How To Carve With a Chainsaw

Wood carving is a form of art that has evolved throughout history. Using a chainsaw is a unique way to perform wood carving but it’s not an easy task.

A chainsaw is a powerful machine and maneuvering it to carve can be very tricky and difficult, especially if you’re a beginner. However, it’s certainly doable if you follow the right course of action.

This article will help you learn how to carve with a chainsaw and complete your first wood carving project.

How To Carve With a Chainsaw

Use the following steps carefully to ensure your safety and complete your wood carving project using a chainsaw.

Step 1: Ensure Safety

Ensuring your safety should be your first step in all projects that involve a chainsaw. Keep in mind that accidents can happen even if you’re a professional and a chainsaw can cause irreparable damage. The following list contains the protective gear that you must wear before starting this project.

• Chainsaw helmet
• Face mask or respirator
• Safety goggles
• Earbuds or earmuffs
• Chainsaw chaps
• Cut-resistant gloves
• Steel-toed boots

Step 2: Choose a Suitable Chainsaw

After ensuring your safety, you’ll need to choose the right tools for effective wood carving. It’s important to note that you’ll need multiple blade and chain sizes to complete different stages of your wood carving project.

You’ll need a large-pitch chainsaw to cut the log piece you’re planning to work with and then you’ll need to use a smaller chain or blade to make different designs and shapes. A smaller chainsaw works really well for carving.

There are different chainsaw types including battery-powered, gasoline, and electric chainsaw. Gas powered chainsaws are the most powerful ones. That’s why most professional carvers use this type but you can use an electric or battery-powered chainsaw for this project if you already have it.

Bear in mind that the most suitable machine is the one that you can easily handle. If you’ve never used a chainsaw before, read the user manual of the chainsaw you buy and use it on scrap wood pieces to get accustomed to its feel. 

While buying a chainsaw look for the following capabilities.

• Choose a chainsaw with triangle-shaped guide bars to make difficult cuts precisely.
• Ensure your chainsaw comes with a comfortable grip so that you can focus on carving instead of handing the machine.
• Go with a chainsaw that has anti-kickback capabilities to avoid accidents.

Step 3: Select Right Wood

Each wood species comes with its own characteristics and texture that can influence the way your chainsaw reacts during the carving process. While you can use any wood species for this project, I recommend you use any of the species listed below, especially if you’re a beginner.

• Butternut
• Cottonwood
• Basswood

All of these wood species are soft and light, making the carving process easy.

Step 4: Secure Workpiece

The last thing you want is your workpiece moving around or tipping over while you’re using a chainsaw for carving. Not only will it ruin your workpiece but it can also be extremely dangerous. That’s why you must secure your workpiece properly.

If you have the time, carefully clamp your wood to a stable table, making sure to leave ample space to make cuts. You should use multiple clamps, as you don’t want the wood moving while you operate the chainsaw.

If you don’t have clamps, you can use sandbags to keep the log securely in place. You can also secure your workpiece on a large plywood sheet and secure it using screws to give it a stable foundation.

Step 5: Find Design Example

There are tons of chainsaw carving project ideas that you can easily find online. I recommend you choose a simple design if it’s your first project. 

Make sure to print out a picture of your selected design that you can look at while carving. It’ll allow you to keep the idea fresh in your mind.

Step 6: Make Carving Plan

Make a scale drawing of your carving plan and remember to keep the right dimensions in mind. In order to measure the design properly, draw your plan on graph paper to build a scale model. It’ll make it easy for you to transfer the design to your workpiece with the right proportions.

Step 7: Outline Workpiece

It’s always better to outline your workpiece before starting the carving process. You can use spray paint to make grid marks on your wood log and draw the outline of the design using your scale model. It’ll ensure that your final results have the right proportions.

Step 8: Start Carving

Grab your scale drawing and the printout of the design and use them as a reference so that you can carve the basic outline with a chainsaw easily. 

Start your chainsaw, and slowly begin carving your wood. Until you become experienced, you want to move slowly through your cuts. 

Be very careful to make sure that you don’t accidentally make a deeper cut while performing this step or you’ll end up with a destroyed workpiece.

Step 9: Start Blocking Out

Blocking out is the process to remove all the bulk that you possibly can in order to round off the corners. You might need to use your spray paint again in this process to redraw the outline as you cut and smooth out the previously drawn layout.

Step 10: Add Details

Using a big chainsaw will allow you to carve the main texture and features, but you’ll need smaller chainsaw bars to achieve finer details. You can also use die grinders with burr bits to smooth out small details and features of the design.

Once your detailed design is ready, use the following tips to achieve even finer details.

• Use sandpaper to make your carving smoother, especially the edges.
• Use a propane torch or paint to enhance the look of your final piece.
• Use a UV-resistant topcoat to seal your carving.

Tips to Use a Chainsaw to Carve

Keep the following tips in mind if you’re planning to start your chainsaw wood carving journey.

• Understand the basic operating principles of the chainsaw if you have never used this machine before and always start the project with a sharp blade.
• Keep in mind that a chainsaw with a dull chain is more harmful than the sharp one. Sharpen the dull chain or get the new one and replace the chain before starting.
• Don’t wear loose clothes, remove jewelry items, and confine long hair before you start working with a chainsaw.
• Use a small wood log to start your wood carving journey using a chainsaw and select a design that doesn’t have too many details.
• Use a workbench dust collecting tool to get rid of small wood particles to achieve finer details and keep your workspace clean.

FAQs

Final Words

Learning how to carve with a chainsaw is a time-consuming process but it’s one of those skills that anyone can learn. Practicing constantly, willingness to learn, and proceeding with patience are some of the most important things that you must have to master this skill.

Don’t get discouraged if your first project doesn’t yield the results you were expecting. Keep practicing because the more time you spend carving with a chainsaw the better results you’ll get.

Lastly, always remember that working with a chainsaw can be incredibly dangerous and you must never use this tool without ensuring your safety. Happy Carving.