Special Branch Carvings, based in Fenor, Co Waterford, is home to master craftsman John Hayes, who is the creative person behind many different chainsaw sculptures around the country.

A joiner by trade, like many he found himself out of work as a result of the economic downturn, and as John says himself he kind of fell into it by accident to get himself off the couch and then he did a couple of big pieces and people liked them.

John’s creations quickly started to grab the attention of people when they began to see a very old 45ft tree transform into what is known locally as the Angel Tree, which is located in the grounds of Fenor church.

Since then, John has gone on to create lots of other fantastic creations from tree trunks which are now getting attention worldwide.

As an ambassador for Oleo-Mac distributed nationally by Camsaw Distributors Ltd, he has attended many exhibitions around the country where he has given demonstrations of his carving skills.

John uses a number of different types of Oleo-Mac saws when carrying out his pieces, namely the GS440, 962 and the New GST250 Pruning Chainsaw.

John says its combination of power, lightweight and manoeuvrability make it the perfect tool for carving out those more tedious pieces.

John exhibits at the Ploughing each year with Oleo-Mac and if the crowd at the the Ploughing Championships is anything to go by, then people certainly do like his work. This year, John had the pleasure of giving Marty Morrissey a masterclass in timber carving and presented him with a miniature Marty at the end of the show.

More than just a chainsaw for some

James Maloney meets John Hayes, who creates sculptures from wood using chainsaws.