Specialty Acts

Roark Phillips, a guy who couldn’t even color within the lines as a child, has a perfect knack for chain-saw carving.
In a week he carves about four to five bears, an animal he says he loves to carve and people love to buy. He typically carves with white pine for its quality as a soft wood that can be detailed, stains well and has the ability to dry “very light.” The downside of his preference – it’s not a native tree.

Red cedar, poplar, yellow pine, bass wood and, he joked, free wood are other top choices.
“People are usually trying to get rid of their wood, so I go green and recycle it for them. I get it off their hands and it costs me a carving, which is a pretty fair trade.”