Skilled chainsaw carver to perform during Birch Bay weekend festivities

Nyal Thomas has been carving with chainsaws for the past 45 years. The California native has a background in carpentry, initially carving furniture.

“My dad was a carriage-maker and made stagecoaches all through the fifties. He was considered the best in the world at one time,” Thomas said. “So I was raised in a shop, and I’ve been working with wood since I was six years old.”

Thomas taught himself how to carve while camping out in the woods to combat several personal hardships in his life. He moved north up the coast, first working as a carver for Avenue of the Giants, a scenic highway in a redwoods park. He later moved to Point Arena, California and began firefighting.

His background as a firefighter inspired him to create a sculpture for Squad Company 1, an elite firehouse in Brooklyn, to commemorate the memory of the firefighters who died on 9/11. Squad Company 1 lost half of their team on 9/11.

The carving stands at 10.5 feet tall and 5.5 feet wide, weighing 4,000 pounds. Stainless steel plaques adorning its surface dedicate it to 343 firemen who died.

“I touched a lot of people with my piece,” Thomas said about his journey transporting the carving to the East Coast. “We stopped at 91 firehouses. I had fire commissioners crying in my arms; it was so emotional. It was just the most incredible experience one could have as an artist.”

Thomas has been in 89 competitions, winning 81 awards. He estimated he’s done about 30,000 carvings within his lifetime. Living on the Californian coast for so many years, he became skilled at carving nautical subjects such as whales and lighthouses. He said he struggles most with human faces, especially younger ones.

Other challenges include being able to safely handle a chainsaw to carve.

“There’s a big safety issue when it comes to teaching yourself and making sure that you build your muscles up,” Thomas said. “Having that vision, being able to look at that block of wood and see what you need to take away because your sculpture’s in there. You just need to see what wood you need to take off to find it.”

At 75 years old, Thomas focuses mainly on teaching people who want to learn how to carve and running competitive shows for other woodcarvers to showcase their pieces.

His Dueling Chainsaws show will be coming to Birch Bay on August 16 through 18. Starting on Friday, carvers will work alongside Fan Fest, taking up to 12 hours to complete Seahawks- and nautical-themed sculptures. The results will be auctioned off on Saturday, August 17 at 3 p.m.

After the Saturday auction, carvers will be allowed to carve without the limitation of a theme, and the resulting pieces will be sold at another auction on Sunday, August 18 at 3 p.m.

Thomas has been running this particular show for the past four years. Seventeen carvers will be attending, 14 of whom are award-winning. Carving will be happening throughout all three days of Discover Birch Bay Days and Fan Fest.

“The carvers I bring in are all quality carvers, so it really makes for quite a show,” Thomas said. “People get to watch absolutely beautiful pieces being made in a short period of time.”