Location?
First of all, where were you at over the weekend? Possibly over at Ridgeway,Pa? If so, you were at the 11th annual chainsaw carving rendezvous.The rendezvous usually attracts around 200 carvers from all walks of life,from not just across the U.S., but from all across the globe.
Instead of interpreting it as a bunch of dopers with chainsaws,consider yourself very fortunate to have the opportunity to take in all of the different artistic variety close to your home.I wish I would have had the opportunity.
This is without a doubt an event that a lot of the carvers look forward to all year long.It is held at a time of year when most of the carvers are not working the fair circuits, doing onsites, or just carving in general when the weather is favorable.Is it a festive situation?Absolutely. For a lot of the carvers, this is a time to get together with old friends and a time to make new friends,learn new techniques, see what new subject matter is selling, and to see what is new in the industry.
Usually at most competitions or demos, the average carver will have a minimum of four saws set up for carving:a larger cc saw for removing large amounts of stock, a mid ranged saw for semi roughing and getting into smaller areas, a saw with a quarter tip for getting into progressively smaller/deeper areas and finally a saw set up with a dime tip which currently has the smallest tip available.At some of the comps I have attended, I have seen carvers have up to a dozen saws, with different tips and bar lengths. At a true comp,the goal is to get what is considered the best complete carving in an alloted time frame.
A lot of the carvers run what is called a toonie bar on their mid ranged saws.The toonie, quarter tipped and dime tipped bars are all hard nosed bars, in other words, they do not have a roller tip to aid the chain to go around the tip of the bar. Thus to make it easier for the chain to go around the tip easier, you have to run the chain LOOSE, usually leaving the drivers hanging an eight to a quarter inch below the rail of the bar.
Oh, and by the way, my forum name does not indicate my propensity to partake of drugs, but the natural high/rush I get from running my saws, whether chainsaw carving dropping trees or cutting firewood.-ken