Chip Carver's Workbook E-Book

Dennis Moor

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2005

Seitenzahl: 198

Beschreibung

Chip carving has a long and respected history as a decorative art form. In Chip Carver's Workbook, noted chip carver and instructor Dennis Moor will introduce you to this timeless craft that is easy to learn and produces beautiful, ornate results. In his engaging and accessible teaching style, Dennis Moor outlines the basics of wood selection, tools and sharpening, layout, lettering, and finishing while instructing you on the chip carving techniques that will have you decorating household items and creating artistic pieces in a variety of designs. Seven enjoyable and useful chip carving projects will guide you through the process of mastering this classic art form, including a napkin holder, plant box, letter holder, tissue box, cheese and cracker tray, and more. Also included is an inspiring photo gallery of finished pieces plus a comprehensive listing of supply sources.

Leseprobe

© 2005 by Dennis Moor and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., East Petersburg, PA.

Chip Carver’s Workbook is an original work, first published in 2005 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. 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.

For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at [email protected], quoting the ISBN and title of this book, as well as the pattern or patterns required.

Print ISBN: 978-1-56523-257-0eISBN: 978-1-60765-893-1

Publisher's Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Moor, Dennis.

Chip carver's workbook : teach yourself with 7 easy and decorative projects / by Dennis Moor. East Petersburg, PA : Fox Chapel Publishing, c2005.

p. ; cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1–56523–257–0

ISBN-10: 1–56523–257–7

1. Wood-carving. 2. Carving (Decorative arts) I. Title.

TT199.7 .M66 2005

736/.4--dc22

0504

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

Note to Authors: We are always looking for talented authors to write new books. Please send a brief letter describing your idea to Acquisition Editor, 1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520.

Dedication

There is nothing like grandchildren, and, of course, my three are the best: Emilee, Turtle, and Zane. This book is dedicated to the three of them.

Acknowledgments

My son, Todd, is largely responsible for my dedication to this art and to Chipping Away. His encouragement and involvement with our business included countless hours of traveling, teaching, exhibiting, and, of course, carving. We worked wonderfully together.

CONTENTS

About the Author

Introduction

Chapter 1: Choosing the Wood

Chapter 2: The Tools

Chapter 3: Sharpening

Chapter 4: How to Hold the Knives

Chapter 5: Three Main Chip Shapes

Chapter 6: Standard-Sized Borders

Chapter 7: Large-Width Borders

Chapter 8: Curved Borders

Chapter 9: Grids

Chapter 10: Rosettes

Chapter 11: Layout and Design

Chapter 12: Getting the Pattern onto the Wood

Chapter 13: Lettering

Chapter 14: Finishing

Chapter 15: The Projects

Project 1: Napkin Holder

Project 2: Plant Box

Project 3: Letter Holder

Project 4: Trinket Box

Project 5: Tissue Box Holder

Project 6: Mailbox

Project 7: Cheese and Cracker Tray

Gallery

Sources of Supply

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dennis “Pop” Moor has taken the carving world by storm, winning numerous international awards. He and his son, Todd’s, weekly television series has introduced viewers to all areas of woodcarving and wood art and has helped to establish the duo as highly sought-after personalities at woodcarving shows and competitions. Because of the entertaining approach they take to their art, this father-son team has earned an excellent reputation in carving, teaching, and judging. It is no wonder these two are often called “The Canadian Masters.”

Dennis is the president of Chipping Away Incorporated, which he started with Todd. More than just a retail company, Chipping Away publishes books, manufactures woodcarving tools and sharpening machines, writes articles for magazines, and sells some of their 4,000 products to smaller retailers by acting as a distributor for a number of companies. They have customers in 20 countries around the world. Chipping Away also operates two large classrooms at their Kitchener, Ontario, Resource Center with both evening and weekend classes in all aspects of woodcarving, woodburning and wood art. In addition to their local instructors, they host some of the top woodcarving instructors from across North America. Chipping Away also sponsors an annual International Carver’s Conference each September.

