Who was in Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” trivia game in 1984? That would be Ray Murphy creator of Chainsaw Art. In 1952 he started by sawing names and messages to his brother using his fathers chainsaw. From there he went on to use a chainsaw in ways that none of us have ever thought of or would attempt without fear of losing a limb, creating animals the size of a dime and smaller.
In the 80’s Ray traveled by tour bus wowing crowds around the country. When not touring the country Ray entertained the locals performing his art exhibition outside of his studio. He spent a quarter-million dollars to design a massive building with bleacher seats for up to 400. He had a fifty-foot-wide eagle clutching chainsaws with its feet painted on its outside wall. Inside, he built a bus sized soundproof booth, fronted with bulletproof glass and set up with a video projection system so that his audiences could watch every detail in safety and comfort.
Ray has sawed 16 numbers on a toothpick and has a goal of 18 before the wood deteriorates. Also, he can saw the entire alphabet into the side of a number two pencil. Ray performs many of these near-impossible feats at Ray Murphy’s Chainsaw Show. Ray does his show during the summer months June-Sept. at 7pm. Admission to see the show is $10, to learn more about Ray Murphy and Chainsaw art click here.
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