Best Wood Carving Tools

Best Chip Carving Knives in 2024

Chip carving is the type of wood carving that requires you to be focused on tiny details. Either you’re working on a rosette or any other chip carving project, you should pay attention to every small cut being patient. This is when you come to understanding how important is to have razor-sharp tools. Moreover, in quite some time you’ll be able to see the difference between the knives that hold the edge and which don’t. My buddy Chris was always saying, “No matter what you’re carving, make sure to get a super sharp knife”. We’ve decided to make an article on 5 chip carving knives we were able to put our hands on. Hopefully, our findings will help you out on your way.

Image

Name

Current Price

BeaverCraft Chip Carving Knife C2

Check Price

Flexcut Chip Carving Knife

Check Price

BeaverCraft C8 - Small Cutting Knife

Check Price

Flexcut Chip Carving Knife Set

Check Price

BeaverCraft S15 - Chip Carving Knives Set

Check Price

 

1. BeaverCraft Best Chip Carving Knife C2

We’d love to say a word or two about BeaverCraft first. They’re based in Ukraine. It’s in Eastern Europe. And they make good quality tools for a fair price. They became large quickly and sometimes quality fails, but they cover every issue with the top-notch customer care. The knife itself has a comfortable handle. What we noticed after several hours of carving is the following. First, the knife does hold the edge, it remained razor sharp after 25 hours of carving. And the second thing is that it feels extremely good in the hand.

HANDLE

Chris is having mild arthritis, so usually, he stops carving to take a break for some time. While with chip carving knife from BeaverCraft he was able to take fewer breaks than usual. I believe it’s because of the handle. 

BLADE

The blade is firmly attached to the handle, which is made of Ashwood covered with natural linseed oil. The knife may have a little chemical scent when it arrives, something that is left after the manufacturing, but in a day or two, it disappears completely.

AFTER PURCHASE

This beginner chip carving knife is delivered quickly and the customer service responds quickly when you have some questions. You won’t be having many questions though, because after the purchase they send you three eBooks on proper use. In case you get any questions in regards to chip carving, feel free to reach me either on Facebook or Twitter. I’ve been carving since 2009 and love communicating a lot. We even have this blog to meet more people around the world.

Pros
  • Quick delivery
  • stays sharp after weeks of use
  • decent price
  • eBooks for FREE after purchase

Cons
  • Even though the handle is of perfect shape, some carvers might find it to be slightly big
  • Shipping is fast while you are in the USA, but Amazon international shipping is a bit slow for this knife
  • Not suitable for kids

OVERALL

When you weigh out all the factors like the shape of the handle, the quality, and the affordable price, you see that this chip carving knife is worth trying. I’ve been using this knife for a few years and had no issues with it so far.

 

2. Flexcut Chip Carving Knife

Flexcut is on the market for a long time. They are known for high quality. But the price may bite. In other words, it’s the next step in wood carving, but not the first one for sure.

Their KN15 model is a useful knife for chip carving. This wood carving knife comes ready to use and doesn’t need additional honing from the very beginning. The chip carving tool cuts smoothly into the wood due to a razor-sharp blade. You can try working even on oak with the knife. The shape of the blade allows you to take out big chips easily.

HANDLE

The handle is big and comfortable, and is designed for a long-term usage. However, there is little information about this knife for the buyer. My friend from San-Francisco tried to return the knife on Amazon but failed. There was no way to contact the seller.

Pros

 

  • quick delivery
  • sharp blade
  • comfortable handle shape

 

Cons
  • price is a bit high
  • no way to reach out the seller

OVERALL

Nice sharp blade and comfortable shape of the handle. This beginner chip carving knife is durable and can function well. It can perform different tasks and is easy to maintain and keep it razor-sharp. However, we have found some issues with the return policy and product description on Amazon. And as yet, it’s not really affordable for the beginner.

 

3. BeaverCraft C8 – Small Cutting Knife

It appears to be a nice sharp knife with a small narrow blade for detailed wood carving. It has a sharp fine point, that opens possibilities to work on tiny details of the wood carving project. Comes completely ready to work. With time if it loses sharpness, the knife can be honed and will easily return to the initial razor-sharp state.

HANDLE

The handle is small and comfortable. It’s made of oak, feels nice and smooth in hand. Moreover, the handle allows working on the details of the chip carving project for hours using this knife and not getting tired. The grip is perfect. Personally I love this chip carving knife. It’s my favorite. It’s small and smart if you can call it that way. 

 

Pros
  • Smooth, comfortable handle made of oak
  • Works great for tiny details
  • Comes sharp out of the box
  • Affordable price

Cons
  • Made only for delicate chip carving
  • Requires some practice to get used to detailed carving
  • Not for children

OVERALL

Nice fine edge and narrow blade makes it the best wood carving knife for working on small details, finishing details of wood carving projects. Although this knife has a specific usage and cannot be applied to rough carving and other types of cuts, it has its specific purpose and can’t be replaced with a bigger knife. The price is affordable and the shipping is fast.

We decided to add a few chip carving kits as well. So you’d have an option to get all you need for chip carving at once.

