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Chip Carving
Booklet 2 – Chip
Carving is aimed at
students and teachers
of Materials Technology
Wood. This booklet will
provide you with a
foundation in Chip
Carving focusing on key
techniques, tips &
advice that help relax
constraints and remove
any perceived difficulty.
 The Road to
Success section will
focus on key
elements before you
start carving such as
chip carving knives,
safety, holding the
work and holding the
knife.
Making Wood Real
 The Chip Carving
section focuses on
the 3 areas in chip
carving. The 3 chip
types, borders, grids
and rosettes
This logical sequence
will enable you to enjoy
the carving and produce
something which you
may not have thought
you could.
A Beginners Guide to Chip Carving
Booklet 2
makingwoodreal
Chip Carving
Timing for Beginner]:
 Timing will relate to the intricacy of the design
TOOLS & MATERIALS A4 SIZE PIECE OF
CARD [
 M.D.F PRACTISE BOARDS
[200MM X 175MM]
FINDING YOUR WAY ARO UND
 CHIP CARVING KNIVES
table of contents
[CUTTING KNIFE & STAB KNIFE]
Tools & materials .................. 2
 DRAWING EQUIPMENT
Road to Success
[PENCIL, ERASER, TRY-SQUARE OR
Chip Carving Knives................................. 3
Drawing Equipment.................................. 3
Safety......................................................... 4
Sharpening................................................... 5
Holding the Knives ........................................ 6
Chip Carving
Two Sided Chip.......................... 7
Three Sided Chip.......................... 7
The Straight Line Chip.................... 8
Standard Border............................... 9
Large Width Border............................ 11
Curved Borders..................................... 13
Grids........................................................ 16
Rosettes..................................................... 18
Further Application............. 19
2
TEE SQUARE & BOW COMPASS]
 TEMPLATES
[CIRCLES TEMPLATE]
simplified solutions for
your carving
ROAD TO SUCCESS
SIMPLIFIED
SOLUTIONS
As newcomers to carving
you may not be aware of
the best approach.
The ROAD TO SUCCESS
will guide you through
important information
necessary for a good
footing in the craft.
CHIP CARVING KNIVES
Conventional carving knives are not
suitable for chip carving because the
blade does not have the appropriate
angle and so make it awkward to chip
carve.
On the right we can see a set of 2
carving knives. Knife 1 is called the
Cutting Knife and does the majority of
the work.
WEB SOLUTIONS
You can visit the
website to see how the
ROAD TO SUCCESS
was applied to other
carving methods
Knife 2 is the Stab Knife.
DRAWING EQUIPMENT
You will need some basic equipment for
Chip Carving. As a student of Materials
Technology Wood it will be highly likely
that you already have the following
equipment:
 A pencil, preferably a 0.5mm
mechanical pencil but a normal
http://carving.skynet.ie
Visit the website to get more
information on Relief Carving
as well as an Introduction to
Relief Carving and Carving in
the Round
pencil will suffice if kept sharp
 A white polymer eraser
 A bow compass. A bow compass
is very precise so a very handy
tool
 A 12” tee square is very useful
but a try-square will also work
well
.
3
key woodworkers
rule
CHIP CARVING
Safety & Technique
4. Hand position
1. Stance
o Seated position, the carving is
done on the lap. This allows for
longer periods of carving
without becoming fatigued
o The clamping hand should never be placed ahead of
the direction of cutting
o Keep your thumb against the handle of the blade and
on the wood at all times. This will ensure consistent
angles and will minimise the chance of cutting yourself
2. Posture
o Sit in an upright position so no strain is put on
the back.
NOTE
 The Woodworkers
Rule can and
should be applied
in all areas of
woodworking to
ensure safe use of
hand tools
 These 5 key points
o Use a chair with a back
should be ticked
either mentally of
on a safety chart
before any work is
commenced
support as it encourages
correct posture
3. Clamping
o Clamping is vital, for chip
carving the piece is
clamped with the hand as
5. Hand control
o You will discover it is much easier to carve with your
upper arm/ body strength rather than your wrists.
shown.
o Because the carving is
done on the lap there is a
Note: NEVER try to carve when the piece is not being
http://carving.skynet.ie
Visit the website to download
the Woodworkers Rule poster
securely held
.
danger of the knife
slipping and causing injury
Note: if you do not have the availability of a protective
apron, place a sacrificial board underneath the piece
6. Motion
being carved. This should be bigger than the piece
o Using the tripod created with the knife edge, thumb and
being carved
knuckle we will carve with a constant 65°
o The motion is determined by the type of chip
4
TIP
Place a coloured plaster on
your thumb. This will remind
you of its correct position so
minimising the chance of you
forgetting the correct
position and cutting yourself
.
SHARPENING
THE CUTTING KNIFE
HOLDING THE CUTTING KNIFE – POSITION 1
A tri-pod is created between the thumb, index finger knuckle and
o A sharpening angle of 10° should be used. This angle is so
blade.
steep because the knife needs to slice the fibres. The
sharper the edge the easier it is to slice the wood fibres
o Move the knife back and forth on the stone
1. Take the knife an d place
it in the palm of your hand
NOTE
o Ensure the blade is honed and if available use a strop to
polish the edge
2. Wrap 3 fingers around
handle
 A sharp knife is
the key to a great
carving. Ensure
the knife is
constantly sharp.
 Ask the teacher to
sharpen the knife
if you feel the edge
is dulling
3. Bring the index finger
around the handle
THE STAB KNIFE
o A sharpening angle of 25° should be used.
o This is greater as the knife acts like a mortise chisel. It is
4. Turn your wrist and lock
pushed into the wood with the fibres being separated in the
your thumb against the side
shape of the blade.
of the handle
HOLDING THE CUTTING KNIFE
Holding the knife is very important. To create consistent chips
the angle of the knife must be consistent
The Cutting Angle
As mentioned earlier a cutting angle of 65° is used. The steeper
the angle the better shadow that is created. This is because
the cut is deeper and so a greater shadow is cast
5
TIP
Do not remove the knife from
the stone when sharpening,
simply move it back and
forth while maintaining the
angle of 10°
.
HOLDING THE STAB KNIFE – OUTWARD POSITION
HOLDING THE CUTTING KNIFE – POSITION 2
1. Take the knife an d place
Holding the Stab Knife in the
it in the palm of your hand
outward position
2. Wrap 3 fingers around
handle
HOLDING THE STAB KNIFE – OUTWARD POSITION
Holding the Stab Knife in the
inward position
3. Bring the index finger
around the handle
4. Turn your wrist and lock
your thumb against the
back of the handle
6
let the real
carving begin
CHIP CARVING
THREE-SIDED OR
TRIANGLE CHIP
This chip is slightly more difficult than the two sided chip as there
TWO-SIDED CHIP
are more cuts to make
TIP

