this is the best screen capture I could come up with from my pretty old ice block slabbing video
updated 9/2/23 with a screen capture, links, a little more info on ice block slabbing, some formatting, and seo
ice block slabbing with a chainsaw
This was my first instructional video for the site. It’s pretty simple, but I thought it was a good start. I guess I used a camera on a tripod (I doubt my phone was good enough at video to get anything decent at the time.) I’m sculpting in the storeroom at the Mobile Marriott; I sculpted ice there for a while after we relocated to Mobile after Katrina
To mark the lines on the block, I use a simple DIY ice sculpting tool that I call a score stick. You can also use a T-scribe if you can get one. At some point, I’ll do a post on Alaskan mills. I’ll still split ice blocks this way on occasion, but generally, I’ll use my big saw with an Alaskan mill now, especially since I now do a lot more CNC ice sculpting.
this ice block slabbing video was the first ice sculpting instructional video that I ever made. I’ve made more since then, but not nearly as I hope to make with this new version of the site.
Ice block slabbing or splitting is one of the most basic procedures in ice carving. Evenly cut slabs of ice are used for all sorts of carvings, including logos, ice bars, and many more. So it’s necessary to learn how to safely and efficiently cut an even slab of ice without wasting time or ice. Most carvers’ chainsaws have bars that are less than 20 inches long, so if you’re using a chainsaw (as opposed to say, a large bandsaw) it’s often necessary to cut from both sides of the block to make a full width slab of ice.
While I’m cutting, you’ll notice that I make the first cut as straight and true as possible. When I turn the block around and I go to finish the cut, I’m simply trying to let the tip of the chainsaw ride the initial cut so that the ice block slabbing is as clean a cut as possible.
Notice that I’m wearing ear and eye protection while I’m carving. Chainsaws break and chunks of ice can fly any which way, so keeping your eyes safe is a very good idea.
I’ve always found the noise of chainsaws (especially Craftsman and older Makita saws) and other tools to be louder than I can tolerate for extended periods. Certainly, they can damage your hearing also. That’s why I’m wearing ear protection as well. The little foam ear plugs work fine, but they hurt my ears after a while and they’re hard to keep up with, so I like the “ear muff” kind of hearing protection. I got the pair that I’m wearing at Sears (RIP ☠️), but most hardware stores (or stores that sell guns 🔫) should have them.
links and things
This ice block slabbing video post is included on the ice sculpting techniques page. You might also want to take a look at my post on choosing chainsaws for ice sculpting. And of course, this video is also included on the ice sculpture videos page. If you’d like to comment, do that on the ice sculpting secrets facebook page or the IG page, since I currently don’t have commenting enabled on older posts (not on purpose; I have to fix a technical problem). If you’re looking for the very latest videos from ice sculpting secrets, maybe check out the new TikTok account. Hopefully, there’s something there worth watching by the time you read this.
