Chainsaw Carvers Turn Logs Into Beautiful Art At Tulsa State Fair

The Tulsa State Fair is a great place for makers to put their work on display for thousands to see. That is what keeps chainsaw carvers from Missouri, Chris Gagnon and Keith Gregory, coming back year after year.

What most people see as a tree stump or log, this pair sees as a blank canvas for their art form.

"We are taking raw logs and carrying them all the way through to finished carvings," said Gregory. "We carve bears. We carve eagles, owls, pumpkins, we can carve just about anything."

It is a skill Gregory said he developed over time, starting with small wood crafts, then knife carving, and eventually trading his knife for a chainsaw.

"I always cut firewood with my father, so I knew my way around a chainsaw," he said. "I was fascinated with chainsaw carving, went to a competition one time, and wound up buying my first saw and carving my first bear."

What once took him a week, Keith now completes in 2 hours. However, he and Gagnon said at the fair, they like to take their time.

"We get great reactions from the crowds, and then the more we are here, the more you see the same people each year that come up wanting to see what we are doing this year," Gagnon added.

Both agree having a booth at the Tulsa State Fair helps them get the word out about their businesses.

"I have heard there is over a million-foot traffic here, so that is always good, and we always get residual business after the shows are over," said Gregory.

He owns GrizzlyMountain SawWorks, and Gagnon started The Bear Factory. Chainsaw carving is a passion Gregory said is fueled by seeing the way people light up as they turn a log into a work of art.

"You take such an obnoxious tool, the chainsaw, and you create something beautiful that people are willing to lay their hard-earned money down for," Gregory continued, saying, "It is really gratifying."

You can find both of their businesses on social media HERE for The Bear Factory and HERE for GrizzlyMountain SawWorks.