Functional Chip Carving

FUNCTIONAL
CDHesIiPgnsCfoAr tRheVHIoNmGe

36 Simple Projects
from Bowls to Barrettes

FUNCTIONAL
CDHesIiPgnsCfoAr tRheVHIoNmGe

36 Simple Projects
from Bowls to Barrettes

© 2020 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.
Functional Chip Carving Designs for the Home is an original work, first published in 2020 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc.

The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the authors. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use.
The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances.
Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.
ISBN 978-1-4971-0161-6
The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

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Printed in USA
First printing

Because working with knives, gouges, and other tools inherently includes the risk of injury and damage, this book cannot guarantee that performing the tasks in this
book is safe for everyone. For this reason, this book is sold without warranties or guarantees of any kind, expressed or implied, and the publisher and the author disclaim
any liability for any injuries, losses, or damages caused in any way by the content of this book or the reader’s use of the tools needed to complete the projects presented

here. The publisher and the author urge all readers to thoroughly review each section and to understand the use of all tools before beginning any project.

Contents

4 Carver’s Lapboard
6 Stylized Combs
9 Butterfly Keepsake Box
1 3 Trio of Barrettes
1 6 Pineapple Welcome Sign
2 1 Perpetual Calendar
2 9 Rosette Cribbage Board
33 Simple Cereal Bowl
35 Summery Supernova Coasters
3 7 Coffee Scoop
40 Flower Ornament
41 Bethlehem Star Hanging
43 Holly Napkin Holder
46 Snowflake Baubles
51 Old-Fashioned Sleds

woodcarvingillustrated.com 1

Introduction

Chip carving as an art form has been around for
thousands of years. The classic “chip carved” look—
featuring precise groupings of geometric shapes set into a
smooth surface—appears on grand cathedrals throughout
Europe from the 12th century on. But the style has also
adorned humbler, homier objects, from folk art toys to
boxes and drinking vessels. These items were not simply
decorative; they had an everyday function around the house.
And they could be carved by newcomers to the craft, using
just one or two simple tools.
In this spirit, we’ve gathered some of the best chip
carving projects from our archive, including cereal bowls,
barrettes, coffee spoons, holiday ornaments, and even a
cribbage board. Each one is both elegant and practical—and
many, such as Roman Chernikov’s “Summery Supernova
Coasters” (page 35), can be completed in just an afternoon.
If this is your first time picking up a knife, don’t worry—
we’ve included tips and techniques from today’s leading
chip carvers, such as Wayne Barton, Marty Leenhouts, and
Charlene Lynum, to guide you through your first cuts.
Happy carving!
The Woodcarving Illustrated team

2 Functional Chip Carving Designs for the Home

About the Marty Leenhouts is a regular contributor to Woodcarving
Authors Illustrated. He has 30 years of teaching experience and
is the owner of MyChipCarving.com and EZcarving.com.
Wayne Barton is credited with introducing chip carving His videos have more than 2.5 million views, and he is the
to the United States. He was named Woodcarving author of Chip Carving Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide
Illustrated's Woodcarver of the Year in 2005. Wayne has to Successful Chip Carving.
written several books, and he teaches seminars around
the country. For more information, visit his website at Charlene Lynum began chip carving around 1985.
chipcarving.com. She lives near Eau Claire, Wis., and is a member of the
West Wisconsin Woodcarvers Guild. What started as a
Deanna Cadoret lives in Canada with a large family of hobby has turned, in the past few years, into an artistic
animals. Besides chip carving, she loves working with yarn, adventure. Charlene appreciates the simple beauty that
drawing, and painting. Deanna has previously published a chip carving can add to a project. Find her on Instagram
tutorial called Stone Wall—Watercolour over Pen and Ink @thelynums.
on Wetcanvas.com under the screen name Kitaye.
Gary MacKay is a lifelong woodworker who embellishes
Roman Chernikov is a software engineer who has his work with chip carving. He has been selling his
been carving as a hobby since 2013. He lives near San wooden items at juried craft galleries for 22 years. E-mail
Francisco and attends the Santa Clara Valley Carvers him at [email protected].
Club. For more of his work, visit readNtry.com.
Paul Meisel and his team at Meisel Hardware Specialties
Amy Costello is known for her delicate chip carving on have designed over 3,500 projects and plans for
turnings and small joinery projects. While she has built the home hobbyist woodworker. Dozens of projects
furniture in several industrial-sized shops since 2014, from Paul’s collection have appeared in Scroll Saw
she currently does all of her woodworking on a 6' by 10' Woodworking & Crafts magazine. For more of his work,
platform in her bedroom, with a long curtain splitting the visit meiselwoodhobby.com.
room. When she’s not in the shop, Amy enjoys illustrating,
throwing pots, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Find Tom Noller started carving in 2009 after retiring as an
her on Instagram @amy.makes.everything. engineer. He is the president and newsletter editor for
Vernon DePauw started carving in seventh-grade shop the Lake Ray Hubbard Woodcarving Club, located in
class and has been carving for pleasure and profit Rowlett, Texas. E-mail him at [email protected].
ever since. For more of his work, visit his website at
vldwoodcarver.com. Steve Reed started carving more than 30 years ago while
serving in the U.S. Air Force. An award-winning carver and
Andrew DiPace is originally from New York City, but competition judge, he has taught chip and figure carving
now lives in Lancaster, Pa. A carver for nine years, he for Midwest Woodworkers Inc. in Omaha, Neb. A member
is a member of the Lancaster County Woodcarvers of the National Woodcarvers Association and Mid-America
and serves as the club’s show chairman, as well as a Woodcarvers Association, Steve lives in Bellevue, Neb. with
teacher of beginning carvers. He is also interested in his wife, Cathy. E-mail him at [email protected].
bonsai, which often involves carving. E-mail him at
[email protected]. Roman and Olga Repikova have been
carving for 12 years. Great lovers of
music, they manufacture ukuleles and
other handmade wooden items at
their home in Ukraine. Contact them at
[email protected] or on Etsy at
WoodCarv.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 3

