Firefighter Uses Chainsaw for Jumbo-Sized Woodworking
Taking advantage of some downtime, this Alberta firefighter picks up a chainsaw and begins carving out life-sized wooden bears. He sells his creations to universities, restaurants, and anyone who wants a unique (and large!) handcrafted item.
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As the leader of a helitack wildfire-fighting team, Cameron Vilcsak spends a lot of time near the Canadian Rocky Mountains of Alberta. During periods where there is heavy rainfall or high humidity, wildfires are significantly less common and his team takes the opportunity to train. Training includes a lot of chainsaw work, and it was during one of these training sessions that Cameron decided to save two of the biggest logs his team had cut for an idea he had. Most of the logs were usually left to rot or used for team campfires, so he figured that there was nothing to lose.
His idea was chainsaw carving. Think of it like wood-carving … just with a chainsaw instead of a pocketknife.
Growing up, Cameron had spent weekends camping with his family and whittling small wooden figurines. This taught him how to use various carving tools and gave him the basic skills he needed. Naturally, the difference is that he would be using bigger tools and materials this time, which he was also comfortable with as well since he used them all the time in firefighting. In fact, he says that using a chainsaw is easier than the usual micro-carving because it's machine powered and you get greater room for error when using a bigger log.
On his first attempt, Cameron managed to carve a bear standing on its hind legs. This got the attention of everyone at the fire base where he worked, and he received requests from his colleagues to share his techniques. That was the moment when he realized that he was creating something of value and that woodworking could amount to more than just a hobby.
The next week, Cameron carved a replica of an Easter Island Moai statue which he shared on his Instagram profile. After seeing it there, one of his friends asked if he could put it on display in the front window of his store, along with the bear.
A whole series of fortunate events quickly followed. He received a call from the city's art director who had noticed the two pieces of work and wanted to display them at the upcoming arts festival. Cameron readily agreed, and the very night of the festival, he received an offer of $800 for the two woodcarvings. Later that week, he was featured in the local paper.
With all the attention, he knew he was on to something. He began spending his free time on Reddit, YouTube, and in Facebook Groups learning more about his new craft. To turn this from a hobby to a real hustle, however, he needed customers.
His first customer was the University of McGill who hired him to build four custom tables for a contest they were taking part in. Cameron had originally volunteered for the project, but after showing the lead architect some of his designs, the university said they would pay a commission. Best of all, the university allowed Cameron to use their architectural workshop, expense all of his materials, and gave him some needed tools.
Of course, not all of his customers provided such benefits, nor has it always been so easy to make sales. Cameron has had to do a lot of the heavy lifting to get the word out. He pitched his services to interior design firms, restaurant owners, and even called his local lumber yard to see if they had excess lumber to offload. On the digital front, Cameron started by doing most of his marketing through Instagram, but has now pivoted to YouTube, where he shares "how-to" tutorials. In his words, "hit it from every angle and eventually you will get a yes."
The greatest challenge Cameron has faced is deciding how to charge for his projects. And on that front, he has an intelligent philosophy. He doesn't want to sell his time, but rather his skill, so he charges by the project and not by the hour.
Today, he averages about $1,000 a month from his side hustle, all without any initial startup costs. As his projects have gotten more complicated however, Cameron has invested in his equipment, spending almost up to $1,500 on high quality tools.
Cameron's next project is to build a 1,500 square foot log cabin. He plans to document the entire process and upload it to his YouTube channel, which he hopes will inspire others to take up woodworking as well.
If you're not into chainsaw woodworking, not to worry: you can carve out another side hustle that is just as well suited to your talents.
Listen to today's episode to learn more...