To keep his multifaceted company going, Dennis consistently works 60 plus hours each week. He leaves each night with a smile on his face and can hardly wait to return the next morning. Wood Carving Illustrated’s T-shirts that read, “Eat, Sleep, Carve” describe Pop perfectly. Dennis and his wife, Joani, have been married for 42 years and have two daughters, both older than Todd, three grandchildren, and three step-grandchildren.

INTRODUCTION

CHIP CARVING IN TYPICAL CHIPPING AWAY STYLE

EASIER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK

by Todd Moor

As life gets more complex and stressful, I find myself more appreciative of the simple escapes it offers. One such blessing I have is a hobby that has turned into a full-time profession. Chip carving has a long history of use in decorating various wooden household items, including furniture, as well as in creating purely artistic pieces. Although the finished chip-carved pieces often display an intricacy and beauty one may think is attainable only by a long-lived master carver, chip carving can be surprisingly easy to learn. My father deserves much of the credit for this. He taught me a simple and effective method for chip carving a limitless variety of designs. Working together, we have taught this chip carving method to well over 2,000 students worldwide. Our chip carving students have included both men and women, from adolescents to octogenarians and all ages in between. I have seen some hold skepticism as to whether or not they could chip carve, and keep in mind that I have never met a person who cannot.

DEFINITION OF CHIP CARVING

Chip carving is a style of woodcarving in which knives are used to remove selected “chips” of wood from the project in a single piece. In theory, chip carvings have just two levels, or planes: the wood surface and the point beneath the surface where the cuts meet. Patterns can be free-form style or geometrically based with figures, such as triangles, circles, simple lines, and curves. If we accept this definition of chip carving, we find that almost every society throughout history has experimented with it, which makes the precise origins of chip carving debatable. It has been my experience that the strongest factor in such arguments is usually the nationality of the debater. I believe that this simple definition of chip carving allows us to consider that it originated in various societies without the necessity of influence from other groups. I find comfort in the notion that chip carving has a rich and long history for all of us, deep in our common cultural identities.

There are variations in the tools and designs favored by chip carvers of various cultural backgrounds. My father and I have a simple approach to understanding chip carving that offers the advantages of minimizing both the number of tools and rules the student needs to learn. In fact, I’ve found the reasons underlying such “rules” are worthy of greater emphasis than the rules themselves. There are times when the rules must be broken, and a good understanding of chip carving will help you know when to break them.

POP’S TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR CHIP CARVERS

Say, I don’t believe I have told you why so many call me “Pop.” During the early days of Chipping Away, my son, Todd, and I exhibited at wood shows and taught classes together. Todd has always called me “Pop,” and whenever he would holler “Hey, Pop!” across a room, it didn’t take long for others to join in. While I was teaching a class at the Thunder Mountain Wood Carvers Club in Sierra Vista, Arizona, Don Yadusky, a student in the class, kept lots of notes. At the close of the class, he announced that by using his observations, he created “Pop’s Ten Commandments for Chip Carvers.” I would like to share them with you.

1 Remove the largest chips first.

2 Carve those areas that are the most delicate (sharp ridges) last.

3 When carving rosettes, start with cuts that are diagonal to the grain and move in one direction only. Using this progression, you will remove the more difficult cross-grained chips before finishing with the easier, with-the-grain ones.

4 When carving into the center of a rosette, roll your knife up to almost 90 degrees. This technique will keep the center from chipping out, especially in those patterns where you will be carving into the center a number of times.

5 If you have trouble removing large chips with one cut, then carve in stages. You will find that by taking smaller chips out of the center of the large one and gradually increasing the size, the final chip will be much easier to remove. Your carving will also be much neater and cleaner.

6 When starting a new chip, always make the first cut with the blade facing away from your previous chip.

7 Make use of stop cuts.

8 Keep your thumb against the handle blade and on the wood at all times. This thumb position will ensure consistent angles and will minimize the chance of cutting yourself.

