woodsculptor

Hi Si Personally I wouldn't mess with the depth gauges as the saw could become overly aggressive and so counter productive for detailing. Some people grind off the back of the cutter tooth to give less resistance while boring (thus less heat) but if you use the Stihl RMS chain then this is already done for you :-) Kim

Hi Jammy Yep just like that although I tend to go a bit slacker too. The other main thing I find is not to rev the saw fully, this also helps with saw knack as you're revving with quite a lot of the bar showing when detailing/using the end of the carving bars. Kim

Hi There's the APF this year in Sept, Woodfest in North Wales, Carve Carrbridge in Sept(bit far but in a lovely part of the world), they'll have the English Open somewhere (think it was Derbyshire last year although not sure). All the above have chainsaw carvers right at the top of their game. You learn so much from just watching but I'm sure all will be very happy to have a chat as well when theyve no ear defenders on :-) Kim

Get this all the time due not being able to take breaks when carving (get all carried away and absorbed!). I find doing lots of rapid hands exercises (shaking, wiggling fingers etc before you get any ideas :-)) helps with the pain, aught to really get a proper care programme put together for them or I'll be knackered by the time I'm 35! Kim

An arbor friend lets us borrow his Land Rover if we ever need to tow large carvings for delivery and I cant for the life of me think why anybody would want to drive one for social or pleasure. The windscreen wipers can't keep up with anything other than sun and its like driving by candlelight when it gets dark! Kim

Ey up Si All lot of people seem to like em on carving post and their supposed longevity sounds very appealing. It can get a little bit frustrating when all this choice is available outside the UK (like the trogholer on your other post) though Kim

Thanks for the feedback Rob, the vids are quite old. Keep meaning to do one of a full carving but only remember when I'm half way through stuff. The excitement of starting something new takes over :-) Kim

Simple and elegant, really nice work :-) Kim

Thanks Rob That one took around 15 hours to complete, most of the things on it I'd never carved before so I go a bit slower. Once I've done something a few times I tend to develop a technique which speeds things up a bit. I try to carve new and interesting things on each commission though so I very rarely get super quick. Kim Kim

Thanks, Its all self taught really, figuring stuff out for myself. I watched some of the top carvers at the last APF which helped a lot from a technical point of view. Just watching them helped fill in some of the gaps and since then I've just dropped in to all the forums etc to keep learning again by observing and figuring it out. Kim

After my "pig ugly" last commission I got this one which is bit more elegant but still a little sinister :-) Its all chainsaw and is from a lovely piece of Beech Kim

Thank's everybody :-) Kim

Cracking bit of art Kim

Thanks everybody :-) I use a husq 395, echo cs600 and a cs270. Kim

Thanks :-) It's carved from Aspen Kim

Just finished this Gargoyle and Dragon Totem Pole. All chainsaw with a bit of scorching to finish. Its going bang next to the East Coast Mainline in North Yorkshire so keep your eyes peeled Hope you like it Kim

Love the green man Kim

Maybe if you read my answer correctly you would have gleaned what I was saying about why some people like chainsaw carvings over traditionally tooled carvings. Which I believe was your initial enquiry. I only use a chainsaw Simon although I've been tempted to use extras. I think its all about pushing myself with the saw as far as possible before I resort (that's maybe the wrong word) to using other tools. I want to master the saw completely first and hopefully by then I'll find little need to use anything else. I also really like pure chainsaw carvings. Kim

Not that impressive to you maybe but then that's art isn't it? Some people like exact replicas of real life objects and marvel at the skill while others, such as myself, are looking more for form and interpretation. Take that croc for instance (which I think is fantastic). The roughness given to the shaping of the body due to the use of a chainsaw/novice carver perfectly captures the creatures spirit, it makes it look menacing and prehistoric. The form is great too which makes the piece successful in what it's trying to achieve without it being a carbon copy of a real one. It's a great carving regardless of the skill level of the carver. Kim

I liked the other wolf head but have to agree that the simpler form of this one is more elegant, love it :-) Kim

A carving we've been working on in Derbyshire. Its out of a Walnut log Kim

Hi I don't work on a day rate. A piece of art is worth what someone is willing to pay, this is sometimes more than a reasonable day rate and sometimes a lot less. I charge what I think the piece is worth (by honestly assessing how good I am and how well I think I'll be able to do the piece as well as intricacy/detail etc). This means I can take my time and make sure it's as spot on as I can make it without having to charge a huge amount because I'm charging per hour. This mean that's sometimes I'm working for very little per day (£50 say) but as I enjoy what I do immensely (the pleasure comes from the art rather than the money) and have very few overheads then I don't mind so much. This method wouldn't work for a lot of people but it works for me, although I'm sure on day rate I would earn a lot more I think my art would suffer (pressure to get it done) and I dare say I wouldn't get as much work. Don't let all this give you the impression that I charge peanuts as I don't but I think I'm fair. Charge whatever you feel comfortable with after honestly assessing your skill level and your need for the work (is it a sideline for pocket money/ for somebody you know or do you have aspirations of making a real go at it etc). As long as you and your customer are happy with the price, then it's the right price. Having said all this I hate pricing my work :-) Kim

Hi Joy Thank you very much, it was around 5ft long and 1 1/2ft wide. We travel all over the country and I'm sure we could work something out. I'll send you a PM to discuss it further. Thanks Kim

I am indeed a lass, although not looking for busy boys (or not busy ones ). I get it all the time, people directing all the questions at my partner not realising its me that does it! I don't mind, it gives me the element of surprise. Thanks for the comments. Kim

Some signage I've just finished carving for a farm in Derbyshire. The wood is Walnut. Kim