[Lightningbolt]

I just can't seem to learn enough about chainsaw carving and always try to "gulp-up" as much as I can every time that I see it. I've bought books on it, video tapes of it, and I've even been know to buy a piece or two over the years from one of the pros... but I've never really tried my own hand at it until now.

Yeah, I've used the chainsaw to rough out some of my bigger carvings and totem poles but I've never really taken it to the point of a near-finished piece of art until today. And oh boy, am I excited!!!

It all started quite unexpectedly this afternoon after lunch when I was scheduled for my afternoon woodshop class and just when 5 of my students dropped like flies into the infirmary with the flu. Well my class was canceled so I pulled up a white ash log that I'd been storing in the corner of the shop and began my sawing adventure. I first sketched off a center line then highlighted the primary cut lines of the standing bear with a magic marker pen.

I used a little electric chainsaw that a kind person donated to our woodshop program about a year ago so I was simply using what was immediately available. The saw was much too slow to my liking and I know that I could have done better with a faster rpm gasoline powered saw but that's not what I had. I couldn't control the tip and full blade from some "bouncing" and couldn't control the accuracy of my cuts the way that I could have with a gasoline saw so in turn, it really wore me out and required me spending much more of my own energy reserves than I would have liked prior to a Friday night!!

In addition the log was a very dry and well seasoned white ash log that had been used for several years as a sitting log for the kids under a covered shelter while their table was being set for mealtime. Therefore I had to check it out for any nails, staples and other obstacles of which I found few.

So, here it is so far and I'm wondering if it must be a polar bear since the white ash wood gleams of snow? Or perhaps I'll end up highlighting with a torch then clear coating or using some stain? Who knows at this point because I'm just having too much fun getting that bear out of the log! Guess that I'll just take one step at a time.

When finished my plans are to place it outside on the porch of the educational center of the wilderness camp where I work with some kind of welcome sign in the bears arms. I was so excited about it that I loaded it up in my pick-up truck and brought it home so that I could continue with the fine detail as time permits this weekend.

So I just thought that I'd post a few pictures and keep ya'll up to date as I proceed with the carving. I've already got it set up on the front porch since the weather forcasted for the North Carolina mountains this weekend is expected to reach the mid 60's so I'm getting spring fever like a pig in slop!!

[squbrigg]

Way to go Dave!!! Great looking beginning. Feels great when something gets rolling don't it? You get the excitement of .....well if I do this and then that.....!!!! Have fun with it, great job.

Bob

[Thor]

Dave, I'm green with envy!
The bear is terrific, and I am glad to hear that you're having so much fun with it. Chainsaw carving just sounds like so much fun.
Thor

[Dylan]

That's a great looking bear Dave. I'm really looking forward to seeing it finshed.

Dylan

[GILLY]

Great bear and great idea of making it a welcome carving.

[Lightningbolt]

Thanks for all the comments as they really do boost one's confidence!

BobS: You are 100% correct in that it feels so good to get another project in the making! For some reason my membership on this board seems to be on a "roller coaster" as far as my posting gets but when I get on a roll I just can't seem to get enough of it!

Thor: Oh, let me tell you just how much fun that I'm having with this chainsaw carving. It is so much fun but it don't take much for my arms to feel used up! My lower body is solid muscle mass to the max since I run 22 miles/week (or) bicycle about 100 miles every week. My hands have a lot of muscle in them because I use them so much in all that I do buuuuuuuuut... my upper body is just not what it should be. I need to get back to my push-up's so that I can laugh more at the chainsaw instead of it laughing at ME!!

At sunrise this morning it was 34 degrees (farenheit) but did I let that stop me? I don't think so! Got on my warm hat 'n gloves then got to work.

In starting this project I did have the Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared" in mind since I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to accomplish before I cranked up the chainsaw. If you saw one of my previous posts' from several months ago then you know that I'd already been carving small miniature standing bears like this one so I therefore already had all the "kinks" worked out to my satisfaction before I started "Big Daddy" bear.

I know that you folks already know this but I work with kids for a living and I'm just so ingrained with their young minds always seem to believe that I can just pick up a carving blade (or chainsaw) and suddenly create a carving miracle without any thought or planning. Before they graduate from my woodshop program most of them finally understand this first basic concept in creating art AND they see me do it before and while I'm tackling any wood related project. Soooooooo.... if you want to carve a big'un then first master the little'uns. That's my 2 cents of advice for now and let's not fall asleep with all my babbling!

Anyhow, I thought that I'd post a few more pictures of the progress I've made this morning. Gosh, where does all the time go!?! On first glance it might not seem like too much was done but just tell that to my sore upper body! Taking a close-up look you can see a lot of progress since my main mission was to add texturing. Yesterday I just roughed out the general shape and this morning I was ready to add the correct "flow" to the bear's hair.

In the begining I was very skeptical of my electric chainsaw's ability to work with such detailing since I had to work so hard at controling the bouncing of the blade yesterday. Maybe I'm just getting more experienced (or I'm fighting harder) but I do feel like I am now more in control of the blade than the blade is in control of me! I seem to be bracing the saw more on my hip and/or my thighs then I tend to "step" into the motion with the saw instead of trying to just work the saw with my arms. This technique seems to give me much more control in adding the finer details.

The pictures might not show it good but even after adding the flow of hair the saw still left quite a bit of splintering wood sticking out so I'm probably gonna put one of my wire brush wheels to spinning next and see what that does to smoothing out this "porcupine" effect!

I've also got to add the eyes and I don't have any special tool in mind or developed yet for this but I'd bet that the round eye punches that I use on my woodspirit faces would work nicely if only I had a much larger one that I could fit into my 1/2" drill. I'm afraid that I'll probably end up just carving them by hand but if I were to ever get into the chainsaw carving business you can bet that I'd find a more efficent way. Any ideas for the future on this would be appreciated if you've created an efficent eye-making tool.

I suspect that I'll also play around with my dremel a little bit on the facial details too.

Before I completely write the book here I guess that I'd better get back to work! So until the next progress report......

[Kenny_S]

Really COOL looking bear. Amazing what an artist and his tool can do. Really like the Bear.

[squbrigg]

Man, that is coming right along. I can't wait to see how you detail the face. Have you figured what kind of bear it shall be....cuz Polar Bear heads are shaped different than Black or Grizzly?

Old timers use to have a tough time telling some Black bear from Grizzly....but always said...."If the bear climbs the tree and eats ya, it's a Black bear. If it knocks the tree down and eats ya, it's a Grizzly". If it's a Polar bear....ain't no trees in the Arctic to climb, so yer dead anyway!!!

Love it, hope you are still having fun and are pumped up!!!

[whitecree]

My wife was looking over my shoulder (just being snoopy) the pix of that bear made her go 'aawwwww...'

Now she's bugging me for one.


Good stuff, keep going!

[Mottles]

AHHHHH I want one! Terrific Dave A+ work
Kathy