Where do you get your wood?

Clowning Around   

I'm often asked, "Where do you get your wood?" 

Catalpa giant 12' log

Well,,,  Where does one get anything worth having?  You either work hard to get it or you pay someone else to do the work.  In my case I'm nearly always the brain and the brawn of the project. 

Moving Cedar Logs

Some times I find logs and some times logs find me.  Either way, they never deliver themselves and never fall out of the sky ready to carve.  Work, work, work.  It's a simple equation...

I prefer for the logs to find me.  This happens when a land owner is faced with removing their beloved shade tree and can't bear to see it all go to firewood or to the dump.  They some times phone me to tell me the story of their tree and explain they'd rather see it be used for art and not just firewood.

Austrian Pine on sawmill

One other source is the 'one man' tree removal company.  It might be late in the day and they still have this huge log to get rid of when they'd prefer to be at home with the family.  When it occurs to them, "that guy has a tractor and a trailer", I've got wood :)  As simple as that if you have the tools to move logs.

Spruce Logs on trailer

Bartering is an option but with so many free logs to be had, I only barter for very special logs or for logs that are delivered to me.  Still, I've made a deal or two through the years.

Unfortunately, many people wanting to barter or sell their logs have a hugely inflated idea about the value of their log.  Their co-worker may have told them it's work thousands of dollars.  I say, let their coworker buy it.  LOL

Forked Sycamore Log

Sycamore Logs

The Saw Mill

Black Walnut / Live  Edge

When I was a young teenager, my Pop harvested some black oak logs for a barn we were building.  We hauled those logs to the local sawmill to be cut into 2x12s for the barn loft floor.  I'd never seen a sawmill before and I was amazed by this incredible machine!

Catalpa

This old school mill had a huge circular blade that moved through the logs as easily as a knife through cake.  The carriage rotated the logs as the operator pulled and pushed on various levers.  Today I'd say it was a Steam Punk machine :)


Most intriguing to me was seeing the operator riding the carriage.  Wow!  That's who I wanted to be when I grew up.  What a cool job the sawyer has!

Elm / Book Matche

I never did get to be "that guy" who rides the sawmill carriage.  But I did get to operate a sawmill or two.  In fact, I now own the legendary (and terrifying) Alaskan Sawmill as well as an awesome Woodmizer LT-15 band sawmill.

  Milling is more of a necessity than a business for me.  I need heavy slabs for the benches and murals I sometimes carve.  High quality slabs are so expensive that it's simply cheaper, and easier, to own a mill and make my own.

Blued Pine / Book Matched

"Easier" means I don't have to make phone calls, drive to various suppliers, and plan ahead to source the materials.  I just have to mill logs as they present themselves and store the slabs until I find a use for them.  It's actually hard work but much more satisfying than trying to find what someone else might have on hand...

There's a learning curve and milling has it's own vocabulary too. It's all worth the effort and I believe that for some young  man, I have become "that guy". ;)

Fireplace Mantle from customers log

Mulberry

Austrian Pine

Sycamore / Quarter Sawn

Sycamore  on the Woodmizer

2016 is done.

Giant Bear

The 2016 carving year is ending in a few hours and many carvings lay in it's wake. I hope to carve many more figures during 2017.

Greeting Bear

American Bison

Cowboy Boot

The past 12 months have seen a lot hardwood logs come onto the property.  Usually with great effort and the help of tractor, winch, chains, cables and a badly abused trailer.  It takes a lot to move large logs!  Even more effort is required for the much more heavy hardwood.

Betsy Ross Flag

Native Bust

Praying Soldie

All that effort turns to excitement when blocks of wood are hitting the ground and a new figure slowly takes shape. :)  But these new shapes need to be marketed and eventually sold to make room for the next creations.

You can make an appointment to visit and see my artwork in Kennewick, WA by phoning (509) 430-3111 to leave a message.

Or visit online to see photos of currently For Sale carvings, as well as a photo archive, are available at:

WoodHacker.com 

Trump Stumps

I've been doing more carving than blogging lately.  Here are a few of my newer creations :) 

THIS AFFECTS YOU IF YOU OWN A GUN, OR NOT

In Washington State, we have already seen legislation proposed to allow police to enter your home and search your bedroom for lawfully owned firearms without a warrant or court order. I-591 specifically forbids confiscation without due process (remember hurricane Katrina?) while maintaining and protecting a uniform standard background check system.

