Mike Preddy

Chainsaw Carvings

A longtime employee of Stihl Incorporated (maker of chainsaws and outdoor power tools), Mike Preddy began carving with chainsaws in 1979.  While still employed by Stihl as a Mid-Atlantic salesman, he no longer carves and spends much of his time farming.  Although Preddy is a resident of North Carolina, he has spent considerable time in Virginia and has carved in both Isle of Wight and Southampton Counties.  Examples of his work can be found at Walters Outdoor Power Equipment (formerly Herrala Brothers) in Walters and at Parker Battery Incorporated in Franklin.  Two eagles (one large and one small) and the bust of an Indian are displayed in Walters.  They were carved as demonstration advertisements for Stihl.  The large eagle in Franklin was carved for a local doctor to memorialize his father using a tree that fell on his father’s grave during Hurricane Isabel.  Preddy’s work is often monumental in scale; both large eagles are six feet or more in height.

Preddy began carving soon after he joined Stihl.  Another older salesman was carving mushrooms and, to Preddy, it looked like fun.  He had taken some art classes in high school but had no other art training.  Soft wood including red cedar, cypress, pine as well as walnut are preferred.  Preddy uses three sizes of chain saws as needed with bars of 28, 16, and 12 inches.  Chains are kept loose to make it easier to detail special features and details.

Subject matter includes Indians and “a lot of different animals, but mostly eagles,” which are his favorite.  A blowtorch is used to accentuate details.  Finally, up to ten coats of lacquer are applied to slow down the drying process of the wood to try to prevent cracking.  Items generally take four to eight hours or more to complete – longer when detailing and lacquering are considered.  Many of his carvings were sold to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.



Preddy no longer sculpts with chainsaws or any other tools.  Asked if he anticipates making other carvings in the future, he responded, “I don’t think so.  I’m limited on time.  I started this as a hobby and ended up being another full-time job.  I just didn’t have the extra time to put into it.”

Sources

Gallagher, Ronnie.  “Chain Saw Unlikely Tool for a Sculptor.”  North Davidson Dispatch [Lexington, North Carolina] 26 Oct. 1983, <http://http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19831026&id=bVocAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vFIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4882,5890000>.

Preddy, Mike.  Email questionnaire.  23 Apr. 2012.

Preddy, Mike.  Telephone conversation.  12 Apr. 2012.