Chip Carving: Tips for Beginners

Two knives are used in chip carving, the primary knife on the left in this photo and the stab knife on the right. The stab knife is used for only one particular cut. The primary knife is the one you'll use for most of your carving. When you buy a primary knife, inspect the blade. The profile should be smooth with no bevels. If it does have bevels toward the cutting edge, you'll have some work to do. The blade should be a perfect pinnacle with nothing to catch on the wood, so you'll have to remove the bevels on sharpening stones. I use two ceramic stones. One is 600 grit and the other is 1800. Tip the blade at about 10 degrees and rub it back and forth on the stones. Work both sides of the blade the same number of times. Remove the corners on the 600 grit stone and polish with the 1800 grit. Finish up with a leather strop that's charged with honing compound and check the edge for nicks with a magnifying glass. Hone the blade all the way to the tip. You will use the tip of the blade to remove small chips, and if you break it, you must start the sharpening process over. The primary knife is held two ways. Grip the handle with your fingers. There should be a flat facet towards the front of the handle on which to rest your thumb. This grip positions the blade at a 65 degree angle. Always keep your thumb on the handle, otherwise you may cut yourself. The second grip is like this, where the thumb rests on the back of the blade. This also ensures a consistent 65 degree angle. The stab knife has one job. Hold the handle perpendicular to the workpiece and tip it forward to create this mark. There are three main shapes used in chip carving. Three corner chips, straight lines, and curvy lines. All chip carving patterns are formed from these shapes. Once you've mastered them, it just becomes a matter of designing patterns and carving them. The three corner chip is carved like this. Chip carving is usually done with the workpiece in your lap, so you can easily turn the board around. Of course, if the workpiece is too large, you'll need to rest the board on a table. Both primary knife grips are used with this design. Straight lines are very simple. Be sure to keep your thumb in contact with the board to steady your hand. When you finish a stop cut, tip the handle up so the blade doesn't overshoot your mark. Curved lines are like this. Because the blade is maintained at a constant 65 degree angle, the wider the shape, the deeper the cut. Don't forget the stab knife if you'd like to make your design a little more fancy. When you've practiced carving these shapes, you're ready to try something a little more challenging. To transfer patterns to boards, I rub graphite on the back of the design and trace it onto the workpiece. You can also use graphite paper, but avoid carbon paper because it's too waxy. I'm just a beginner at this, so you're gonna see some choppy movements. The good news is, the more you practice, the better you get. The other good news is, iMovie lets you speed up your video so viewers don't fall asleep. Think about each chip before you carve it. When carving shapes that are beside one another, start the next cut facing away from the previously chip carved shape so you don't inadvertently remove a piece that should remain. Here's a close-up of a curvy shape, so you can see that your hand needs to be in contact with the workpiece at all times. The benefit of working with the board in your lap is that you can turn it to accommodate the curves. When making tight curves, tip the handle up a bit so the blade can create a smaller radius. Even if you're carving has some rough spots like this one, don't be too hard on yourself. Most people won't scrutinize your work as critically as you will. This video just covers some basics. I recommend getting some good books or DVDs to learn more, and pretty soon you'll find all sorts of projects that will benefit from a little decoration. Go to Beadaholique.com for all of your beading supply needs!