o Draw 2 rows 4mm apart
This is the easiest chip to carve as it has only 2 sides
o Mark boxes 4mm in with
o Create the triangles shown
To carve simply:
4. Hold the Cutting Knife in position 1and draw it along one
practise. Practise,
PRACTISE and
very soon you will
be a pro
.

Always cut, do not
pry the chip out

You will break the
chip making it
look messy and
could possible
damage the knife
We will carve from
side of the chip
1. A to B in
5. Remove the knife, turn the board 180° and carve the other
Position 1
side of the chip
2. A to C in
Position 2
3. B to C in
Position 1
1. Make the first cut in
Position 1
2. Make the second cut in
Position 2
3. Make the third cut across
the base of the triangle
with position 1
If the chip does not pop out you
may have not gone deep
enough with one of your cuts
Practise makes perfect!!
7
.
HAVING PROBLEMS??
•
Let’s have a look at the most common problems
encountered with the three-sided chip
STAIGHT LINE CHIP
1. Run off
In your last cut, or
third cut along the
The straight line chip is used mainly for borders and grids
base of the triangle
you continually run
To carve simply:
off the line as you
draw the knife across
6. Score one side of the line (Lightly) using a metal
the two squares
ruler then cut the line using Position 1
Solution: it will help
(Be extra careful when running the blade along
if
the ruler...Woodworkers Rule)
you
hold
your
elbow closer to your
body...plus Practise
7. Score the second side and cut in the same manner
after turning the board 180°
3. Curled edge
8. Make stop cuts at each end and the chip should fall
by pushing the knife too
out
deeply into the wood
you
start
your
third cut
Solution: simply place
the blade back on the
first cut and undo the
curl
2. Rabbit tooth
This occurs especially at
the bottom of the chip. If
you see this you are not
cutting deep enough
Solution: lay your knife
back
into
 Twist your wrist
outward so that
the blade of the
knife is in line with
wrist, elbow and
shoulder
 Hold your elbow
close to your body
 Try to focus your
eyes about 20mm
ahead of the blade
.
Curled edge is caused
when
TIP
For straight line chips
each
cut,
ensuring it is at the 65°
angle and finish the cut
to the correct depth
8
STANDARD BORDER
using three-sided chips
3. Positive Diamond with flip flop cuts
o This is the same as no.1 but with wedge shaped
1. Positive Diamond
cuts, flip flop cuts taken out
o Called positive as the
NOTE
diamond shape remains in
o To make these cuts, first flip the knife using
the wood
 Unless otherwise
stated all grids are
4mm x 4mm
position 1 and then flop your knife over to
position 2 for the second cut
Note: It is a good idea to mark the
areas you want to remove as it
avoids confusion
TIP
 Use the eraser to
get rid of any
pencil line and
reveal you work
2. Negative Diamond
o Called negative as the shape is cut out
of the wood
9
STANDARD BORDER
using two-sided chips
o In this border we will set up two
4mm wide horizontal rows
TIP
o Draw a vertical line every 15mm
 A circles template
is very useful in
chip carving and
would be a very
worthwhile
investment
and insert an arc using your
circles template
1.
o Mark the areas you wish to remove
2.
o Remove the two sided chip as
shown earlier
3.
o Remove the three sided chip and
remove the remaining pencil lines
10
LARGE WIDTH BORDER
o Large width borders are basically the
same as standard borders but there is
3.
o The chevron pattern is created by
simply more rows
removing the remaining chips
o 4mm x 4mm block are still being used
A double row of chevrons
1.
o Mark the areas to
be removed
2.
o Similarly to the standard sized border
we will remove the negative diamond
first
11
NOTE
 If you want a larger
grid increase the
number of grids
rather than the
size of the boxes
as it is harder to
carve bigger boxes
o This
pattern
Renaissance
can
be
architecture,
found
it
in
is
a
unification of St. Andrews cross and a
3.
four sided rosette
o Repeat this process for
the remaining chips
1.
o This pattern is again
four horizontal row of
4mm squares
4.
o Highlight
the
boxes
o To take out the next
into which the cross will
chip we will again use
go
position 1
2.
o To draw the arc representing
the four sided rosette we will
use our circles template
