Chip carvers

[glen]

Okay; now all of us chip carvers can come out of the closet.

How many are we?

Glen

[Sonny Edmonds]

Hey Glen,
I've been wonderin about that.
I have a lot of chips, how do I carve on them?
With really tiny knives? ;)
Just kidding around with you.... :7

I'm interested in adding some simplist carving to turnings. But artistically, I'm all thumbs and draw "stick People" LOL!
I can engrave some flowers though.

Can you explain more about chip carving?

:D

[link:www.sonnyedmonds.com | Sonny Edmonds]
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
God Bless America !
One Nation Under God!
"If a flaw is detected,
Within the eye of the beholder,
Possibly the eye of the beholder is wherein the flaw lies?" S.E. 2003

[BigDaddy]

I've enjoyed my first attempt at hand carving cabriole legs ..

got lots of slits and cuts in my hand from skewed chisel movements too!

But I am very much enjoying this new found hobby ..

[glen]

Sonny,

Going to be a busy day so I'll get back to ya.
The techniques are straight forward.

Glen

[glen]

Sonny,


Chip carving is fairly easy. If you've ever stabbed into a hunk of wood holding the knife at opposing angles so as to cause a "chip" of wood to come free...you've "chipped". You don't necessarily have to be artistic as a lot of patterns are created with a compass and are made up of geometric designs. Though I can draw fairly well I've often used patterns from good ole coloring books. Because I've found their simplistic lines to work well, especialy when doing flowers. Believe it was one of Mr. Bartons books that said chip carving goes back to the Celtics and or Norsmen where their often make shift furnishings would be ornated with chip carving. Sigh.. ornated is in the on-line oxford dictionary, granted it hasn't been "used" since 1867, but it's still valid.

I'm self taught for the most part with much credit to a few books from
Wayne Barton. Good link: Chipcarving.com

Another with a very good explanation http://www.chippingaway.com/Patterns.htm

Take care; Have to crank out yet another cert.

Glen

[graeber]

Hi, I was looking to do a little experimenting with chip carving but was wanting to know how difficult it was to chip carve hardwoods (mainly red oak)?
I had read that it could be very tough and wanted some feedback before investing in knives and books.

Thanks

[TDHofstetter]

EDIT: Welcome to the forum, Graeber!

I'm no "chipper" (yet) myself, but I can tell ya from my own experience that red oak won't be the happiest wood you've ever carved in. It really, really likes to splinter out back'ards. It's awful tough on tools, too, 'cause it's so abrasive. There ARE other hard hardwoods that'll carve pretty snazzily, though... besides the obvious softer hardwoods like basswood (limewood, linden). Bubinga is one notably hard hardwood that carves very well. Cherry, I figure, should also carve very nicely. May-hog can't be easily beat. Ash... will beat ya to death if it's been fully dried. Rock maple should work just fine.

But - that doesn't help with red oak. Particular reasons for that choice of wood? Got a lot of it you wanna' match? You ... MIGHT ... try Douglas fir (poor man's oak) as a substitute, although I have no idea how well that'd carve.

-- Tim --


Be well.
Be happy.
Live in love.

[knotty Bob]

Glen,

Carving, woodworking has been a longtime interest which I'm finally going to come out of the closet and try my hand at this winter. The smell and ability to craft something out of wood other than decks & fences hopefully is my calling.

Now if I can find someone with the same interests to grow old with. There's a bill to fill...Bob

[TDHofstetter]

Glen,

WHERE THE HECK is your post count?????

-- Tim --


Be well.
Be happy.
Live in love.