I'm sure the neighbors are sorry you don't have time to carve more.

tnartist05 · #9 06-25-2007, 08:05 AM

NICE JOB!! Dave Man you know up here in E.Tn and NC if you had time to carve more bears,they sell like hot cakes in our area! Just got home over the wk end from the 61/st Roan Mtn art show,sold anything I had this past Sat with a bear on it. Had a great wk end period! Keep up the chain sawing! You are doing great~ Forrest