Post #226327 by bigbrotiki on Wed, Apr 12, 2006 9:17 AM

On 2006-04-11 07:37, J.S.G. wrote:
Yes, I did go thru some old newsletters of The Cutting Edge, a journal by The Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors Guild, the 1993 issue Mike says he was turned on to chainsaw carving in 1957 when a friend showed he a picture of a tiki carved with a chainsaw.

Aha! Tiki, god of the artists, inspiring yet another artist's career!

In the early 1960's he read an article on a company in Washington State that was creating furniture with it. That gave him the idea one could actually make money with the tool.

Was that Witco, then?

A brief history of Mike and Ken are in my book, the Art of Chainsaw Carving... perhaps you would like to trade books? For Your first book of Tiki's?

Definitely, let's. I sent you a personal message (click under "personal messages" above)

I did a bit a research on Bill ... sounds like he was from Washington State and his book "Fun and Profitable Chainsaw Carving" was printed in Mt. Vernon, Washington. So the wood he used was not Swamp Cedar. (Being a wood carver myself )The wood is Western Red Cedar.

I dunno, that term somehow stuck with me from my talks with Bill. In any case, it was wood that was cheap because it could not be used in construction and nobody wanted it.

The same wood that the native totem carvers of the Northwest Coast have used for thousands of years. Tiki's and totems are very similar.

I agree. Although totems never became a pop culture like Tikis. That's what we are into here, the kitsch aspect, and through that, authentic Polynesian culture.
Bill Westenhaver told me he once taught American indians how to carve totems with a chainsaw.