[James A]

I have a basic carving knife simmilar to the Murphy knives that a lot of people have. I am wanting to start on the bird house and clock in this issue of the magazine, and I am wondering whether I should get a chip carving knife. Also, what is the difference in chip carving knives?

[kitaye]

Lee Valley has a German Chip Carving set. ChippingAway carries chip carving knives as well. Flexcut makes at least one chip carving knife but it is very small.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...332,43393&ap=1

THis is the Lee Valley set. Knives A and D are the standard knife shapes used in chip carving. B is the stab knife used for very specific markings. I've never had occasion to use the others in the set for chip carving but I do use E as my main carving knife for non-chip carving.

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Moreso than other knives, the handle of a chip carving knife is important. A well designed handle will assist in getting the angle of the cuts correct. The best that I have found are the "Moor" knives sold by "Chipping Away." I have the old wooden handle style. Chip carving is a whole other discipline. It can also be a bit confusing, because many Europeans call American style carving/whittling chip carving. Here is a link to some free lessons. Pay particular attention to the knives and you will see the difference.

http://www.2carve.com/chip.php