# Chip Carving



## SlimYoung123 (Dec 7, 2021)

I am a total rookie chip carver . Just got started and somebody referred me to this site . I just now joined here and hope I am posting this in the right forum .


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Hello, I took it up several years ago, and although I don't do much now, I did really enjoy it (I think I enjoyed the layout more than the carving!).

I took a class from Wayne Barton which was very good. I think most of the classes are online.

What brand of knives do you have? The Barton knives are excellent, patterned after Pfeil but with better handles.

I don't know how many are on this site, you can do a search.

The top pic is one of my first you can see its pretty amateurish. I did progress a little tho.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

Welcome 2 LJ's search for fancy chip she use to sell patterns :<)))))))


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## SlimYoung123 (Dec 7, 2021)

> Hello, I took it up several years ago, and although I don t do much now, I did really enjoy it (I think I enjoyed the layout more than the carving!).
> 
> I took a class from Wayne Barton which was very good. I think most of the classes are online.
> 
> ...


Thanks for reply and I would be real happy to get to the stage of your first one. So far it has just been practice boards I have been working on. I started with a Flexcut knife but had problems with improper sharpening techniques (my bad). Then I god a diamond series knife from Marty at My Chip Carving which made a huge difference, I am not really interested in making patterns but just cutting them whenever I get to the point of tackling a more advanced pattern . I am looking for a basic pattern to start with but most I have seen so far appear to be too advanced for a beginner .


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## SlimYoung123 (Dec 7, 2021)

> Hello, I took it up several years ago, and although I don t do much now, I did really enjoy it (I think I enjoyed the layout more than the carving!).
> 
> I took a class from Wayne Barton which was very good. I think most of the classes are online.
> 
> ...


Sorry , I did not see an edit button where I could edit my typos in the above message . Should I be replying from the bigger area below messages instead of relying as a quote ?


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

There is a lady who posts under the name "FancyChip". You should look at the things she has posted here.

Here are her projects.

-Paul


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## SlimYoung123 (Dec 7, 2021)

Thanks for posting that Paul .Her work is so advanced and beautifully done. Beautiful to look at and an inspiration to anyone starting in chip carving . .I am still searching for a few basic patterns to get me started .


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

She sells digital download patterns on her etsy site


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

she has not posted since 8/17/19 :<(((((((((((


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## JohnCageBubblegum (8 mo ago)

Also super new to chip carving. I got the Barton knife and I've got about 10 bf of catalpa sitting in my basement from another project to practice on.. 
I read the Barton book and watched some videos for knife sharpening but I just can't seem to get it sharp enough. I'm using the same set of waterstones that I get my chisels and plane irons arm-hair-shaving-sharp with but I can't seem to get this knife to that degree of sharpness - arm hair is fully intact. 
Any suggestions?


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I would like to suggest. I'm not a chip carver mostly a common house carver that sits next to the stove on rainy days.
Knives can be tricky two suggestions hold the blade flat draw it away from the edge until you can see a wire.
If you don't see one on the tip don't worry you work the tip separately from the rest.
Last suggestion clean your polishing stone so you can see where you hitting.








Here a wire from a 1000 grit 








Here's the polishing stone clean.
Good Luck


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

> she has not posted since 8/17/19 :<(((((((((((
> 
> - GR8HUNTER


She gone to the big time. Article(s) in carving magazines and a tutorial at FWW online, iirc.


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## bold1 (May 5, 2013)

Just my 2 cents. But when I started the gentleman that was showing me how, had me lay out my initials on a piece of graph paper. I then shaded the reverse with a #2 pencil to turn it into a carbon., and transferred it onto a piece of scrap. He told me when I could follow the lines that they were straight and of equal depth we'd move on. I think everything that I owned at that time, that was wood, got my initials carved into them. It was simple, cheap, and good practice. I still find that a straight pattern design is harder to make look pleasing to the eye than a curve. Especially if the grain isn't straight with the design.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

> she has not posted since 8/17/19 :<(((((((((((
> 
> - GR8HUNTER
> 
> ...


Johncage bubble gum has posted asking for suggestions. 5/24/22
Hopefully Phil will see his post and offer suggestions. 
How to sharpen a chip knife. I do remember them having a different shape than a regular carving knife.


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

Hello SlimYoung123 - I do chip carving now and then for variety. Mostly I do relief carvings. One of the essentials is learning to make repeated cuts at the same exact angle and depth. Now do it while changing its position relative to the grain direction. It comes with the same advice: Practice, practice, practice. Now add the word "more" in front of each "practice." Chip carving can also be done with a fishtail gouge. 
Here are some chip carvings I'm sort-of proud of: Several more among my Projects on this site.




























Thanks AJ for the compliment!


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Your welcome Phil. I enjoy seeing your work.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

> she has not posted since 8/17/19 :<(((((((((((
> 
> - GR8HUNTER
> 
> ...


SlimYoung123 posted first. What's your point?

I like Phil32's work!


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I clearly stated my point when I quoted you. I can't make it any clearer


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

> I am a total rookie chip carver . Just got started and somebody referred me to this site . I just now joined here and hope I am posting this in the right forum .
> 
> - SlimYoung123


There is a mountain of information to be had here-

https://forum.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/woodcarving-illustrated/woodcarving/relief-and-chip-carving


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I guess I could Google it but with the wealth of knowledge here, What is the difference between "chip carving" and carving with chisels? Is chip carving only done with straight bladed knives?


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

Chip carving generally consists of geometric patterns cut into flat surfaces with a knife. Often they are patterns of multiple triangles, each made with two vertical plunge cuts defining the sides of each triangle followed by a slicing cut to remove the wood between the plunge cuts. Some chip carving may consist of incised lines defining leaves, flowers, animals, etc. Here is an example: https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/408977

Carving with chisels - more correctly gouges - would be relief, intaglia, or sculpture

That said, there are many exceptions. I have done chip carving with fishtail gouges or skews. Here is another example: https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/399401


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## JohnCageBubblegum (8 mo ago)

I just picked up a block of basswood and it's going a lot better. I guess my knife could be a little sharper, but the problem is probably just that I need more experience before I should start working the catalpa.


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

If your knife is not sharp, the difficulty will first show up on slicing cuts. Depending on the size of the triangles, you may need to do several slices to remove the wood smoothly, with no ragged edges or tear-outs. When I took a class, we spent several hours doing small triangles on practice sticks:


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## JohnCageBubblegum (8 mo ago)

> If your knife is not sharp, the difficulty will first show up on slicing cuts. Depending on the size of the triangles, you may need to do several slices to remove the wood smoothly, with no ragged edges or tear-outs. When I took a class, we spent several hours doing small triangles on practice sticks:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I grabbed a stick of basswood and tried that myself, with varying degrees of success…


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Looking good! Just keep practicing…


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