This article was originally written by Adam Dutton for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
One talented artist is carving out a living by making realistic wooden animal sculptures with a chainsaw as his chisel. Simon Bogg started chainsaw carving as a side project around 30 years ago and now sells bespoke commission pieces across the U.K. as his full-time job.
The dad of two can spend up to three days working eight-hour shifts crafting his most intricate pieces, frequently depicting horses, birds, rhinos, and badgers.
Bogg, 53, freestyles each piece without any planning or mapping out, simply using a source image for the more complex animals. His most popular creation is his carved owls, which are on the smaller side and typically sell for around $200 and up depending on the level of detail. His biggest carving was 22 feet tall, however, and some of his other works are worth between $6,700 and $9,400 each.
Of course, his artform comes with the implicit warning “do not try this at home,” as the danger element shouldn’t be understated. “Everything we do with a chainsaw, you shouldn’t do with a chainsaw,” Bogg told SWNS. “You need to be quite adept.”
Hailing from Lincolnshire, England, he was originally in the building trade, when one day his mother asked if he could create a wooden mushroom for her.
“I had never done anything with a chainsaw before, I used hers and spent a Sunday afternoon doing it,” he recounted. “A week later she rang and said, ‘I’ve got five orders for you, they love it,’” presumably talking about her friends.
“I did the five mushrooms, then I did a bear, and then I did a country show and sold everything I made,” he explained, adding that he’s completely self-taught and has been at it full-time for the past 15 years. And he’s had to learn from his mistakes along the way, as he’s found that members of England’s chainsaw carving community tend to keep the best methods close to their chests. That said, “Everyone that does carve has their own way to do so, there’s no right or wrong.”
Bogg can churn out roughly three owls a day, but he tends to craft on average three carvings per week with varying complexity. Each one is either made from imported cedar wood from the Pyrenees or timber from local gardens.
“Your owls and everyday stuff I just get a lump of wood and get on with it,” he said. “I do two silhouettes, front to back, and side. Chop away what you don’t need and then start shaping up. As soon [as] you get one part right, the rest follows. It all becomes far easier.”
Some of his most impressive works include a giant carved stag, a rearing horse, and an elephant. Other highlights include a rhino bust, Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, and a woodland scene carved into a tree trunk.
The creations are no easy feat — and not just because of the inherent threat involved. “Deafness, vibrations, and chopping bits off is a big risk. But the biggest one is fatigue,” he explained. “Your average tree surgeon does a cut and switches it off. We can have a saw on constantly for eight hours. You can have bad backs, wrists, aches, and pains.”
But it’s all worth it for Bogg, who loves taking on the larger projects.
“I really like the big ones that are in your face,” he shared, adding: “I like doing the things that people say are impossible. People take the mickey out of me and say ‘when am I getting a proper job,’ but I love it.”
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