Chip carving is a delicate craft that needs a lot of practice, patience, and the right tools.
One of the essential tools for easier work is the chip carving knife. The problem is that there aren’t many of these knives, and most of them are not worth the money you are paying for them.
That’s why we scoured the internet for the best chip carving knives and compiled a list of the 5 models that are worth your time and money.
Along with the list, you can learn more about these knives and how we picked them in our informative guide.
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Chip Carving Knives – Reviews
We started our research with more than 25 different models that all claimed to be the best chip carving knives on the planet. We reviewed them, and only 5 passed our rigorous criteria. Those 5 are the best chip carving knives you can find online. All of those knives are great for beginners, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Our Pick
BeaverCraft Chip Carving Knife C6
Blade Material: High Carbon Steel
Handle: Ashwood
Blade Length: 1 Inch
BeaverCraft has to be our favorite knife maker when it comes to wood carving knives. They offer many affordable, great performing, beginner-friendly knives that we are almost always satisfied with. This chip carving knife isn’t different as it the number 1 on our list. It ticks all the boxes and is the best chip carving knife for beginners and first-time chip carvers.
This Ukrainian-made knife has an excellent sharp blade that will help you start chip carving easier and with more accuracy than with standard knives. It is only 1 inch long and designed to remove small chips of wood very efficiently. The blade comes razor-sharp out of the box and goes through wood like it’s paper.
The high carbon steel blade is small and narrow, so it doesn’t get in your way when chip carving small details. We found the 1-inch blade to be great for beginners as it is right in the middle of different chip carving blade lengths. We also like that the thin blade that allows you to get into wood more easily. You never want the blade to be too thick on a chip carving knife.
The handle is made of ashwood which is known to be very durable while having great density and shock resistance. The handle is big and feels great in hand. It is comfortable to hold for extended periods and doesn’t cause fatigue, which is very important as chip carving is a steady craft.
The grip is excellent, and the balance of the blade and the handle is on point. This provides you with added control, which is essential when chip carving. We found this handle to be one of the best-designed handles on any wood carving knife we reviewed.
A nice bonus is the 5 free ebooks with helpful content for beginners in chip carving. If you are a first-time customer of BeaverCraft, these ebooks will be beneficial for expanding your chip carving knowledge and will help you utilize the knife better.
This is a superb chip carving knife for the price. There are better models out there, but none of them come even close to this one when it comes to what you get for the price. It’s the best chip carving knife for beginners you will find!
PFEIL "Swiss Made" Chip Carving Knife #2
Blade Material: Alloy Steel
Handle: Hardwood
Blade Length: 1.2 inches
Pfeil carving tools and Pfeil carving tool sets are “Swiss Made.” Swiss Made implies reliability and precision. Pfeil carving is undoubtedly the finest carving tool on the market. Pfeil carving tools are second to none in terms of manufacturing quality and durability.
The superb quality of our exclusive “Swiss Made” tools is also available to chip carvers. These knives are designed especially for chip carving, but are also useful for whittling, carving and even layout work.
Forged of special alloy tool steel, blades hold their edge longer than most other knives of this type. Pre-sharpened for immediate use. Overall lengths between 5-1/4″ to 7-1/2″. Rc 57-60 hardness.
If you have smaller hands, you will have no problem using the knife as it will provide enough area for a good grip. You can work comfortably for hours with no pain or hand fatigue. The problem is that if you have bigger hands, you will likely have trouble using this knife.
It is made and is more suited for women and men of medium to small size hands.
If you have the right sized hands to use this wonderful knife, you shouldn’t look further. However, if you have larger hands, luck is not on your side.
Wood Carving Tools Set
Blade: High Carbon Steel
Handle: Wood
Blade Length: Various
These chipping knives have different sizes for different projects. They’re specifically designed for ease of use and convenience. It is an excellent choice for all chip carving beginners who don’t mind spending a bit more than you would normally do on your first chip carving knife. Start carving caricatures, animals, small gnomes, and anything else you think is cool.
The Kit Includes:
RAZOR-SHARP ROUGHING KNIFE that is ready for wood roughing out.
