Some of the stuff I’ve read on chip carving describes the second that the chip flies off the wood as a pop. But I experience it most often as a snap!
Ok, let me backtrack. Chip carving is an ancient and elegant style of carving. It’s also, in my opinion, one of the easiest entry points for beginners to learn how to carve. You need a sharp knife, a piece of soft wood like pine, and a couple of simple designs to trace on the wood. The photo of the compass box is a project that I chip-carved years ago. While it looks complex, it’s actually just little wedges of wood popped out one by one, like this triangle:
Well, that’s nice, but what can I do with it? The next photos show you some of the fancier work you can do with it. I’ve carved names, elaborate designs, and lots of jewelry using elaborations on the basic cuts illustrated above. Here are some:
I’ve made many Christmas decorations in this style, and I have an order for some refrigerator magnets made in the star design to get out over the next few weeks.
These little designs can be fun to carve, and I’ve used them as a sort of stress relief. You get into the groove of caring, popping out chips, and soon you have a neat little pile of broaches, refrigerator magnets, or other items.
Here is a link to a post on chip carving that goes into the process in detail. Have fun and be safe – your knife is very sharp!
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