Year of the Eagle ;)

Spring is my season for carving tree stumps and this year the majority of these jobs   are eagle carvings.  This one was finished this morning.  The stump is of a maple tree planted by my customer!  Location is in the back yard of a private residence in Richland, WA.

Browse photos of other stump carvings at WoodHacker.com

Eagle Plaques

Those 'scraps' from the end of bench backs or relief carvings can be used for smaller wall hanging carvings.  The first of these is about 4' tall and customized for the customer.  The second, only 2' tall.  Each is 2" thick sycamore.

Eagle Plaque

Adding one more Eagle.  This slightly stylized eagle is a deep relief carved in 4" thick black walnut.  Length is approximately 55".

Eagles!

Eagle with salmon in Oak.

The chainsaw carving business is best described as "carve a bear, carve an eagle, carve a bear, carve a fish, carve a bear, carve an owl, carve a bear, ad nauseum."  Bears are the bread and butter of chainsaw carving but {fortunately} eagles are also popular.  :)  Whether it patriotism or nature lovers, a majestic "wings up" eagle will always sell quickly and other poses will sell eventually. The more unforgiving or tough your eagle appears, the sooner he will find a new home.

Eagle with ribbon in Sycamore.

One of the coolest things about carving eagles is their distinctive head/beak profile.  Because of this profile, the eagle head is easily recognized even when carved quite small.  So it's not just for chainsaw pieces!  The eagle head is a salable whether it be four times life-size or engraved on a piece of bone to be used as jewelry.  Carve them in bark, wood, bone or stone and you'll never regret the experience.

Double soaring eagle in Sycamore.

I find the most difficult thing about carving eagles is to capture that 'ferocity' we associate with a flying predator.  Even in photos of eagles feeding their chicks, they look like something to be given plenty of space.

How is 'ferocity' captured in a carving?  I wish I knew :(  I believe it comes from setting the eye back under the  brow and sloping the head toward the beak.  Executing it tends to be 'hit and miss' in my case.  However, my mildly stylized eagles tend to have more of that ferocious attitude than do my attempts at realism.

Eagle head in Cottonwood Bark.

If you are working on improving your eagle carving skills, I recommend practicing in a softer medium.  Cottonwood bark or even soap, clay, wax, etc allow us to carve quickly which allows more time for self-critique, analyzing shortcomings, and moving on to the next eagle...

Carving the heron...

These long necked birds, whether they be herons, cranes or egrets, are a sure sell for the professional wood carver.  Not necessarily a fast sell but they will always find a new home....

This one is carved from the upper portion of a blue spruce tree.  It's actually a 'practice heron' for the one to be carved from it's parent stump.  This stump is on 4th Ave (near Morain) in Kennewick, WA and I will start carving it on Monday, 5 August 2013.

You're welcome to drive past and honk but the location is private property [so I cannot invite you] and there is no parking on the street.

The finished sculpture on 4th Ave is expected to be about 6 feet tall.

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day weekend!

Exotic Wood

This month I had my first encounter with exotic wood.  I've 'seen' exotic woods before but this is the first time I've turned it into chips, dust, and art.  There was much to learn...

The Wood
I was asked to carve a piece of Purpleheart.  "OK.  I can do that."  After a brief moment of 'sellers remorse', I Googled purpleheart wood.  Google showed me lots of pretty photos of deeply colored purple boards, boxes and furniture.  It was exciting!  But before making the worlds first purple salmon, I searched Google a second time.  This time for 'purpleheart toxicity'.

The Danger
Everyone knows it's not good for you to breath dust.  Fewer people know that some wood dust can be poisonous and even cause an allergic reaction.  As for purpleheart wood, the most common reactions include eye and skin irritation. It's has also been reported to cause nausea!  I HATE nausea!!  To make matters worse, I learned that even the fumes are toxic so there will be no color added with my torch.


The Process
Sufficiently warned, I prepared to carve.  In addition to the regular task of laying out the design, I put my safety plan to practice.  Gloves, safety glasses, respirator (not a dust mask), and a fan pushing air (fumes) across my work area.  Naturally all of this is happening out of doors.

