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Chainsaw work of art an annual tradition in Addison

By Rebekah Sungala 3 min read

ADDISON – For the last 15 years, Dale Hatfield has been able to make a living with a chainsaw. Wearing jeans, a T-shirt, chaps and a face shield, Hatfield carves large, rough-hewn hunks of wood into pieces of art – animals of all sorts, plaques and flags. “Some carvers specialize and will only carve specific pieces, but I’ll make anything,” he said, adding that he likes to keep his pieces under 3 feet tall. However, he said he once carved a piece that was about 10 feet tall.

It can take Hatfield anywhere from one to 30 hours to complete a project, depending on the detail work that is involved, and he said he charges anywhere from $100 and up for a carving.

“I can do a quick carve in about an hour, but it’s pretty rough and isn’t detailed,” he said. “It depends on the amount of detail the customer wants. I worked on a carving once for 30 hours.”

Hatfield said he seals and varnishes the carvings after they are complete and said they will last indefinitely as long as the owner takes care of them.

“They’re one of a kind pieces of art,” he said.

Hatfield, a professional woodcarver who lives in Ohio and attends woodcarving festivals throughout the northeast, was one of 57 carvers at the second annual National Road Chainsaw Carving Festival held this weekend at the Addison Community Park. The event is sponsored by the Confluence Lions Club and other local businesses and organizations.

Like many of the carvers, Hatfield uses a chainsaw to carve most of the time. However, he also uses an electric power tools and a chisel.

“Some people only use a chainsaw or chisel, but I like to use different tools,” he said.

Tom Brian, co-chairman of the festival, said proceeds from Saturday’s silent auction benefit the Somerset County Blind Center. He said each of the carvers are asked to donate at least one carving to the auction. The carvings are auctioned off at 3 p.m. and given to the winners later in the evening.

Brian said the Lions Club was able to raise about $13,400 for the blind center last year, with all of the money coming from the auction.

“Our goal this year is to raise $1 more than we raised last year,” Brian said. “Of course we’re hoping for more, but that’s our goal.”

Based on the turnout, Brian said early Wednesday afternoon that he was confident they would meet that goal. During the first three days of the festival, Brian estimated hundreds of people attended, many of them sampling food from the various vendors as they wandered among the woodcarvers and watched them work.

“I was hoping we would run out of parking spaces, and we did,” he said. “Next year we’re going to have to figure out something so we can have more parking. I’m thrilled with the turnout this year.”

Rob Stemple, executive director of the Somerset County Blind Center, said blind center staff members work to improve the quality of life for 360 blind and visually impaired people in Somerset and surrounding counties.

He said money from the carving auction goes a long way. The center receives about $25,000 from the state each year and has to raise any additional money that is needed. “It takes a lot of money to do what we do.

“The money the Lions Club raises helps us immensely,” Stemple said. “We really appreciate it.”

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