Carving out his place at the McHenry County fair

When the temperature soars into the mid-80s before the sun has even reached its midday peak, chain-saw carver David Watson sometimes wishes he could trade-in his stump of wood for a rock-solid slab of ice.

But then again, it's tough to create a work of art when it melts before it's complete. And Watson knows firsthand.

Watson, 54, of Wisconsin Dells, Wis., was carving sculptures Saturday at the McHenry County Fair in Woodstock.

With a slice here and a buzz there, Watson shaped a three-foot tall stump of white pine into an alligator with its jaw wide open.

Watson discovered his unique talent as a chef in the 1980s, when he sculpted butter, chocolate, cheese and ice.

"I saw someone do wood carving and then I tried it out at a shop," Watson said. "I realized I had the ability to sculpt wood."

The Grand National Carver may have been sweating under his protective apron and industrial ear muffs while wielding a chain-saw Saturday, but said he prefers working with white pine over the frozen stuff.

"I love wood because it lasts a lot longer than ice does," Watson said. "It doesn't melt on you and it doesn't fall apart."

Completing a sculpture could take Watson from 40 minutes to an hour. The craftsman uses a range of saws with different sized and shaped blades to create the sculpture's texture, markings and details.

"This is the only woodwork I do," Watson said. "I can't cut a straight line."

Over the four days of the fair, Watson expects to create 15 sculptures, which will be sold at auction Sunday. They includes a bear cub holding a baseball bat, a moose, raccoon and a pig.

One potential bidder, Keith Jackson, of Bull Valley, watched Watson work with his children Becca, 12 and Timmy, 15

"I wish I could take all of them home," Keith Jackson said. "I like the way he does (the sculpture). He is very good at what he does."