A short demonstration of using an electric chainsaw to split a large block of ice used for ice carving. This is a basic technique in ice carving. Boston-style ice tongs are also used. Demo by Dawson List of www.icecarvingsecrets.com.

    I’ll add more details about the scoring stick tool and the splitting procedure as soon as I can put it together.

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    Splitting an ice block is one of the most basic procedures in ice carving. Evenly cut slabs of ice are used for all sorts of carvings, including logos, ice bars, and many more. So it’s necessary to learn how to safely and efficiently cut an even slab of ice without wasting time or ice. Most carvers’ chainsaws have bars that are less than 20 inches long, so it’s necessary to cut from both sides of the block to make a full width slab of ice.

    Notice that I’m wearing ear and eye protection while I’m carving. Chainsaws break and chunks of ice can fly any which way, so keeping your eyes safe is a very good idea. I've always found the noise of chainsaws (especially Craftsman and Makita saws) and other tools to be louder than I can tolerate for extended periods. I'm pretty sure that they can damage your hearing also. That's why I'm wearing ear protection as well. The little foam ear plugs work fine, but they hurt my ears after a while and they're hard to keep up with, so I like the "ear muff" kind of hearing protection. I got the pair that I'm wearing at Sears, but most hardware stores should have them.