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7/29/2019 Lee Valley Tools - Getting Started on a Chip Carving Project
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/12/12 Lee Valley Tools - Getting Started on a Chip Carving Project
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Getting Started on a Chip Carving Project
Chip carving is an ideal technique for the person
who wants to learn a bit about woodworking, but
has always been discouraged at the prospect of
buying a garage full of expensive and intimidating
power tools. Fortunately, only a few tools are
required to get started on a chip carving project.
You need only chip carving knives, sharpening
equipment, and a few small pieces of wood.
In this article, we give you step-by-step instructions
for applying the pattern to the wood, making first
cuts, choosing knives, and finishing. All instructions
assume the reader is right-handed; keep this in mind as you begin. (Read over the
"General Cutting Rules" below, before you start.)
Applying a Pattern
The first choice for wood is basswood. It is astraight-grained, unfigured wood that carves
beautifully. Later, if you wish, try butternut or
walnut.
If you are going to follow a pattern from a book, first
prepare a piece of wood that approximates the size
of the pattern given. The wood should be between
1/4" and 3/8" thick. Scrape and sand the surface as
if you were finishing it, because you won't be able to
do this after carving without dulling the crisp points and carved details.
After you have prepared the piece of wood, make a photocopy of the design you like,and cut it out so it fits nicely on your wood. The photocopied pattern can be transferred
directly by pressing it face down onto the wood with a hot iron. (Set the iron to about a
medium heat.) This works well, because photocopier ink is actually a heat-sensitive
powder, and reheating it with an iron will melt it, dropping the pattern onto the wood.
After pressing with the iron, carefully lift up one corner to see if the pattern has
transferred clearly. If not, iron some more. Do this at all four corners until you are
certain the entire pattern has transferred clearly. Remember, be sure you have a good
transfer before removing the paper, as you can never replace the paper accurately
enough to re-iron.
Another word of caution: if you iron on a piece of wood that has glue joints, the heat
will sometimes expand them. This happened to me, but I was able to save the piece
by re-clamping immediately and allowing the wood to cool.
Making The First Cuts
Many books on the subject of chip carving recommend that you hold the knife in a
manner that to me seems awkward and uncontrolled. If you are able to carve that way,
go ahead. I feel more comfortable holding the knife like a pen, except perhaps a bit
more upright. This feels natural and helps you achieve a consistent angle of cut.
While cutting at the same angle into the wood, it helps to vary the blade angle forward
or backward, depending on the type of cut you are making. Obviously, you can't turn
7/29/2019 Lee Valley Tools - Getting Started on a Chip Carving Project
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/12/12 Lee Valley Tools - Getting Started on a Chip Carving Project
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corners if the blade is at a shallow angle, so stand
it up. On the other hand, with small chips, you can
actually cut against the grain by almost laying the
knife down and cutting. By holding the knife this
way, the heel of your hand is on the work, as is
your other hand. The first or second finger of your
left hand guides the blade.
If the movement
of the blade isaway from you,
your right hand
holds the knife,
while a finger of
your left hand
actually pushes
on the back of
the blade. When cutting the other way, your right hand pulls the blade toward you,
while the finger on the other hand acts as a restraint. Be careful to place your finger
just above the sharpened portion of the blade when cutting toward you. For finer
control, use your finger as a fulcrum. For example, when you near the end of a cut,
stop pushing with your finger, and pivot the knife forward, being aware of the point'slocation, so you don't undercut.
I carve sitting in a swivel-type armchair, and place the work on a piece of plywood that
extends off my radial arm saw table. The work is about chest high, so no bending is
required to see details.
Finishing
All traces of the photocopied pattern must be removed, or they will appear as dirt
spots under the finish. Avoid gloss and semi-gloss finishes; they give the pattern a
plastic-coated look. I recommend a low-gloss urethane. Sand lightly between coats
with wet and dry paper, being careful to not round-over crisp points. If you wish to turn
your project into a coaster, simply glue cork onto the bottom, let it dry, and trim to
size.
Removing just one chip is satisfying, but admiring a finished project, which is very
beautiful, is much more gratifying. It is hard to believe that removing simple triangles
from a wooden surface can create such lasting beauty.
Choosing a Knife
It is important that a chip-carving knife have a thin, wedge-shaped blade capable of
holding a razor-sharp edge. One knife is all you need to get started; however, two
others would be quite useful.
The most practical knife for a beginner has a blade with a cutting edge that is
approximately parallel to the handle (Photo 1). If you want to purchase only one knife
to start with, this is the one.
The second choice is a knife that has a cutting edge about right angles to the handle
(Photo 2). It is used for stabbing.
The third knife I would recommend to a beginner has a blade with a fine point (Photo
3), which is useful for carving delicate scroll work, such as the corner areas of the
pinwheel pattern. If possible, buy a knife that has a handle with a
round, rather than an oval cross-section; it can be turned more easily in the fingers to
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follow sharply curved lines.
General Cutting Rules for Chip Carving
1. Cut with the grain, as the long fibers of
the wood will tear at the cut line when
cutting against the grain.
2. Don't cut too deeply. About 1/8" is the
deepest you should go on the biggest
chips on these pieces. For smallerchips, cut less deeply.
3. Remove large chips in stages,
particularly if you have already carved
out a section nearby. Otherwise, the
force you have to apply to remove the
whole chip in one cut will deflect wood.
This deflection will occur toward the
weakest spot, which will no doubt be the
nice crisp edge you just cut.
4. Cut away from a previously carved chip,
rather than cutting toward it; the wedging
action of the blade could pop out a partof the mountain that was to be left in.
5. If the chip does not have carving adjacent to it, remove the complete line of the
pattern. If it does, it is best to stay back from the line when removing the first
chip, then cut its adjacent chip, also staying back of the line. Finally, make
your finishing cuts on both sides to split the line. At this point, watch that
straight lines over multiple chips are maintained.
6. Don't undercut. Try to visualize where the point of your blade is, and avoid
leaving a score mark at the base of a cut. This is another good reason to take
out progressively larger chips, rather than trying to remove the entire chip at
once. Do not pry chips out. Instead wriggle them to see where they are still
attached, then go a little deeper in that area and wriggle again. Some
undercutting will occur, but if you have done everything right up to this point, itshould be a nearly microscopic line.
7. To remove undercuts, turn your knife over, and with the dull side of the blade at
the same angle as your cut, gently draw it the length of your cut, then rotate
the work 180, and do it going the other way. The operative word here is gently.
You are not trying to create pressed wood decorations. The undercut must be a
very fine one. This is not a method of erasing an unintended slip.
8. Before making marks with the stabbing knife, remove the line of the pattern with
the primary knife, then press the stabbing knife into that cut line. Pressing into
a line of the pattern will leave black ink in the bottom of the depression.
(This bulletin is taken from an article by Robert Dunn and Alex Vincent, both of
Calgary, Alberta, originally printed in Issue 8 (3/94) of WoodCuts.)
Copyright 1998 to 2012 by Lee Valley Tools Ltd. and Veritas Tools Inc. All rights reserved.