Chip carving is a type of woodworking that uses different chisels, gouges, and knives to carve designs into the surface of the wood. This article will focus on the essential tools you need for chip carving, discuss some of the best chip carving tools available to buy, and provide other useful information. So, what are some of the essential chip carving tools?
The most essential tools for chip carving include a chisel set, a sharp knife with a V-shaped blade for vertical cuts, files with various shapes to smooth surfaces, and sandpaper for grinding away irregularities in the surface. The other tools good to have are gouges, scrape tools, hammers, and even a Dremel. These tools can help a woodworker get more creative in the design process while also ensuring that their work is safe.
This decorative technique lends depth and detail to a surface, typically by cutting away certain areas. The simplest form of chip carving is called lettering or hand-lettering, which uses a sharp tool to carve letters into a surface. By using this technique, you can create textured walls, furniture items such as tables and chairs, and special carving effects.
It is also important to note that, to achieve the best of any chip carving project, you must have the essential tools, if not all the tools that would be helpful in the process.
The 3 Must Have Tools for Chip Carving
A good set of tools is important because it will help you carve faster and maintain the same level of precision in your craftsmanship. There are so many different options when it comes to woodcarving tools as we are going to discuss. Among the must-have include:
If you are looking for a set of tools to compliment your knife when chip carving. Check out this premium Beevercraft woodcarving tools set from Amazon! Without further ado, let’s get into the 3 must-have tools for chip carving.
1. Wood chisel
A tool that uses a wedge-shaped head to shape wood, using a hammer handle and a round-tipped blade. The shape of the blade can be adjusted by changing its angle with respect to the length of its shaft.
Some of the most common uses of a wood chisel are for making curves in pieces of wood or removing big chunks of hardwood. Most carvers also use them to make rabbets and dadoes.
2. Chip carving knives
Chip carving knives are a must-have tool for anyone who is going to be carving chips.
Usually, a chip carving knife is a long, thin blade that runs parallel to the tool’s handle. The blade can be made out of metal or wood and it’s usually about 3 inches long. The knife is used with one hand and has a serrated edge which makes it easier to see through the wood.
Chip carvers typically use these knives to make precise cuts in blocks of materials such as wood or bone. These knives come in various sizes and shapes that suit different purposes; they also vary in the price range depending on what style of knife you prefer and how specific your needs are.
3. Gouges
These are the simplest and most effective tools that one can use for chip carving. They are thin, flexible, and sharply pointed. The shape is designed to quickly remove little chunks from the surface of a block.
Gouges vary according to their use and function, which is why it’s important to know what type you might need. The most common type is an angled gouge that can be used on flat surfaces, while other types include straight edges that can be used on round or curved surfaces.
Other Useful Tools to Have When Chip Carving
Here are some of the other tools that you will need to have in your workshop as a woodworker. It is not enough just to have the three essential ones above. You need to be equipped so that you can try every craft when you have the right tools for the job. These other tools include:
Stab Knives
This knife has a blade that is thin and sharp at one end while the opposite end contains a round shape that is designed to avoid slip-ups while carving. Other than this, some models come with a variety of design patterns so you can choose between them depending on your preferences or what kind of design you want to achieve.
Dremel tool
This is the most important tool in chip carving. It can cut out grooves, circles, texturing patterns on chips, and engrave designs onto the wood
Scrape tool
It is used to remove any excess, rough, or uneven surface on your wood. A file also works well for this purpose.
Screw drivers
Screw drivers come in all shapes and sizes for chip carvers of all skill levels. They are perfect for shaping chips with their flexible blades before marking them with a paintbrush or staining tool. Some carvers prefer to use screwdrivers over knives because they create less chatter when carving delicate surfaces like patinas or veneers
Hammers
These are mainly used to shape the wood into any form needed; they can be heavy or light depending on their size and need to be held in one hand or two depending on your preference.
Sharpening stones
Sharpening stones are often overlooked when people are thinking about essential tools in the world of chip carving. However, these stones are very useful in varying degrees. They come in different sizes with different shapes and textures, which means they can be used for a variety of purposes.
Sharpening stones with fine grains are best for sharpening steel straight edge tools like gouges or chisels. A great example is a whetstone. Unlike other stones, this type is designed with a belt-like groove that allows water and oil to constantly run off of it as it’s being stroked against the blade.
Scraper/Sponge
This helps you remove excess material from your work surface or tool after carving has been completed.
Tungsten carbide bits
These bits are used in roughing out chips. These bits are ideally suited for use with metal cutting tools like drills, saws, and nibblers.
Quick Guide to Chip Carving Tools Care
Chip carving tools are typically made of very hard and durable materials and can be used for a long time. However, they cannot be thrown away once they become dull or damaged. They need to be properly cared for so that they can stay in good condition as long as possible. Some of the ways that you can use to care for wood carving tools include to:
- Use the protective caps accessories when storing tools such as chisels to protect the blades from damage.
- Store tools in storage cases. There are different cases that are made for different chip carving tools that you can use to keep them safe and protected.
- Clean your tools before sharpening, especially if they have developed some rust. However, you should always follow the instructions from the manufacturer when sharpening carving tools.
- Chip carving knives require very little oil during use; but the blades should be wiped clean with a cloth after each use. This prevents build-up of gummy material on the blade that can cause blunting of the blade over time.
- Chip carving tools should also be stored in a well-ventilated area away from humidity levels greater than 50% relative humidity (RH). If stored in this manner, the tools will not rust or corrode over time.
- Store your tools in a safe place – make sure that they are out of reach from children or pets who may accidentally get their hands on them.
If you keep your tools safe, protected, and for the right purpose, you will definitely use them for years without having to replace them. Get more tips for chip carving tools to learn more about the general best practices that you should as a woodworker.
What Are the Best Chip Carving Tools?
There are different brands that make chip carving tools. We have sampled some of the few tools that are essential for any woodworker.
BeaverCraft Wood Carving Knife is an innovative wooden knife. It comes with a blade made of carbon steel. Because of the unique material, it can be sharpened easily, making it ideal for chip carving or other woodwork projects.
Schaaf Gouges and Chisels are some of the most versatile, high-quality wood carving tools you can get on Amazon. We’ve selected them for you because they’re reliable, dependable, easy to use, affordable. We use them on everything from sculptures to signs to signs for homes. They are also very durable and capable of handling even the heaviest chip carving projects with ease.
Schaaf Wood Carving Tools come in a set of 12 that comprises gouges and chisels of different designs. They are useful for both beginners and for advanced woodworkers. They are also made of good quality CR-V 60 steel blades and are efficient in performance.
Final Thoughts
We hope that his guide has been useful to you in understanding the different types of chip carving tools that you need for your projects. Of course, there are so many other chip carving tools that we have left our since we may not capture each and every tool in a single piece like this.
Feel free to browse through our site to learn more types of chip carving tools that we have in our repository.
