A couple of the patterns for this month's project call for Old World Style chips. In a previous newsletter, I also used this term about my first chip carved cross. I didn't think about it at the time, but that may be a new term to some that I should probably explain.
Old World style chip carving consists of 3
corner chips that have 2 steep sides, almost perpendicular to the wood, and a third shallow cut. The pictures below show an example of an Old World Style cut.
Modern style chip carving (I've also heard it referred to as Swiss-style) consists of all cuts at a 55-65 degree angle. That is why MyChipCarving knives are made with a 60-degree angle notch cut on both sides of the handle to help you consistently achieve the proper angle when carving.
Looking at the example below, the Old World Style has two very steep cuts on the top two sides of the triangle. The third side is a shallow cut going all the way to the back of the triangle. Notice how the shadow is close to the sides and the point where the two steep sides meet.
Now look at the Modern Style chips highlighted above. Notice how all four sides have the same angle (or close to it) and that the shadows meet at the center point. The shadows aren't as dark as the Old World Style shadows because the angles aren't as steep. The differences in the shadows help provide variety when combining the two types of cuts into a single pattern.
Making Old World Style cuts takes some practice, so if you're new to chip carving it'd be a good idea to try some on a practice board before doing a project. Of course, you can always skip the Old World Style and just treat them as a regular modern cut!
What have you been carving lately? I'd like to see!
I have carved lime, red gum, jelutong, Huon pine, bass word, Himalayan cedar, box wood.
Basswood is great, but very difficult to find and expensive. Jelutong is OK, but tends to have holes in it which are difficult to .
Huon pine is very good to carve. It is difficult to get outside Tasmania, which is where it comes from.
Basswood is very difficult and
expensive to get in Australia. It is usually only in half inch thicknesses, when is available.
Kind regards
I have carved some other woods which I can’t remember.
Kind Regards
Charles
Thanks for sharing Charles! I always enjoy learning about the woods that are available in different world areas. Huon pine sounds intriguing, but I don't expect to find any near me.
Did You Know?
There's a
Border Carving Course!
Learn how to chip carve 19 different borders! 3-corner positive/negative image, rope, diamond, lace, Gothic, star, cross, old world style and more along with 3 plate
borders.
