Chip carving is a decorative form of carving that adds beautiful, intriguing designs to an item. Small chips are removed from the surface of the wood to create shadows. Using this technique, an item that is very plain will be transformed into an ornamental keepsake. This course will provide a project that adds skills as the project proceeds. We will start with the basics: safety, materials, knives and how to hold them, sharpening, wood types, wood grain, sanding, and applying the pattern to the project. Students will then lay out a practice board and learn the 3-sided chip and how to carve them in series. We will go on to cover gang cutting, fixing cut outs, dealing with undercutting, carving lines, and the four-sided chip. On day two, we’ll move on to the larger three-sided chip, microchips, and finishing projects. As time allows, we’ll cover more advanced chips. This course requires some hand strength. Youth ages 16-17 may attend if accompanied by a full-paying adult. The youth student will receive a 25% intergenerational discount; call to register.

Required Tools

• Chip carving knife (the instructor will have them available to purchase $25-$40)
• Ruler
• Hi-Polymer eraser
• 12” T-square
• New soft toothbrush
• Mechanical pencil
• Carving glove - Must be a carving glove, not a leather or cloth glove (available at the North House Folk School store)

Optional Tools

• Container to put supplies/tools in
• Cheater/Magnifying glasses
• Lap Board - approximately 12”x12” and approximately ½-¾” thick (some students have used wooden cutting boards)