Get started in CHIP CARVING

A couple of knives and a little practice are all you need

- Fred and Linda Williams

About the Authors

Fred and Linda Williams retired after teaching elementary school for over 30 years. These days, they spend their time adorning clocks, boxes, and other small projects with beautiful chip-carved designs.

Chip carving is a method of embellishing the surface of plain wood by incising repeating patterns with a specialized knife. There are a series of foundational cuts that can be applied to most patterns; and those patterns can be added to, resized, and reordered to create a near infinite number of original designs. The best things about this craft are that it's fun, easy to learn, and doesn't even require a shop.

Unlike many other aspects of woodworking, chip carving is also relatively inexpensive. You can perform most cuts with one knife that costs around $25. And with the way you hold the knife and plunge the blade, the whole enterprise is relatively safe, so you typically don't need to buy a carving glove. Pick up a non-slip pad if you plan to work on a bench or table. But you can also carve right in your lap.

The best wood to start chip carving is basswood. It's inexpensive, too, and easy to come by. Other woods such as butternut (See p. 54 for more info on this species.), clear white pine, and cedar are also great starter woods. As your skills increase, you can try your hand at harder, denser woods. Let's get started.

Non-slip pad

Inexpensive and widely available, these mats keep your work where you want it.

Basswood to start

Widely available in various sizes and prices, it's soft with a low resistance to cutting. You'll eventually work your way up to tougher species.

Skew Knife

$20.99 from Flexcut.