How to Chip-Carve Wood
Hailed as ideal for beginners, chip-carving in wood only utilizes a few tools. Intricate patterns are carved out of wood in triangular chips for the top of boxes, furniture and utensils. Many cultures have some form of this craft, but European chip-carving was heavily influenced by the detailed stone carving of Gothic architecture that adorned churches in the 12th to 16th centuries. Start a chip-carving project with soft wood, such as pine or basswood, and a chip-carving knife.
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Things You'll Need
- 220-grit sandpaper
- Wood
- Computer laser printer with paper
- Pattern
- Masking tape
- Pattern transfer tool
- Chip-carving knife
Instructions
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Sand the entire top of your wood with 220-grit sandpaper, where you plan on chip-carving. This is an essential step in the craft and it cannot be omitted.
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2
Print out a chip-carving pattern from websites, such as My Chip Carving or Carving Patterns if you do not want to draw your own using your computer's laser printer. Downloading a pattern is well suited for beginners, but advanced patterns are also available.
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Tape the pattern face down on the wood using masking tape. Plug in the pattern-transfer tool, which works like a clothing iron. After a few minutes of warming up, press the tool onto the paper. Use circular motions over the entire pattern to transfer it onto the wood. Remove the paper when you are finished, and unplug the tool.
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Grip the chip-carving knife in your fingers. Press the tip of the knife on a line on your pattern and hold it steady with your thumb resting on the wood. Push the blade into the wood at a 65-degree angle. This is called the first position. Move your entire hand away from the thumb to make the cut.
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Change your grip by moving your thumb onto the back of the blade. Face the blade toward you at a 65-degree angle and cut a notch perpendicular to your first cut. This type of grip is called second position.
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Switch back to the first position to make the third cut to remove a section of wood. Most chip-carving is cutting out small triangle-shaped chips from the wood using these two different ways of holding the knife. Continue carving out your entire pattern.
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Tips & Warnings
Pattern-transfer tools, which heat-set the printed pattern from paper onto the wood, do not work with ink-jet printouts. If you have an ink-jet printer, photocopy the pattern and use the photocopy on the wood.
If your pattern features numbers or letters, print them out as mirror images.
Hand-draw patterns onto the wood with pencil using rulers and compasses.
Brush on a light varnish or stain after you finish your project.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
