And the show goes on!

It was a foggy start this morning but the warmer weather has been well received. Ben and Joe have been carving all day. The western red cedar has become Joe's main focus. I took some pictures this morning while he was up on the lift to give you an idea of massive this eagle is at the top. As you can see in the picture he has started adding some branches to the left side of the eagle. I took this picture earlier this morning, before lunch. He has added another eagle and a branch to hold a nest. This is Joe and his trusty Stihl. I heard those have the fastest breaks on the market and that is why so many carvers use them. I'll do some research on that and get back to you. Anyway  this carving is starting to look amazing! I put some pictures of it on our facebook page. It's to dark to take anymore pictures today. I'll try and get some in the morning if the weather works with me. We are busy here working on some really great projects.  We are doing a log bed similar to this but it's going to have a bear carved on each corner. 

Cold Carving

At I Saw It In Minnesota the thermometer might say it's warmer but the wind doesn't make if feel any better. The sunshine has brought the carvers spirits around and both Joe and Ben were carving today. Personally I think they're crazy, I went to help Ben with something out by the highway and thought I was going to turn into a popsicle. Really though the wind has been crazy here the past week or so. Joe started this carving

a few weeks ago. It's going to be amazing when it's done. This tree is a western red cedar we had shipped in from Washington State. It was a whole when it was brought here but as you can see it fell apart. This tree is about 20 feet tall. If you look closely the wings have all of the detail in them and soon the eagle will too. When it's done the eagle will look something like this  . The rest of the tree is going to be full of carvings as well. I believe Joe said something about adding a nest and and another eagle and some bears. I'm going to take pictures as he goes, like a photo journal of the carving. One of the last large carving Joe did a gal out in California purchased. Shipping on it wasn't even that terrible. The people that have come by the shop seem to think this eagle is pretty cool so far. It's just been to windy out here lately to get up on the lift to do more carving. The 10 day forecast shows there might be some good weather on Monday or Tuesday. Today they were carving under the awning. I snapped a few pictures of them really quick, they aren't the best pictures but it gives you an idea anyway

 Ben is working on an eagle and Joe is doing custom order for an owl. I can tell you the only good thing about this weather its easier to take phone calls when the windows are closed with all the chainsaw noise. Sometimes I go to bed and all I hear in my head is rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRrrrrRRrr.

A cold winters day

As January comes to an end we find ourselves fighting that old man winter with all our might. Being up here in the frozen tundra we at I Saw It In Minnesota had all we could do to find a little warmth. The only sawing that happened today was to cut more wood for the stove! The cold has slowed us all down. Nobody likes to be cold. In fact I've heard more than a few times around here that we hate it. For the last few weeks the guys have been busy trying to build up our summer stock so that they can focus on the custom carvings requests that come very year. Eventually someone will want Joe to come and carve at a place that will take him away from here for a few days and having that extra stock on hand is always nice. We've been doing quite a few of these bears lately, some standing and some sitting. Watching someone carve really gives you an insight into how they think. One of my favorite things is when they surprise me. There have been a few times when I think I know what Joe is carving and something totally different comes off the blade of his saw. We are getting ready for the Home and Patio Show and I am very excited for the new bar we are going to be showcasing! I was honored to bring our log fireplace surround to the Sportsman Show this year and it was a showstopper. We also brought a log bed that Joe had carved bears into the four posts. People really seemed to like it. I believe this bar will really be beautiful as well. We discussed several options for tops, including some inlayed bear tracks, a drink rail built into a slab top, a two toned maple slab top and the possibility of a barn wood top(oh barn wood you are my favorite!) also using mixed woods for the sides, a look that is at the top of the To Do's in home design these days, which I started about 4 years ago- I'm so ahead of the curve. I'm very excited to see the final project and will be sure to post a picture when it's done.

Written By:
Elijah