LINDSAY, Neb.- Some say art speaks where words fail. But if you listen to the art Joseph Krings makes, you might need headphones.

Krings, who has a background in construction, felt inspired to pick up a chainsaw with extra time on his hands while raising his firstborn near Lindsay.

“In the time in between, I was like, ‘I’ve got all these construction tools in the back of my truck and some lumber,’ so I started gluing chunks of wood together,” Krings said. “I was just using my Skil-saw and all those kinds of things, and the first thing I think I made was a horse head. I was going to make a rocking horse for my daughter.”

Krings continued improving his craft, creating pieces ranging from eagles to bears and even a velociraptor.

He said the process typically starts with a large piece of lumber and can take up to 40 hours of precise cutting to complete the final product.

But before he lets loose on the log, he makes sure to have a rough draft nearby.

“They can see kind of a reference drawing of what it’s going to look like,” Krings said. “Then I’ll just go out and make a few tick marks where the head should be, and the shoulders and the hands and that sort of thing, and just go.”

For Krings, it’s been a dream come true combining his passion with supporting his family.

He knows his art style may be rare, but wants others to know that if you have a dream, you should chase it.

“If anybody’s ever interested in trying something like this and you’re afraid or scared, or you have no idea if it’s ever going to turn out, what do you have to lose besides just trying it?” he said. “There could be 10 chainsaw carvers in this state, and they just don’t know it until you try it.”

Krings offers his services at his workshop in Lindsay and will also travel on-site for customers.