A s a turner and chip carver, I’m always looking for Simple
new ways to combine these skills in interesting Cereal
ways. After gluing a basswood stripe for carving into a
cribbage board I made for my dad, I was inspired to add Bowl
a similar stripe to a set of cereal bowls. While carving,
do your best to cut each facet with a single stroke; lots of Embellish turned objects with
practice and a razor-sharp tool are key! this clever repeating design
Preparing the Blank
Carving on bowls comes By Amy Costello
with its own set of
challenges. The biggest materials & tools
issue is that most bowls
are turned with the grain MATERIALS TOOLS
running horizontally. All wood dimensions refer to the size of the • Saws: table, miter
This makes for stronger blank, not the finished bowl • Chip carving knife
bowls, but it also means • Walnut or cherry, 21/2" (6.4cm) thick: • Midi-lathe with
that at least half of the carving surface is end grain or 61/2" (16.5cm) square assorted turning tools
similar. End grain is a pain to carve, and I was never • W alnut or cherry, 1/2" (1.3 cm) thick: • Ruler: flexible cloth
quite satisfied with the results I got from simply gluing a 61/2" (16.5cm) square • Clamps (or vise)
rectangle of basswood onto a regular bowl blank. Luckily, • Basswood, 3/4" (1.9cm) thick: approx.
the turning world already had an elegant solution that 2" x 18" (5.1cm x 45.7cm) The author used these
allowed me to create a continuous edge grain surface • Pencil products for the project.
around the entire bowl. It’s called segmenting—gluing • Wood glue Substitute your choice
several smaller pieces together to form a larger blank. • S andpaper: assorted grits up to 500
Make your blank. With segmenting, you can • Clear finish, such as Odie’s Oil and natural of brands, tools, and
control the orientation of each piece, allowing you to Danish oil materials as desired.
create blanks with ideal grain configuration that would • Clean cotton cloths
otherwise be impossible to achieve. For my bowls, I made
basswood hexagons (basically picture frames with 30°
miters instead of 45°) using a miter saw. (Find a template
of the hexagon glueup on page 30) Then I resawed a thick
chunk of walnut on the band saw, jointed the inside faces,
and sandwiched the basswood hexagon between them,
clamping the blank tightly. It’s important that the glue
joint between every piece of the blank is extremely tight;
otherwise, you’ll end up with hairline holes in your bowl!
Let the glue dry and remove the clamps.

Scale up the blank to make larger serving bowls, if desired.

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CARVING THE SPOON TIP TRANSFERRING THE PATTERN

Use a non-marking scribing tool to trace the pattern onto
the wood. Use a pencil to lightly color the indentations,
making them easier to see while carving.

