LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- There’s never a dull moment when your days are spent outdoors with a chainsaw in hand. Tim O’Brien has made a career out of carving wooden creatures.
“I’ve got some people that actually call me the bear guy,” said O’Brien.
O’Brien runs Chainsaw Creations off Route 9 in Lake George. He is the owner and sole employee.
"You know what I love is just being free, being free to do whatever I want all the time, being outdoors all the time,” said O’Brien.
He picked up the craft 25 years ago. At the time, he was a line cook moonlighting as a musician.
“And this kind of was like in between the two, you know, you’re still creating something that people are going to love and you’re out kind of being a rock star almost,” said O’Brien.
He has no retail or office space.
“I live out of my truck pretty much. That is my briefcase,” he said with a laugh, but no shortage of clients, either. “Nowadays everything is custom. I never have any inventory anymore. Everything is direct to the client,” said O’Brien.
His projects range in cost from $500 to several thousand dollars.
“If you don’t give it your all and really get into it and be happy with the product that you’re putting out, the money is never going to be satisfying enough,” said O’Brien.
O’Brien loves his work and it’s the daily grind that keeps him going.
“If you stay healthy enough and keep carving, that will be enough for me,” said O’Brien.