Free Carving Pattern: Chip Carved Ornament

Name: Chip Carved Christmas Ornaments
Brand: Bruce Nicholas | Judy Nicholas
SKU: 8817
Price: 11.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Free Pattern: Chip Carved Ornament

By Bruce Nichols

Practice a new technique and add a special touch to your holiday ornament carving projected by piercing through the blank as you carve. This technique allows light to shine through the piece and gives ornaments a little something extra. Download your free wood carving holiday pattern below.

Cutting the Puzzle

Preparing the Blanks

While it’s possible to cut the pieces to their final shape after carving, it’s easier to cut the blank to size first. I usually mass produce blanks, and then transfer the pattern onto the project. To transfer the pattern, I usually draw directly on the wood with a soft B-lead pencil

Carving Safety

Holding a small thin blank safely can be a challenge. I created a jig to hold the blank as I carve, especially when I’m making the pierced cuts. Cut a piece of 3/8″ (10mm) thick plywood to 6″ (152mm) by 12″ (305mm), and cut two 1/2″ (13mm) by 1/2″ (13mm) by 3″ (76mm) cleats. Screw or nail the cleats to the plywood at a 90° angle to each other, with a small gap at the point to allow the chips to escape. Hold the carving against the cleats as you carve to keep the sharp blade away from your body.

Finishing the Ornaments

Erase any pattern lines and sand lightly to remove any smudges. Apply a thin coat of clear finish such as Deft. Paint the ornaments as desired; I use water-soluble wax crayons thinned with flow medium. Apply the paint with a #5 round brush and a #4 flat brush. Wipe up any slips with a damp cloth. After the paint dries, apply another coat of clear finish.

For a natural finish, add a few light coats of clear finish, but not enough so the finish looks glossy. Then, apply a tinted wax. I mix clear finishing wax with a small amount of brown wax, and apply it with a medium stiff brush. Remove the excess wax with the same brush. The wax imparts just enough color to accent the carved design.

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Chip Carved Christmas Ornaments

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Description

Make a tree full of festive chip carved holiday ornaments with this handy booklet. Chip carving, one of the earliest forms of traditional woodcarving, is also one of the easiest methods for beginners to learn. Award-winning chip carver Bruce Nicholas shows you how to make an endless variety of exquisite ornaments, using just three basic cuts and only two knives. Drawing on his many years of experience as a competitive carver and class instructor, Bruce shows how to produce finely pierced carvings that let the holiday lights shine through. This book covers everything you need to know to start chip carving. It includes a step-by-step project and 46 patterns that you can start carving right away. These ready-to-use, full-size patterns feature versatile elements that can be re-combined with infinite variations—the only limit is your imagination. Bruce reveals his beautiful techniques for staining the ornaments with watercolor pencils, and also provides information on creating custom patterns.

Product Type: Paperback / softback Paperback / softback