Woodcarver: 'It just came out'

David Hamilton peered at a piece of apple wood and saw a face.

That was four months ago, before the Shelton resident had ever carved anything from wood. Today, motorists who pass his Hillcrest house are stopping to admire and buy his finely chisled creations. He has been commissioned to carve silver steelhead, bottleneck dolphin, beavers, bears, sea turtles, otters and a cross bearing the image of Jesus.

Hamilton's creative way with wood didn't emerge from nowhere - he's been a welder for 30 years.

"I've always been gifted that way, being a fabricator," he said. "There's nothing I can't do with my mind and my hands."

His only training for woodcarving comes from YouTube videos. "For the most part, I'm self-taught," he said. "It just came out."

The native of Milton, Florida, moved to Shelton 21 years ago, when his wife came here to help her ailing father. "We sold all our stuff by telephone," he recalled.

A nonwork-related injury six years ago prevented him from welding. He's been working odd jobs, including repairing engines. As for the wood carving, "it started by accident."

Hired by a friend to repair a chainsaw, Hamilton decided to test it on a chunk of apple wood. He envisioned a face and carved eyes, ears and a nose. Others were impressed.

Hamilton works in cedar and maple, and prefers hard, dense wood. Along with the chainsaw, he wields grinders, chisels and drills. His grandchildren, ages 9 and 10, keep him company and help out.

"When I started carving, a lot of people found a lot of interest in them," he said. "That's how I started making a living." All of his commissions come by word of mouth.

And then he got his job back welding full time. "It's good timing because bills are due."

So Hamilton creates when he find a spare moment.

"There's lots of late nights ... I really enjoy it."