o Cut from A to B, B to C
and C to A and the chip
should pop out
o To remove the first chip will
5.
only require position 1
o Continue this until
Draw the knife from A to B, B
all the chips have
to C, C to D and finally D
been removed
back to A
Did the chip pop out?
6.
o Finally
add
Flip Flops
12
the
CURVED BORDERS
o Up to this point we have been focusing
on borders for square of rectangle
projects. Now we will look at curved
3.
borders
o Complete the border
by
carving
the
out
section of the border
TIP
 A bow compass is
ideal as it holds
the set radius until
moved by the user
.
1.
o Choose a radius and
draw the outer circle
o Reduce the radius by
6mm and draw the
inner circle
o The design is drawn with a combination of
the circles template and sketching to get
a smooth transition in curvature
2.
o Carve the inner section of the border first again using position 1
13
o This is an alternative way to carve what is basically
the same pattern.
1.
o We are using the same pattern as the previous
border but have added an extra inner circle 8mm
in from the outside circle
3.
o Complete the
border in the
same way as
the
previous
curved border
2.
o The same design is drawn with the circles template and sketching
leaving a thicker lace
14
Other Examples of Curved Borders
o Both
completed
using the same
techniques and
principles
Curved Triangle Border
Carved Crescent Border
15
GRIDS
o Up to this point we have been focusing
4.
on borders for square of rectangle
o Use a stop cut
projects. Now we will look at curved
at the end of
borders
the straight line
o This piece is 120mm x 80mm, both
chip. To do this
lengths and widths are divided into 4
simply
with the resulting points joined as
use
position
shown
1
where you want
the chip to stop,
1.
TIP
 The scoring line is
only a guide for
the knife, if you go
too deep with this
line it will ruin the
straight chip

When cutting
straight chips we
do not use
position 2, we
always turn the
board around and
cut in position 1

We do this
because it is more
accurate
the chip should
o To cut a straight line chip
pop out
first score the line very
lightly as shown
o Note:
this
score
line
should only break the top
surface of the wood

2.
o Use position 1 to cut this slice
this scored line
5.
o Note the different effects the stab knife
can produce
5.
o Repeat the same process and
score the other side of the same
o Note: to get this star finish use the stab
line
o Turn the piece 180° and using
position 1 cut the line once more
16
knife in the outward or inward position
as shown at the beginning of this
booklet
4.
o The piece is set up the
exact same except we use
the circles template
to
create the effect shown
3.
2.
o Using position 1 and 2 we
o Get the centre of
each block
begin taking out the two
sided chips
1.
o Use the flip flop method from the centre
17
point out of each section to create the
effect shown
1. Draw a horizontal line on the board, pick a
ROSETTE
o Drawing
rosette
centre and draw a circle
a
is
a
simple process
with the use of
a compass
TIP

3. Put the point of the circumference on
2. Take
where the first arc cut the circumference
shown
4. Draw another arc from
where the previous arc cut
the circumference
5. Continue this process until
you have this result
6. By repeating this process and
rubbing out all the areas where the
this result
radius
and swing an arc as
,draw a another arc of same radius
arcs swing clockwise will produce
the
18
To get the
diameter of a circle
pick any point and
draw from this
point through the
centre and on until
you meet the other
side of the circle
o Here we can see an example
rosette created from dividing the
circle into sections as previously
shown
o There is an endless amount of
rosettes that can be chip carved
19
FUTURE APPLICATION
o The application of chip carving
is only limited by the student’s
imagination and creativity.
o It can easily be applied to
small projects and as can be
WEB SOLUTIONS
Visit the website for
more information on
carving methods
seen it really makes a piece
o You have been introduced to
only a small segment of what
chip carving has to offer.
o I would encourage you to
come
up
with
your
own
designs, be as creative as you
can and apply the principles
which you have learned
MAKING WOOD REAL
20