9 Always look for ways to add that final touch or embellishment—create the “ooohhs.”

10 Have fun!

1

CHOOSING THE WOOD

WHICH WOOD IS BEST FOR CHIP CARVING?

It is certainly not difficult to understand that the harder the wood, the harder it is to carve. This does not mean, however, that softwoods are the easiest or best woods to use. It’s also important to note that the terms “hardwood” and “softwood” don’t necessarily reflect how hard the wood is. Some hardwoods are less dense or lighter than some softwoods.

Generally, any tree that loses its leaves in the fall, or a deciduous tree, is considered a hardwood. In contrast, softwoods, such as pine and spruce, retain their greenery year-round and are considered to be part of the coniferous family. Hardwood trees grow with a more consistent and tighter grain pattern than do softwood trees. Thus, hardwoods give a more predictable response to your knives and gouges.

While hardwoods often have more density (weight per unit volume) than softwoods, density varies widely between species. Poplar and aspen, for example, are much lighter in weight than oak, but oak is lighter in weight than rosewood and most exotic woods. Let’s take a look at the qualities of some popular carving woods.

Basswood (hardwood)

Chances are, if you are not a woodcarver, you are not familiar with basswood. The basswood tree is also known as linden in Canada and the U.S. Basswood is considered to be the best carving wood regardless of what style of carving you may be doing. The grain is consistently tight, and the timber is light in weight, which makes it a joy to carve (See Figure 1-1.). The light beige or yellow color, combined with the almost non-existent grain, allows intricate or detailed carving to be performed without the carving and the wood competing for attention.

Chip Tip

Basswood will present problems when staining. Be sure to seal the wood first. See Chapter Fourteen: Finishing on here.

Figure 1-1. Basswood.

The American basswood tree grows in fair abundance from the southern U.S. to a hundred miles or so north of the Canadian/U.S. border, from about the central states through to the East Coast. Generally speaking, the best “carving basswood” grows in the latitude area of southern Michigan (including southern Ontario) south to Kentucky and in the longitude area from Iowa east to the coast. Basswood growing north of this region tends to grow too slowly and is harder to carve. Similarly, in the areas south of Kentucky, it grows too quickly and is not as firm. Poplar and aspen are often used in western North America as substitutes for basswood.

Butternut (hardwood)

The butternut tree, also known as white walnut, grows in a geographical area similar to that of basswood. It is approximately 20% heavier in weight than basswood and carves easily with few surprises. Butternut has both a darker color and a more dominant grain pattern than basswood (See Figure 1-2.). Carvers use these characteristics to their benefit when the project will be left with a clear or light stain finish.

Figure 1-2. Butternut.

Mahogany (hardwood)

Mahogany (See Figure 1-3.) can certainly be chip carved should the occasion arise. While it isn’t the most desirable wood to carve, a woodworker will find mahogany pleasant to work with and suitable for a number of projects. It may be that mahogany is chosen to match other pieces of furniture within a room. It is heavier than butternut and therefore is harder to chip carve, but it is workable. Keep the patterns simple.

Figure 1-3. Mahogany.

Avoid intricate or delicate patterns as well as sharp ridges or edges. Intricate patterns will not show up very well in mahogany, and sharp ridges or edges tend to break easily in this wood. Lettering shows up well on mahogany that has been stained.

Pine (softwood)

You will often find carvers using pine for small caricature or figure carvings. Pine’s abundance and low cost, rather than its carving characteristics, are the reasons that many carvers choose this wood.

While pine can certainly be chip carved, it would not be my first choice for a couple of reasons. First, pine’s consistency, or perhaps I should say “lack of consistency,” of grain restricts the amount of fine or detail work that can be carved (See Figure 1-4.). Because the grain is not very tight, motifs that have sharp edges or ridges must be avoided to prevent breakouts (a ridge that breaks because it lacks rigidity) or fuzziness (See Figure 1-5.).