4. Flexcut Chip Carving Knife Set

This best beginner wood carving kit contains all you need. There are three knives – average and small chip carving knives, a skew knife and a bar of polishing compound.

BLADE

The blades are sharp and ready to be used right out of the box. The choice of two knives kit provides the opportunity to work on big and small details. The skew knife is a good addition to the set for chip carving. It allows doing vertical cuts. They all cut smoothly and the handles are comfortable and can be easily honed to restore the initial sharpness.

 

 

Pros

 

  • Polishing compound is included
  • Skew knife is included
  • Comfortable handles

Cons
  • Doesn’t include a strop
  • Doesn’t include a chip carving knife for tiny details
  • Little information on Amazon about the set
  • Price is a bit higher than average

OVERALL

It’s a good beginner wood carving kit to start chip carving. Knives are sharp. Love the handles. Kit includes three knives and a polishing compound; however, it doesn’t include a strop. High price, which will probably make the beginners look for a cheaper one.

 

5. BeaverCraft S15 – Chip Carving Knives Set

This is actually the best beginner wood carving kit that contains three knives. All three make a perfect team to perform a vast variety of carver’s cuts. A sharp bench knife will allow you to perform big cuts on the bigger surface. The chip carving knife has a small blade that allows making stop cuts. A small cutting knife allows producing smooth tiny cuts without applying much pressure.

BEST CHIP CARVING KNIVES POUCH

A wonderful addition to the set is a leather strop with a polishing compound. Stropping supplies allow you to take care of your knives whenever you feel like they need that. A useful carrying case helps to organize the tools and maintain them in great condition for decades. It’s honestly a rare case when sellers include additional items in the kit.

 

 

Pros
  • Delivered quickly
  • The multifunctional set serves for making different kinds of cuts (detail carving, stop cuts, big cuts)
  • Super sharp
  • Ergonomic handles
  • Comes with a leather strop and polishing compound
  • Contains a useful tool pouch 

Cons
  • Requires some time to get adjusted to it
  • Shipping outside of the USA takes time

OVERALL

A nice multifunctional set for chip carving and and best whittling knives. This is definitely the best beginner wood carving kit that contains everything you need, including a strop, polishing compound and even a pouch for tools. The knives couldn’t be sharper, and are ready for carving right out of the box. The seller supplies with instructions on proper use and sends some tutorials.

CHIP CARVING PROJECTS YOU CAN DO

Swirl Carving Project

Wolf Carving Project

Trivet Carving Project

FINAL THOUGHTS

We have tried several chip carving knives. We hope our findings will help you out throughout your journey. Always consider checking information about the seller you buy from and the tools you want to get. Also, we’re going to cover more chip carving tools soon. Moreover, we’re going to make an article on some chip carving projects in the near future. Stay tuned!

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is chip carving?

Chip carving is a type of wood carving in which knives are used to work on tiny details removing small chip of wood out of flat wooden plank.

2. What is chip carving knife?

Chip carving knife is a kind of knife having a narrow small blade designed to remove small chips out of wood.

3. What is the best wood for chip carving?

If you’re only getting started carving wood, then it’s highly recommended to start with some soft woods, for example, basswood for easier carving. Moreover, soft woods are recommended for chip carving even at the later stage.

4. What are the best chip carving knives?

We’ve decided to make an article on 5 chip carving knives we were able to put our hands on. Hopefully, our findings will help you out on your way.

1. BeaverCraft Best Chip Carving Knife C2

2. Flexcut Chip Carving Knife

3. BeaverCraft C8 – Small Cutting Knife

4. Flexcut Chip Carving Knife Set

5. BeaverCraft S15 – Chip Carving Knives Set

5. How do you start chip carving?

First, get a chip carving knife, some wood (wooden plank), it would be good to get some chip carving pattern and watch a tutorial or two on Youtube.

Steve Jefferson

Three words that describe me the best: - OBSESSED with wood carving; - DETERMINED to make the best source of information about wood carving - HAPPY husband, father, and dreamer I started this blog with my friend Chris. But Chris needed to move to another country and couldn't work on the blog anymore. So for now, I write articles, do the promotions, try out new tools, discover new carving projects and so on. I would really appreciate your feedback on my work.

Recent Posts

BeaverCraft S13 Wood Carving Knives: A Detailed Review

For aspiring carvers, starting out with a basic set, often referred to as “best wood…

2 months ago

The Best Hook Sharpening Kit: A Must-Have for Every Enthusiast

Hello, woodcarving aficionados! If you're gearing up to carve your next spoon or bowl but…

2 months ago

Best Whittling Tools Brand for Wood Carving Beginners

As a woodcarver, whether you're expanding your business or simply looking for top-notch tools to…

4 months ago

The Comprehensive Benefits of Wood Carving for Mental and Physical Health

Wood carving is a creative and therapeutic hobby that offers numerous benefits for both mental…

4 months ago

Best Chip Carving Knife in 2024

Introduction to Chip Carving Chip carving projects often evoke images of intricately decorated baroque-style furniture…

5 months ago

The best wood whittling book

Every day, hobbies related to ancient crafts are becoming increasingly popular. Wood carving is one…

5 months ago