Log Home Builder & Chainsaw Carving Artist on Harrowsmith Mag

Log Home Builder & Chainsaw Carving Artist

Todd Gladfelter, been working with wood for 45 years - kitchen cabinets to fine furniture to log building.

A passion for whittling led to a career in fine furniture making. After attending a 10-day log building school in Northern Minnesota, Todd and his wife, Cindy Ross, spent four years building their home from local trees.

Todd has been working with wood for forty-five years from kitchen cabinets to fine furniture to
log building. A passion for whittling led to a career in fine furniture making. After attending a
10-day log building school in Northern Minnesota, Todd and his wife, Cindy Ross, spent four
years building their home from local trees.


In those early years, Todd made most of his living as a fine furniture maker and also filled his log
home with projects, including steam-bent ladder back chairs, an oak pedestal table and a turned
post bed, in which his Cindy was fortunate to deliver their son, Bryce, during his home birth.
When he grew dissatisfied with the type of hardware available for his hand-crafted furniture, he
enrolled in blacksmithing courses. His skill quickly blossomed from drawer pulls to ornate
chandeliers and became a very talented blacksmith artist.


In the last fifteen years, Todd has taken his carving skills, which he gained from cutting so many
notches on their log home, coupled with his innate talent as an artist, to become an extremely
talented and successful chainsaw carving artist. He loves to carve and creates and sells about 150


pieces a year. This highly honed skill was enhanced by just a two-hour lesson at an art school; otherwise he taught himself. Todd’s specialty is animals, particularly raptors such as eagles and hawks. Living near Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a world-famous sanctuary for migrating raptors, has increased his affection for the species and also his clients. He looks for detail and movement to make his pieces come alive. In this very real sense, building their log home has gifted Todd with the most satisfying and successful livelihood.


Todd won 1 st Place at the Forksville, PA Mid-Atlantic National Chainsaw Competition, and won
Best-of-Show at the National Road Chainsaw Festival in Addison, PA.

 In the last fifteen years, Todd has taken his carving skills, which he gained from cutting so many notches on their log home, coupled with his innate talent as an artist, to become an extremely talented and successful chainsaw carving artist. He loves to carve and creates and sells about 150 pieces a year. This highly honed skill was enhanced by just a two-hour lesson at an art school; otherwise he taught himself.

Todd’s specialty is animals, particularly raptors such as eagles and hawks.

Living near Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a world-famous sanctuary for migrating raptors, has increased his affection for the species and also his clients. He looks for detail and movement to make his pieces come alive. In this very real sense, building their log home has gifted Todd with the most satisfying and successful livelihood.

 Todd won 1st Place at the Forksville, PA Mid-Atlantic National Chainsaw Competition, and won Best-of-Show at the National Road Chainsaw Festival in Addison, PA.

To see more log cabin building skills that evolved into a very talented and successful chainsaw carver go to  www.toddgladfelter.com

Todd Gladfelter
Todd Gladfelter
Posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021
Filed under DIY | Gardening

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