Figure 1-4. Pine.

Figure 1-5. Sharp edges, in designs such as this one, can break easily in some woods.

Second, the darker grain in pine is much harder than the light-colored grain. You may not notice this characteristic when cutting pine using power tools or a hand saw, but if you draw a chip carving knife across the grain of a pine board, you will soon discover that it is very difficult to control your cuts.

This is not to say that you should avoid chip carving pine altogether. On the contrary, if you already own or are presented with pine items, such as a blanket chest, a toy box, or a set of shelves, you can certainly beautify these functional pieces with chip carving. Simply avoid sharp edges. A pine chest can soon become a cherished heirloom once you add a chip-carved name or a simple motif. If you have a choice, however, have the project made from basswood because it is much nicer to carve.

Other Woods

I guess you could chip carve just about any species of wood, but that does not mean you should. Obviously, the harder the wood is, the more difficult it will be to chip carve. Always ask yourself if the end result will really be worth the effort required.

If you have the task of chip carving a project to match another item, consider using basswood or butternut and then staining your project to match that item. It may surprise you how much butternut can be made to look like oak, walnut, pecan, and other woods once it is appropriately stained. Basswood can strikingly resemble maple, pine, or even cherry (See Figure 1-6 to Figure 1-9.).

Figure 1-6. A basswood playing card box stained with Golden Oak. The box was made and carved by Jim Lindgren of Red Deer, Alberta.

Figure 1-7. This section is from a box lid carved in basswood. The lid was stained first with Mahogany and then with a coat of Cherry.

Figure 1-8. A section of a box lid carved in butternut and stained with Pecan.

Figure 1-9. These flowers are part of a small, decorative plaque carved in basswood and stained with Mahogany. The plaque was chip carved freehand and stained by Todd Moor.

Chip Tip

When choosing the wood or item you wish to chip carve, make sure you consider the predominance of the grain. The more predominant the grain, the simpler your pattern should be. An intricate or busy pattern will compete with a heavily grained wood for attention, creating unpleasant results in both the appearance and the execution of the chips themselves.

WOOD SOURCES

It is unlikely that you will find either basswood or butternut at your local home improvement center. Your local specialty lumber retailer will most likely have both species in stock. For those lucky enough to live in the geographic areas where basswood and butternut grow, a visit to a small lumber mill will provide all you need at reasonable prices. If you are still having problems finding a suitable supplier, get on the Internet and use a search engine to do a keyword search. It really is that simple.

MOISTURE AND WOOD

It is desirable to carve in wood that has an approximate moisture content of 10 to 12%. The correct moisture content not only makes your carving experience easier and more enjoyable, but it also produces a much nicer appearance. While there is no substitute for a properly sharpened and polished knife, you will find that dry wood does not cut as cleanly and that breakouts, especially on cross-grained chips, can be a challenge.

How can the layman determine the moisture content of the wood he is about to carve? You pretty much cannot tell, unless, of course, you invest in a quality moisture meter—something that is really not necessary. Once you make a few chips across the grain, you will be able to tell if the wood is too dry. Try using a test, or scrap, piece first. This way, if the wood is dry, you can take steps to return the moisture to it before beginning a project. It is also important to note that wood can have good moisture content when you purchase it but can become dry by the time you are ready to carve it.

Chip Tip

Wood with a moisture content of 10 to 12% is ideal for carving. If your wood is too dry, it will not carve as easily or as smoothly.

An Ounce of Prevention

Storing your wood in a desirable manner will save you a good deal of frustration. Personally, I keep my stock of basswood in an unheated garage rather than in the house because a heated house will dry out the wood. Consider your geographic region when you’re deciding where to store your wood. I live in southern Ontario, an area known for relatively high humidity. Those carvers living in drier climates, such as Arizona, would make different choices based on their location.

A few things to keep in mind when storing your wood: o Keep your wood in an unheated garage (or in a place suitable for your geographic region.

