1-13-2012-click on image-carving 1

      well tonight is a stab at chainsaw carving. these are all previous pics of me when i was able to carve, but my back problems are taking their tole on me . can not go as long and pretty much have to be up to feeling pretty good to pick up a chainsaw. it would be a great vocation for some aspiring artist to learn art.it teaches you to work in three dimensions, and being able to shape and form things in your mind  it is dangerous and sometimes i think you need to cut about 50 truck loads of wood to learn chainsaws and understand what they are capable of. in terms of safety , and to learn how to handle chainsaws in general.
      then again , a lot of the safety things you would normally do , when carving you do them. the main difference is you are paying complete attention to what you are doing.  not only for safety sake but also because you would end up with a much smaller piece of firewood. you can carve with a regular chainsaw as long as it is light to start off with. would recommend a small echo or stihl. doesnt have to have a carving bar to start, and might be best to learn with a regular bar. and would recommend a hard nose narrow tip as opposed to a roller tip. the smaller the radius of the tip, the more detail can be achieved.  if you are a beginner , a low profile non aggressive low kickback chain should be used in either the 1/4 , or 3/8 low profile is good. you dont need a lot of power to start either till you get the feel of the saw and what it is capable of. the main thing is the chain brake works and you need other safety equipment too.
     other safety equipment would include ear plugs( very important-long term exposure to high pitched motor noise will make you deaf. ), safety glasses to prevent wood chips from flying into your eyes. you as a beginner should wear a cut protection in the form of safety chaps or logging pants w/ kevlar protection. after you get to know it all then you can do with out. also gloves might be another option you might want to invest in. they have gloves that help isolate vibration . log term it can cause you nerve problems.
      as with regular chainsaw use,kickback is your biggest problem. at not time do you want to be in the position to eat a chainsaw full of running teeth. you will lose. never put your face anywhere close to the bar or directly above the bar. do not stand over the log you are cutting. as kick back can send the bar directly at you. it happens so quick you can hardly control it. spend time and understand how kick back happens. now when you get to understand proper way to handle chainsaw , safety and proper starting procedure, and have experienced cutting through logs then you might be able to think about doing a carving project. , this will be tomorrow nights discussion.