Pete Bowsher’s name is synonymous with this event,
Pete having won it on eight occasions and been placed
in the top three on two others. He is full of praise for the
organising committee and the villagers of Carrbridge. “I
think it’s a great competition, and, having been involved
from the very beginning, I’ve seen it grow and grow. I’ve
been asked for my advice over the years and given it
gladly, but in truth the guys at Carrbridge have worked
tirelessly to make the event the success it is today.”
Pete’s chainsaw skills have seen him carve at
competitions across the world. He has carved in Japan,
across the USA, and has developed global friendships. He
also took part in the ‘Huskie Cup’ in Dresden, Germany,
during May 2006. This event saw six carvers competing
for Great Britain against Germany over three days.
“We competed in two speed-carving hour-long events
each day, and at the end of the day the carvings were
auctioned and the team with the highest total sales won.
We were defeated, but did accumulate a higher sales total
than teams in previous years. We had many happy hours
around the fire pit at night drinking free beers!”
I wondered how Pete managed working full-time
in forestry, participating in carving competitions and
dealing with the many carving commissions he now
receives. “It’s about scheduling my holidays around the
events that I take part in each year, as I know the dates
and times of them in advance. With my commissions
I carve to order and can do up to three carves a week
depending on what they are. This means carving when I
get home from work and most weekends, but I find it very
rewarding and it’s something that I really enjoy.”
Working for Tilhill, Pete typically finds himself in the
office two days a week, working on administration and
paperwork, and three days out in the woods overseeing
jobs or seeking out more parcels of standing timber.
Currently, there is a big demand for home-grown timber.
“The weakness of the pound against the euro has pushed
up the price of imported timber and there is an increasing
demand from a wide array of different end users. There
will be a balancing up at some stage as it will become
difficult to keep up with such high levels of demand.”
At his Moffat base, Pete has his own carving workshop
and a supply of logs, which is where he works on his
commissions. He has an impressive array of
saws, mostly Husqvarna, including his very
first saw: a reconditioned H162, which,
although not used for carving today,
is still fired up to cut firewood. Pete
bought the saw for £110 in 1980. As for
the main saws he uses for the carving
work, the Husqvarna 595 XP is used
for blocking out work, the majority
of the carving work is done using
the Husqvarna 550 XP, and the final
detailed work is achieved using the 339
XP. He can also use a grinder and power
file as well as a burner to add other detail if
needed.
Pete cut his teeth using Husqvarna saws and
remains loyal to the brand, believing that Husqvarna
saws offer him the range that he needs to carry out his
carving works.
Having completed many different carves over the
years, I wondered if Pete had any favourite carvings. He
claims he likes carving eagles, as he had done many
of them over the years. He can carve from memory and
experience or work to pictures and designs that he is
34 MAY 20 18 FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UK
given by his customers.
One recent carving that he is particularly proud of is of
a First Nations figure that he carved from the trunk of a
beech tree that was felled at the Royal Botanic Gardens
site at Dawyck, near Stobo, in the Borders. “It took two
days to complete and I had to build scaffolding
all around the trunk to allow me to carve the
figure. The fact that when it was finished
Julie asked me if she could have one of
them as well told me that it was a good
carve!”
Over fifteen years of carving at
Carve Carrbridge, Pete says his
favourite carve was the ‘Woodsman’
from 20 13. “He had an axe on one
shoulder and a bow saw on the
other, rucksack on his back and the
woodsman beard. The carving won the
judge’s choice award, people’s choice
award and the carver’s choice award – no
other winning carve has picked up all three
placings.”
Pete clearly enjoys his carving, and through it has
made friends throughout the world. He has managed to do
this while working in the forestry industry in a demanding
job. “I enjoy my role at Tilhill and working with like-
minded people who earn a living from forestry. I have
been lucky enough to be able to combine this with my
carving activities and carving events across the country.”PROFILE: PETE BOWSHER
SCULPTREE, HELD AT
WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM
BACK IN 1996, WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST EVENTS THAT
PETE TOOK
PART IN
Pete and ‘Woodsman’
(Picture courtesy of
James M Ross).