• If storing wood indoors, wrap it in airtight plastic or a similar airtight container.

• Keep it wrapped between carving sessions if you’re concerned about the wood drying out.

• Don’t store wood in your basement unless the room is humid and unheated.

• Don’t store wood in your furnace room.

• Avoid storing wood in air-conditioned rooms because they remove moisture.

You may also want to take preventative measures if you’re working on a project that will take more than a day or two to complete. I’ll often return the project to my garage or make sure it is wrapped tightly in plastic between carving sessions, so the wood doesn’t become too dry.

Returning Moisture to Your Wood

If you do find that your wood has lost too much moisture, there is a remedy. Returning moisture to your wood is as simple as building yourself a makeshift humidor and letting nature take its course.

To build a humidor, start by scavenging a cardboard box that is large enough to hold your wood board or project and small enough to fit inside a plastic bag. The large bags used for garbage are ideal.

Next, make a support to suspend your item and to permit airflow completely around it. A simple solution is to drive finishing nails through a thin piece of scrap plywood or similar material, so that the nails protrude enough to support your item (See Figure 1-10 and Figure 1-11.).

Place your suspended item inside the cardboard box, which has had the top flaps removed or opened. Also place a small bowl containing a completely water-soaked sponge inside the box. Leave a small amount of water that the sponge cannot absorb in the bowl. Place the box and its contents inside the large plastic bag and use a twist tie to make an airtight seal.

Within two or three days, the wood will absorb all the moisture necessary and will be ready for carving. You can speed up the process by placing your humidor in direct sunlight, creating a miniature sauna; however, the moisture will not have the opportunity to penetrate as deeply as it would if the humidor were allowed to sit for two or three days.

Keep the large cardboard box handy—it will be useful when we are adding a finish to a project.

Warping Problems

Wood is subject to warping, or cupping, when it dries more quickly or absorbs moisture more quickly on one side or the other, especially if it’s unsealed or unfinished. Chip carving projects are often affected by warping because many items are made of relatively thin wood (⅜") and have large surface areas, such as a serving tray.

In some cases, simply leaving your item with the cupped surface facing down can slowly rectify the problem. You could also try placing the item cupped-side-down on your lawn and in direct sunlight to speed up the process. The warmth of the sun’s rays will help to draw moisture from the ground and into the piece of wood. Prevention of warping by not permitting such uneven drying is probably the best method; simply follow the suggestions for storing your wood.

Figure 1-10. Create a simple support by driving finishing nails through a thin piece of plywood.

Figure 1-11. The homemade support suspends your wood and allows air to flow on all sides.

2

THE TOOLS

CHIP CARVING KNIVES

I often refer to “the simplicity of chip carving” in the context of both the tools used and the execution of the various cuts. It wasn’t always simple. In earlier times, a variety of tools and knives were associated with the art, and the nationality of the carver generally determined which tools and methods were used.

Conventional carving knives are not suitable for chip carving because the blade does not have the appropriate angle (See Figure 2-1.). In the Netherlands, chip carvers used various razor-type blades; in Great Britain, they commonly used V-tools and single-beveled chisels and skews; and, in Scandinavia, they used various knives and chisels, in addition to picks, to clean out the bottoms of the cuts. One German tool manufacturer offers chip carving tool sets with as many as ten different shapes (See Figure 2-2.). Chip carving in these countries generally required the use of workbenches and holding devices, which obviously cut down on the portability of the art.

Figure 2-1. Conventional carving knives are not suitable for chip carving because the blade comes straight out from the handle without a downward angle.

The Swiss Influence

Though they initially offered multiple tool sets, the Swiss eventually refined their approach to include only two basic tools. The main tool is a cutting knife, and the second tool is commonly called a stab knife. Wayne Barton, an American who is a well-known authority on chip carving, trained in Switzerland using these two basic tools (See Figure 2-3 and Figure 2-4.).