Carving is a labor of love
To Mike Bihlmaier, who does all his carving and finishing work on his driveway and in his garage at home in Marengo, Ill., chain saw carving is a labor of love, not a job.
“I don’t have to carve for a living,” says the easy-going Bihlmaier. “I do it out of love for the craft. It’s an addiction.” At some point in the near future, he plans on building his own workshop.
Inspired to become a chain saw carver after seeing carving competitions at various fairs, Bihlmaier says he has always been drawn to carving. He started out competing in snow sculpting competitions in Illinois, got hooked on large sculpture and gradually progressed to tree carving. “I bought a few ECHO chain saws and got started carving in my front yard. I’ve been doing it ever since,” he says.
“When I’m not physically carving, I’m creating, drawing and doing research for pieces I’m working on,” Bihlmaier says.
To Bihlmaier, carving is more of an art form than a skill. “It takes a certain amount of skill with the saw, but it’s essentially a form of sculpting,” he says. Having spent many hours operating a chain saw cutting firewood and helping out on a friend’s farm, he describes himself as a self-taught carver. “I’ve picked up a lot of pointers from other carvers along the way, though.”
Bihlmaier has been using ECHO chain saws for the past four years. “My favorite ECHO chain saw is the 50.1 cc CS-520 with a 14-inch bar,” he says. “It’s a really nice, well-balanced saw with great RPM.” He feels the weight-to-power ratio is what sets ECHO chain saws apart from the competition. “There are few to no repairs required. ECHO saws just keep running.”
“I’m truly honored to be part of the ECHO Carving Team,” says Bihlmaier. “Especially as a ‘part-time’ carver.” For him, the best thing about competitive carving is that it shows what you can do in a very short timeframe. While winning the event would be the icing on the cake, Bihlmaier enjoys the camaraderie among the carvers.
He has competed against fellow ECHO Carving Team members Bob King and Mark Colp. “Colp fixed one of my chains during an event last year,” recalls Bihlmaier.
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While Bihlmaier asserts that he hasn’t carved his hardest piece yet, one of his most challenging projects to date was 22-foot red-tailed hawk on a 3-sided pillar that he carved out of white oak for a country club. The piece he’s most proud of is a carving of a bear in his garage. “It’s a grizzly standing in water, holding a salmon. I named the piece ‘Water Dance’.”
The uncut wood often speaks to Bihlmaier as he carves. “You know in your mind what you want, but the wood can present some surprises that you need to work around,” he says.
“I thank God for the gift I have been given,” says Bihlmaier. “My talent or gift for carving came to me a little later in life.” Bihlmaier’s oldest son, age 23, is interested in carving, but only “dabbles” in it at the moment. “He bought some ECHO chain saws, so he’s got the right kind of equipment,” he says. Bihlmaier’s youngest son, age 9, talks about following in his dad’s footsteps some day. “For now, he only works with clay.”
Bihlmaier will tackle anything and is confident that he can make any piece of wood into something. “I just carved a bear from a box elder stump that had turned to cork. It’s still standing.” He says that sculpting wood, especially logs, is nothing like working with marble. “There is very little control with wood. You can get into a piece of wood and find a rotten core. You just never know what you’ll get into.”
Tips and advice
For up-and-coming carving enthusiasts, Bihlmaier offers the following advice: “Meet some carvers and spend some time with them. Check out their work. There are lots of good books out there on carving, too.”
When it comes to offering carving tips, Bihlmaier says, “Take your time and plan your pieces out as much as possible.” Before picking up the saw, Bihlmaier’s motto is safety first. “Buy safety gear before you do anything –even before you buy your saw.”
After a piece has been carved, Bihlmaier offers these tips for treating and curing the wood: “Keep the piece dry and let it dry slowly. Keep it off the ground to avoid moisture. Coat with a linseed oil/mineral spirit mix to slow the drying process and avoid cracking/splitting. When that dries, coat it with a good spar varnish. Keep it away from any heat sources.”
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