the wood chips and sawdust begin to fly, he sets aside the photograph and begins with the image fixed in his mind. Ear protection shields him from the chainsaw’ s whine while his headphones provide a creative soundtrack. On a recent afternoon it was the Oak Ridge Boys on Pandora.“ I try to stay pretty grounded,” Trotter said. When Trotter began chainsaw carving about 15 years ago, crowds of up to 50 people would sometimes gather to watch him work. Reserved then, he now greets admirers with an easy warmth— as he did when Columbus resident Leo Pena, a fan for a decade, approached him for their first meeting.
“ I really like his creativity,” Pena said, referring partly to the whimsy that he frequently sees in the details.“ It’ s not like what you find in other places …. And I’ m definitely going to keep up with his progress.”
photo by Cindy Steele photo by Brian Blair
Trotter plans to continue to spend most Fridays through Sundays at his business in Antique Alley with partner Amanda Reeves.
“ We’ ve got a real gem here in Nashville,” Trotter said, praising the beer garden, live music, and more, right next to his shop.“ We’ ve just got to continue to polish it.”
Mondays through Thursdays you might find him on scaffolding 20 feet high, slicing and dicing trees on people’ s property, earning up to $ 200 per hour.
His back sometimes begs for his attention after all his standing, reaching, and vibrating. Yet, he can see himself continuing his craft for years to come. Going to the YMCA three times weekly and hanging on the inversion table keeps him straight and true.
“ At some point, I can probably even sit down and do this,” he said.“ I would just have to keep everything right in front of me.”
He has been forced to discard pieces after hours of work when he discovers the wood to be rotten in the middle.“ By then, you can’ t waste any more time on it,” he said. For now, he has time for one question more: What are his creations such as a nearly finished fox saying to those who look upon them? Trotter smiles.“ I believe,” he responded,“ that they are saying:‘ Please come buy me.’” Chris Trotter can be reached at 317-384-4091. His business Wooden Wonders is at 63 S. Jefferson St. in Antique Alley. Follow Wooden Wonders on Facebook. •
Sept./ Oct. 2026 • Our Brown County 51