recycling with rik

June 21, 2005. Record- breaking high velocity winds rip through the greater Spokane area. In Spokane Valley, a red fir snaps off halfway up, leaving an unsightly 22-foot high stump.

July 25, 2005. Louis Carver Nelson is born. He’s beautiful. His first name, Louis, comes from his mother’s grandfather. His middle name, Carver – well, his daddy’s a carver. A wood carver who has a vision for a lighthouse carved from a big red fir stump.

“I was driving by after the storm,” says chainsaw artist Don Charles Nelson, “and I just had a feeling the owner would be open to having a carving done.”

He was right. The owner of the stump, Dr. Chad Bess, D.C., had only months before been married in a lighthouse. His business logo incorporates a lighthouse. When the tree snapped off, Bess knew he wanted the stump made into a lighthouse.

“When Don stopped in and asked if I wanted a lighthouse, I started to laugh,” Bess says. “I asked, ‘who sent you?’ ” After a brief consultation, Nelson was hired and went to work.

Nelson says the tree was about 35 to 40 years old and rotted near the top, which is why it broke. He took another few feet off the stump to get to healthy wood, and then stripped the bark. “That’s the messiest part,” Nelson says, “because sap flies all over.” Once the tree had been prepared, Nelson lightly sketched in the basic design with his chainsaw.

Nelson says he works at a measured pace, estimating that if a piece took 40 hours to complete, 15 were spent just sitting back, looking, considering.

“Whatever tool I’m using is an eraser,” he says, “taking away what’s not the art. Once a section is gone, it can’t be replaced.”

Nelson’s “erasers” include grinders, dremel tools for fine details, chisels and gas-powered drills. But the workhorse tools of his craft are 12- and 15-inch Stihl chainsaws he buys used and rebuilds to “get as much use out of them as I can.”

Once a piece is carved, Nelson may stain it (as with the lighthouse) then seal it with linseed oil. He says much of his stain comes from the Reusables Table at the Valley Transfer Station Recycling Center. He picks up redwood deck and dark walnut stains, as well as linseed oil and clear sealers. “Free – an awesome deal,” he says.

Nelson’s lighthouse carving was unique for him in that it required the addition of metal fixtures for platforms and railings. Some of the metal he used came out of the Spokane River where he swims.

“I found a 20-foot length of angle iron lying in the water,” he says. “It was dangerous so I got it out. I guess I helped clean the river and saved $300 on angle iron!”

Nelson and Bess completed the lighthouse with solar lights the doctor found at Wal-Mart. “They were broken and Wal-Mart was going to chuck them,” Bess says. “But we were able to use them.” He notes that the strobe light on top of the lighthouse was also a bargain – just $8.00 at Liquidation World.

“People like the lighthouse,” Bess says. “Every day someone stops in to compliment it.”

Nelson says he’s found many people would like to have a stump carved, but not knowing anyone to do the work, they simply have the stump removed.

“Before grinding a stump,” Nelson suggests, “call me. Maybe I can put in a nice sculpture for the same price. Something original. Something from your heart. If you can imagine it, I can probably do it.” Besides carving birds, fish and animals, Nelson also creates tables, benches, mantelpieces, and ornamental posts and beams.

Because he works quickly, sometimes finishing a project within a day, Nelson says his work can be physically draining. But there are intangible rewards. “At the end of the day, when I’m wearing down,” he says, “what keeps me going is people passing by, honking, waving. People who want a carving done and stopping. I get a lot of compliments and that’s inspirational. I want to thank all those people – and Dr. Bess for the opportunity.”

Nelson Services/Tree Artistry is available not only for carving, but for all phases of tree work, including planting, pruning, chipping, and hazardous removals. Don Charles Nelson can be contacted at 928-6833.