Will's Chainsaw Sculptures is based in Hemel Hempstead, Herts although I carve on a private site just over the border in bedfordshire near Ivinghoe.
I started as a chainsaw carver ten years ago whilst working for a large tree surgery company. After gaining my first qualifications using a chainsaw I became inspired to carve after seeing someone else carving at a local country fair. My first ever carving was a heron, carved from a well known step by step guide in the back of a chainsaw carving book. The 2nd carving was a bear. The carving list grew and grew until a few people starting asking me to buy them. I carried on carving part time whilst working full time as a tree surgeon.
Eventually I started gaining clients and my carvings proved popular so I became a full time chainsaw carver. That was 4 years ago and now I get to travel all over the UK to work on commissions and abroad to the USA taking part in shows. I have placed in many competitions and this year I placed first in the European Chainsaw Carving Championships which is held every two years defending my title. I also won in 2012.
My style has progressed and has been refined over the years and now I carve a wide range of subjects from bears to mythical creatures. Most of my work now are commissions by councils, schools and large corporations but I also work for many private clients, too.
I enjoy living and working in the natural environment and I believe in preserving as many trees as possible. Therefore, I only use local timber which has fallen or been felled for safety reasons or is proven to be sustainable.
I have carved a wide variety of subjects, from birds, to dogs, film props, mythical creatures, green men, play equipment and benches. I am often commissioned to do work on free-standing wood and to carve tree stumps in situ. I can work from photographs or pictures of the required subject. I have completed commissions for projects as diverse as a 1ft owl from a stump in a private garden, to a 30 foot totem pole.
Although Chainsaw Carving is a relatively new art in this country, it is a big business in America and in February each year, I attend a large gathering of over 200 international carvers at the Ridgway Rendezvous in Pennsylvania. This keeps me in contact with the other fantastic carvers from all over the globe and is a source of great inspiration. This year was my 9th time attending this fantastic event.