Police in Washington state said a man living in the woods walked to a medical clinic after severing his arm on a guillotine he apparently built.

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Bellingham police said employees at Bellingham Urology Specialists called investigators Thursday and said a man had come in with his arm severed above the elbow, and was being taken to a hospital for treatment, CBS Seattle.com reported Friday.

Officers found the severed arm and guillotine at the man's camp site in the woods near the clinic. They brought the arm to the hospital for doctors to determine whether it could be reattached.

The man -- whose name was not reported -- was eventually airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. His condition was unknown Friday.

Police spokesman Mark Young said the guillotine was constructed in the medieval fashion.

"It was constructed out of 2 by 6 by at least 12-feet tall timbers," Young said.

"A lot of thought and a lot of work and lot of preparation went into making this device, and it was apparent this individual used this device to sever his own arm," he said.

Young said police would dismantle the guillotine, The Seattle Times reported.