Having trouble

[Newbie]

So I decided to try chip carving while I wait on Little Shavers to get their beginners kits back in. So far, I enjoy it a lot. I'm still in practice mode though. I've got a 1/2" x 3" x 24" basswood board I picked up at the local Woodcraft store I've been practicing on. My problem is this. When carving negative diamonds using three corner chips, the center ridge always seems to break off on my second cut on the second half of the diamond. I've tried spraying the board down with 50/50 alcohol-water mix, but I'm getting the same results. Anybody have any idea what I'm doing wrong and/or how to fix it?

P.S. I'm using a the Flexcut KN15 Chip Knife

[Ron Davidson]

Sounds like your knife is not sharp enough. Do you have a different one to try?

[pallin]

All of your cuts must be smooth, slicing cuts with no prying motions. Sometimes the chips near a center ridge (where the grain runs perpendicular to the ridge) must be done in incremental steps rather than one piece.

[papasar]

I don't think much about my cuts because I carve all the time. I do try to make cuts away from weak areas of the pattern Pay attention to depth of your cut and like the previous msg suggested, you might have to remove chip in stages. Sharp knife with correct bevel is understood.
Bill K.

[Newbie]

The grain was perpendicular to the ridges. I've practiced a little more and I found out if I make the cuts slower, then the ridge doesn't break out as easy. Thanks for the tips.

[lorax]

Good job on starting such a great task. I have been carving for 20 years, and just picked up some chip carving knives recently, and what a challenge. I found that the thinner bladed chip knives worked more smoothly than the flexcut knives.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Take a look at www.mychipcarving.com, great website! Sign up for the news letter to see all videos.

Dave

[telecarver]

I find that I need to nuance my cuts in difficult wood. I sometimes take a scap of the same piece and experiment with the same angle of cut to the grain. Maybe by rocking the tool or slicing at slightly different angle to the wood or using a different tool, will work better. As you gain experience you can look at a piece of wood and usually know how it will carve and what nuances you will need to use to accomplish the desired results.