Master carver - John Connors employs chainsaw with surgeon’s precision

By MICHAEL KITCH, LACONIA DAILY SUN

MEREDITH — Shorter, warmer winters may have thinned the moose population, but nothing has stayed the skilled hands and sharp eyes of John Connors, who described his most recent rendering of the iconic beast as the best he has ever carved.

Connors has been carving wildlife sculptures with an arsenal of chainsaws for the past 18 years, with black bears in a variety of poses accounting for the majority of his menagerie. He said he enjoys carving fish as well, but is puzzled they are not more popular.

The moose, standing stolidly at Connors" outdoor studio on NH Route 14 took two months to complete. Sculpted to life, the moose stands some six feet at the shoulder and weighs about 1,500 pounds. Connors, who operates a sawmill at his home in Belmont, fashions his sculptures from native white pine. Apart from the hump, the body and head of the moose were carved from a single log while each of the legs are attached to the torso. He said that he roughed out the moose upside down, then attached the legs and righted the sculpture to finish the carving from its hooves to its nose. Once carved, the sculpture is finished with several costs of stain and polyurethane by Steve Edwards, who put the final touches to all his works.

Connors said that he has spoken with three prospective buyers and expects the moose will soon have a permanent home, but not, he added, until he has completed another one to peak the fancy of visitors flocking to the Lakes Region, some hoping to catch sight of a moose.

John Connors of Sculptree LLC, known for his chainsaw sculptures and carvings as well as rustic furniture, stands aside his latest creation at his open air workshop on NH Route 104, where the lifelike moose all but stops passing traffic. (Michael Kitch/Laconia Daily Sun)