Chainsaw Carving

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The art of chainsaw carving is a fast growing form of art in the United States and in the rest of the world, that combines the modern technology of the chainsaw with the ancient Art of woodworking.

The oldest chainsaw artist records go back to the 1950s, which include artists Ray Murphy and Ken Kaiser. In 1952 Ray Murphy used his father's chainsaw to carve his name into a piece of wood. In 1961 Ken Kaiser created 50 carvings for the Trees of Mystery.

In the early 60s chainsaw dealers would line up at forestry expos and state fairs. As a gimmick to attract customers to their booth, the most creative guy in the company would carve simple carvings, demonstrating the lightness and power of their brand of chainsaws. It was then that the art of chainsaw sculpting was brought to the public.

Many new artists began to experiment with chainsaw carving, including Brenda Hubbard, Judy McVay, Don Colp, Susan Miller, Mike McVay, and Lois Hollingsworth. At this time chainsaw carvers started loading up their carvings in the back of their trucks, functioning as travelling galleries.

Carvers usually either do "quick carves", which can draw a large audience, or they can spend months on carving one piece.

Special chainsaw blades and chains have been developed for carving. In Finland such equipment is affectionally called konepuukko ("mechanical puukko").