CHIP CARVING KNIFE. This chip carving knife is a great detail knife for chip carving, letters carving and small elements such as animal fur, leaves or tree branches.
LEATHER STROP+POLISHING COMPOUND for your knives to be bright and shiny.
TOOLS POUCH. To store your knives safe and secure.
It is well suited for those who haven’t done any chip carving before and is a great option for your chip carving knife.
The blade is sharp out of the box but might not be as sharp for some. Bear in mind that you might want to sharpen it when you get it.
The steel seems to be high-grade and very sturdy. The blade is thin and small, which further helps to get that detailed chip carving work done easier.
While the blades are excellent, the handles are what most people have problems with when it comes to this knife. It has a somewhat weird shape and curvature that makes it difficult to work with. Some people prefer it, while others don’t. Bear in mind that you might need to readjust your holding technique to use it.
The handle is not all bad as it’s excellently balanced with the blade. The weight ratio is perfectly balanced and makes the knife easier to use.
All in all, this is an excellent knife that is a great choice for chip carving newbies. The handle might be a drawback for some, but most people won’t have a problem using it.
Chip Carving Knives – Guide
Chip carving knives are a specific type of knife designed for a specific task. They have certain features that other knives don’t have, and those features are the ones we should pay attention to when choosing the best chip carving knife.
Chip carving knives are, obviously, used for chip carving, which is a technique of removing small chips of wood to get it a certain shape. It is an advanced wood carving technique, which usually requires some previous experience with a simpler carving technique such as spoon carving.
Because this technique is so delicate, the knife has to be able to accurately and controllably remove the amount of wood you want it to remove.
We will now look at the features you should look for in a blade of a chip carving knife.
Blade
The best blade for chip carving is the one that is sharp enough to go through the wood easily and doesn’t get in your way while working with it.
We don’t want a big gut hook knife, so anything above 1.5 inches in length is, in our opinion, reducing your accuracy and making it difficult for you to get the details right. We prefer knives that are around 1 inch in length but feel free to go for a longer blade if that’s what you prefer or feel more natural with.
Thin blades are usually the best for chip carving as they make getting the blade into the wood much easier. They make the whole process effortless and more enjoyable.
Still, you have to pay attention not to get a blade that is too thin as it might be prone to flexing, which is something that we definitely don’t want.
The type of metal doesn’t really matter as long as it holds its edge well, is easy to hone, and doesn’t require frequent sharpening. Both stainless steel and carbon steel blades work well. If we had to pick one, we would go for the latter.
The last thing we would like to mention is to go for slightly downward angled blades, especially if you are a beginner. These will help you get into the wood easier and will save you some frustration when you’re starting.
Don’t confuse these with curved blade knives, as you don’t want those for chip carving.
Handle
Without a good handle, a knife becomes useless as you can’t use it properly. The main things you should pay attention to are the ergonomics, comfort, and balance of the handle.
Always look at the size of the handle when choosing one. We see people complaining about a handle too small or too big while they could’ve just read the dimensions that are almost always included online.
If you can, try out the handle and see how it feels in your hand before buying it, as that is the best way to evaluate it. If not, look for the reviewers about the ergonomics and the grip of the handle.
A perfectly balanced handle should feel like it’s floating in your hand. If you notice that the knife goes to one of the sides more or feels an effort to move, it probably has a bad handle and blade balance.
- Material:Stainless Steel
- Handle:Ashwood
- Blade Length: 1 Inch
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of knife is needed for chip carving?
A chip carving knife is needed for chip carving. This knife is specifically designed for this task and has a blade that is short and narrow so that you can easily remove small chips of wood.
Can any knife be used for wood carving?
While you can use any knife for wood carving, it would be like playing tennis with a squash racquet. Chip carving knives are designed for chip carving and have thin blades that can get into the wood easily. They are much more efficient than regular knives as they are made for this application only.
Wrap Up
That about covers it for everything you need to know about the best chip carving knives.
The most important thing to remember is to keep the blade short, thin, and narrow so that you can benefit the most from the knife.
Any of the models we reviewed are like that and are all excellent choices. You can’t go wrong with any of them!
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