At the gruesomest time of the year, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about the “Ice Carving Chainsaw Massacre” that nearly took place last December. Two of the top carvers around, Aaron Costic and Ben Rand, both were seriously injured while using their chainsaws. The accidents happened within days of each other and were surprisingly similar. Fortunately, both Aaron and Ben made full recoveries.

    Ice carvers routinely make their chainsaws more aggressive by removing some of the safety features from cutting chains. The safety features are in place to primarily protect users while cutting wood, not ice, so it makes sense to make the modifications when the saw will only be used for ice. However, if an “ice” chain cuts into wood, whether on purpose or by accident, then it becomes much more dangerous, sometimes with the results above!

    Chainsaws are designed to cut wood using the bottom part of the chainsaw bar. The tip and the top of the bar should not be used, as the cutting teeth, grabbing into the wood’s grain, will often propel the saw upward and back towards the user. This effect is called “kickback” and happens too fast for the user to react and can easily be deadly, especially with a large saw.

    Because ice has a completely different make up and doesn’t have grain like wood does, it cuts much differently. Ice carvers regularly plunge the tips of their chainsaws into blocks of ice with little danger. The entire bar of the saw is used and cuts can be made in any direction. Even if the safety features are removed from a chain, an ice carver will experience only a very minor kickback effect when cutting ice with the top of the bar’s tip. This effect is nothing like the dangerous kickback experienced with wood or other substances.

    The problems occur when you have modified saw chains hitting substances other than ice. This is not terribly unusual; a few days ago I hit a piece of wood that was sitting just behind a carving that I was working on. I wasn’t paying enough attention, but fortunately the saw hit the wood in a way that wasn’t dangerous. Many carvers cut sculptures on wood pallets or stands, however, so there are regular opportunities for these sorts of accidents.

    Here’s an example of a potentially dangerous situation. A carver is working on a sculpture while it is lying down flat on a piece of wood or a pallet. The carver is standing over the piece, using the tip of the saw to make small cuts. Should the saw’s tip plunge too far through the ice and touch the wood, the modified chain can suddenly cause kickback and the carver is in danger. In this case, placing a piece of foam (ethafoam, for example) between the ice and the wood makes the situation much safer for the carver.

    It’s not surprising that both accidents happened in December. The holidays are usually the busiest time of the year for ice carvers and the odds for an accident go up just because of the greater number of carvings. Stress and exhaustion can also be contributing factors, and during busy times these both increase as well. As we approach a new December, carvers would be wise to consider that if this sort accident could happen to Aaron or Ben, then it could happen to anyone. Be careful!

Aaron and Ben have both been willing to openly discuss the circumstances surrounding their accidents in an effort to prevent other carvers from similar injury. Aaron took it on himself to circulate his story, complete with photos, by email. Unfortunately, Ben’s accident happened before the email got around. But both carvers should be applauded for their willingness to share their cautionary tales. For my part, after I heard what had happened, I reevaluated how I handle all of my power tools and I changed some of my approaches to reduce the odds of an accident. Thanks Aaron and Ben!