The Result
This is one very hard wood!  It chips and splinters like Red Cedar or Douglas Fir but is as hard as dried out Oak.  To get a nice finish in something so hard requires sanding.  Sanding generates poison dust.  I'm not getting paid enough! ;-)

Tree Stump Beautification

Cowboy & Eagle Americana

Lately I have been very busy with tree stump carving! I love carving stumps because of their permanent location.  I also dread the logistics of carving away from my studio.  After all, carving a tree stump with a chainsaw is a lot different than meeting friends to carve a hunk of cottonwood bark.  For one thing, the tools are a lot bigger.

One of these stump carvings begins with visiting the location to examine the stump.  Once I figure out what the customer 'really' wants me to carve, a few things have to be looked at before coming up with a price.  Such as:

Two bears, squirrel & raccoon.

Is the wood going to cooperate or is it likely to splinter, crack, and fall apart?
Is is rotten or solid?
Will the design fit inside of the stump?
Is scaffold needed?
And how far must I drive by the time I bid the job, carve the figure, oil the surface, and return later to seal it with urethane?

Goldfish Totem

Gotta figure those hidden expenses too...  Tools have to be packed  into the truck before the job then unpacked, cleaned, sharpened, and maintained to be ready for the next project.  "Time is money."

Then there is the schedule.  "You want it by the weekend?  HA HA HA HA HA!!!"  I'll do my best but unless you can control the weather, there is no guarantee.  Locally, wind causes more delays for me than does the rain.

Eagle & Salmon

Now that we have agreed on the price, what happens? You pay me, of course!  Then I start the "tree stump beautification."  :)

What can go wrong?  Mostly minor things...
If the job is large, the big hunks of wood removed, as well as scaffold feet, will dent or otherwise damage your lawn.  (A small price to pay for a large piece of art.)
Spontaneous design changes occur due to flaws and foreign objects in the wood. I've found bullets, nails, screws, spikes, staples, barbed wire, ceramic insulators and even a wrench buried under the bark of a tree!

However, the majority of what can go wrong occurs after the carving is complete and I have moved on.  It is the owners responsibility to protect and maintain their property (artwork).  I have provided a short video on caring for chainsaw carvings. To see the video, click here.

Scotch Anyone?

I recently carved a large Scotty Dog from a locally harvestes black walnut log. This was commissioned as a memorial for the customers friend and former co-worker.  As the deceased friend was employed by Highlands Middle School for 23 years, the massive sculpture was installed in the Highlands library earlier this week.  He was promptly names as  you can read about in the school blog.

http://highlands-library.blogspot.com/2012/10/george-scottie-dog.html

Christmas?

It's not even Halloween yet.  Not even close to Thanksgiving.  The Election hasn't passed!  Still, retailers like Wal-mart and Lowes are offering Christmas decorations for sale here at the start of October.  Wow!

In the past, I have not made "holiday" themed carvings so this is my first Santa sculpture.  I like the Old World type and have created this for my first Santa attempt.  He's 30" tall, carved from Sycamore, and finished with oil based paints and spar urethane.

He's listed in the For Sale area at http://woodhacker.com/gallery/

Election Symbol?

It's almost election time and while the elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party, what I've carved here is more of a Mouse-a-fant.  Or an elephant with mouse ears... 

Carved from cured Sycamore and finished with boiled linseed oil & urethane spar, this critter stands 24" tall and is being offered for $200 on WoodHacker.com 

The Orca have landed.

I have FINALLY stopped sanding, spraying, mounting, unmounting, and otherwise fussing over this sculpture!  Today I delivered it to the You & I Framing & Gallery, 214 W 1st Ave., Kennewick, WA. 

I put a lot of myself and a great deal of time into producing this piece.  Please go have a look.

Killer Sculpture ;-)

Nearing completion is my 3 part sculpture of an orca cow and calf mounted on "coral".   All 3 pieces are Sycamore wood.  The wood for the 2 orca (actually 7 pieces of wood) are all from one massive log segment.  The coral carving is a multi forked piece that's been laying around here for years.  I'm glad to FINALLY find the perfect use for it.

The orca have been sanded glassy smooth and are getting several coats of spar urethane.  Soon they will be mounted on the coral using stainless steel hardware.

These are not yet sold and are destined for display at the You & I Framing and Art Gallery in downtown Kennewick, WA.  Other carvings available can be found on my newly redesigned website at WoodHacker.com