1
Transfer the scoop pattern. Slide transfer paper under
the pattern and trace the top view and side view of the scoop onto
the blank. Be sure to include the inside line of the bowl, but do not
transfer the chip carving pattern yet.

2 3
Rough out the scoop. Use a band saw to cut away as much Shape the outside. Use a knife to remove small amounts
waste wood as possible. Cut 1/16" (2mm) outside of the pattern of wood from the scoop. Round the bottom of the bowl and carve
lines. You can also use a sharp knife to rough out the scoop. away the waste outside of the pattern lines. Do not carve away the
lines. The lines will be sanded off.

4 5
Determine the depth of the bowl. Drill or carve a 1/2" Finish carving the bowl. Use the 1/4" (6mm) #5 gouge to
(1.3cm)-diameter by 5/8" to 7/8" (1.6cm to 2.2cm)-deep hole in the carve grooves from the inside border of the bowl to the hole carved
center of the bowl. I use a 1/4" (6mm) #5 gouge to carve the hole. in the center. Continue cutting grooves until the outer portion of
Place the tip of the gouge against the wood just off from the center the bowl is as deep as the center hole.
and spin the gouge around while applying pressure.
38 Functional Chip Carving Designs for the Home

Bethlehem
Star Hanging

Adorn your home with this
stellar chip carved design

By Marty Leenhoutss

F or this design, I wanted to
incorporate long, graceful
lines that mimic a star’s rays.
You’ll need to make several
small, precise cuts to achieve
that look, but the result is
stunning. Use the star to top
your tree or hang it elsewhere
in the house—either way, it’s an
instant conversation piece.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 41

Holly Napkin
Holder

Chip carve this simple design
to dress up any holiday table

By Marty Leenhouts

woodcarvingillustrated.com 43

Snowflake Baubles

Mix and match designs to create
dozens of easy ornaments

By Gary MacKay

T hese designs are easy to cut and carve. Making the Ornaments
I cut the snowflakes on a scroll saw, but Attach the patterns to the basswood with spray adhesive. Cut the
you could also carve the designs on round or perimeter. You can carve directly through the paper, but for more
square blanks. Mix and match the designs to accurate cuts, draw the patterns directly onto the wood. Soak the
create sets of unique ornaments. patterns with mineral spirits to remove them, and wipe off any
excess adhesive with a rag soaked in mineral spirits. Sand carefully
46 Functional Chip Carving Designs for the Home with 220-grit sandpaper to remove any fuzzies, making sure to not
sand off the sharp corners of the chips. Apply a clear spray finish.

Old-Fashioned Sleds

Slide into winter with these clean, geometric decorations

By Charlene Lynum

H aving grown up in the Midwest, I have many fond graphite paper and a pencil, if desired. Be sure to place
memories of gliding downhill with my brothers, the pattern on the outward facing side of both runners.
with the snow in our faces and our cheeks pink from the Orient the grain vertically along the length of the sled
cold. Those days inspired these patterns using simple and runners. Cut the sled body with a scroll saw; I like
two- and three-corner chips that don’t take days to to use a #5 reverse-tooth blade so I get a smooth cut on
master and look fantastic when they’re complete. both the bottom and top of the project. (This reduces
Getting Started the amount of sanding needed.) I recommend stack-
Sand the blank with 220-grit sandpaper and attach cutting the pieces for the runners so they’re identical.
the patterns; I ironed a laser copy on using a pattern Secure the stack with double-faced tape. Then drill
transfer tool, but you can trace the designs on with the 1/8" (3mm)-dia. hole for the dowel while they’re still
stacked so the holes line up, and cut the runners.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 51

CARVINGS
FOR LIFE!

Functional Chip Carving Designs for the
Home is a must-have project guide for carving
practical objects that are as functional as
they are decorative! A compilation of 36
beginner-to-intermediate designs from the
archives of Woodcarving Illustrated magazine
(2009-2020), this booklet is the perfect
guide for any carver. Each original project
includes detailed instructions, coordinating
photography, helpful patterns, expert tips,
complete supplies and tools lists, and so
much more. Whether it’s bowls, beard combs,
and boxes or coasters, coffee scoops, and
Christmas decorations, you’ll enjoy carving
these achievable chip carved designs as much
as you’ll enjoy using them!

Functional Chip Carving Designs for the Home

$11.99 US | $13.99 CAN

ISBN: 978-1-4971-0161-6

51199

9 781497 101616