Lawrence County man gets crafty with chainsaws, creates art

AVOCA, Ind. (AP) - For most folks, when a lawn and garden power tool breaks, it either winds up in the parts graveyard, the recycling center or salvage yard. There's not much else that can be done. Right?

Not so, says Fred Baker, who lives on Graves Addition Road north of Avoca. He has found a unique way of disposing of dead chainsaws. He decorates his property with them.

The Lawrence County native retired a few years ago after 30 years as a Teamster truck driver in the Indianapolis area. Although working in Indianapolis, he maintained his home in Lawrence County. He has lived in the same place since 1971.

Baker started decorating his property with old chainsaws a few years ago.

"I've always had a fascination with them," he said. "I cut my own wood and tinkered with the saws when they weren't working. I needed something to go in the corner of the yard. I liked the idea of collecting chainsaws."

What he did in the corner of his yard is build a totem pole of chainsaws. The pole is surrounded by several chainsaws stuck, blade first, into the ground, forming a fence around the pole.

"I pick them up at flea markets and yard sales," he said. "A lot of them came from my friends at D&D Saw Shop in Salem."

Baker said a lot of people stop by and take pictures.

"It's really pretty in the summer," he said. "We have a lot of flowers around the place. I take care of the roses and my wife, LaTonia, takes care of the rest."

In his shop in the garage, there are 14 chainsaws of various sizes. He said there are probably another 65 or so saws scattered around the property. There is even a model airplane built out of chainsaw bars. The wings and the fuselage are longer bars from bigger chain saws. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers at the back of the airplane are made from smaller bars, cut down to fit.

Baker built his own piston can crusher. A can is placed in the end of a tube. When the switch is hit, an electric motor powers the piston and crushes the can, which falls into a large bin.

He also built a two-story grist mill that operates 24/7 during the summer. A circulating pump supplies the water flow that powers the grist mill. The water is then collected and the process happens all over again. Although not a replica of the mill at Spring Mill, it is roughly based on that mill.

There are two decorative outhouses on the property as well.

In his garage is a collection of Garcia-Mitchell fishing reels.

"They are made in France," he said. "I have about 130 of them. I have about 180 fishing rods and reels in my collection."

And yes, he does love to fish. His wife has a small collection of rods and reels as well. They have a boat they take to Lake Monroe to fish.

He also takes limbs and saplings and makes them into canes.

"I use natural formations in the wood for the canes," he said.

He also makes electric lights out of hand meat grinders.

He said retirement has been enjoyable, but he learned on Oct. 12 that he has cancer and may only 3-6 months to live.

The Bakers are hoping the doctors are wrong in their prognosis, because their 30th wedding anniversary will be June 19, and they would very much like to celebrate that occasion.

"To look at him, you wouldn't think anything was wrong with him," his wife said. "The main trouble is with his right leg, but now he is having trouble with his shoulders."

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Source: Bedford Times-Mail, http://bit.ly/2jOmu6u

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Information from: The Times-Mail, http://www.tmnews.com