This chip carving coaster set adds a nice touch to any easy going talk near a fireplace, on a patio or balcony. Ski resorts depicted on the coasters help to remember and share more stories from the slopes. The display stand arranges the chip carved coasters in the “Olympic Rings” pattern to emphasize enjoyment and importance of the outdoor sport.
The chip carved coasters are decorated with the Lake Tahoe, Jackson Hall and Whistler Blackcomb ski resorts.
These coasters were carved from basswood, decorated, painted and finished with several coats of Tung oil. The coasters are ¼” thick and 3.5” in diameter.
The way I draw and carved these coasters was very similar to the coasters that I chip carved last year (2014). If you are interested in chip carving you may find this article about chip carving practice board useful.
I carved the coasters from one basswood board so they have the same grain pattern.
I participated with this project in the woodcarving competition during the Santa Clara Valley Carvers 44th Show in San Jose, CA in May 2015. I am very proud that this coaster set won a blue ribbon (first place) in chip carving category.
To make it fun I wood burned a sketch of a confused skier on one of the coasters. This sketch comes from the “Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad” book that I have been using to learn sketching in 2013. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn sketching and drawing: ISBN 0-671-65694-5.
Back side of the coaster base serves as a shelf for small handy items:
This chip carved coaster set was a nice project to improve my chip carving skills, practice focus and patience. I hope these coasters will remind a lot of nice skiing stories over the years.
I’m heading to the shop to cut wood for tree ornaments…a jump start for next Christmas! Any tips on the painting of this ornament? They are so neat and simple🙂. Thank you and Happy NewYear!
Thank you Dawn. I use acrylic paint slightly diluted with water. I use a small brush to apply very little paint – so little that it can’t bleed in the wood fibers too far. I let the absorbed water from the paint to dry out from the wood for at least a day before applying the next coat.
Sometimes I cut wood fibers along the borders of the painting areas to prevent the paint bleeding across the border. I use a knife or a woodburner on the smallest setting with the skew chisel tip to do that. This trick is very effective in some situations.
I colored a chip carving project with the watercolor pencils once. The result was great, the color borders were very sharp. But the task took longer than carving and it required sharpening a pencil literally every few seconds.
Overall I treat painting as an important part of the project, not as a chore. I try to make it fun by experimenting with different media and various techniques.
Good luck with your ornaments! Share the pictures when you have a chance. Thanks!
I love the coasters! I think this might be my first project after I practice getting the technique down a bit. I have done two rows of practicing a border pattern (simple diamonds) and the difference between the two rows is amazing. I am drawing a rosette on the same board to practice some more, although I want a better compass for this in the future (I am using a child’s one as that was all I had). I think the coasters would be great, and I can practice woodburning along with it! How fun is that?!
Any tips on hand soreness? How about upper arm/shoulder area? Do I just need to keep at it, using muscles I haven’t really used much before?
I figure after I finish practicing on my board, I’ll come by and share a pic, so I can get some tips. I am really enjoying it so far though!
Krimson Rose
Thank you, Krimson, for the kind words! I am very glad that you feel inspired with these coasters.
These coasters are easy to carve as you only need to carve the borders. You may decorate the center pieces with any theme, using any technique. Please note that these particular coasters were carved using 4 corner chips that are more complex to carve than 3 corner chips. It is easy to adjust the pattern and use any type of border for your coasters.
The compass… I think a better compass may help a little but a steady hand, keeping the writing point sharp, reading/magnifying glasses are much more important. Chip carving is all about precision but there are human (and physics:) limits. I do my best today, every day, enjoying it; and I know I will be more precise and accurate tomorrow. That works for me with the tools I have.
Hand soreness… Well, it is very interesting topic. I usually carve only a dozen or so chips per day, as a hobby activity, so I don’t overload my muscles. I dedicate at least 15 minutes for carving every day. That enhances my skills, helps to relax and keep focus. A dozen chips is not much but they add up every day surprisingly fast.
Recently I carved 60 large chips within half a day making good breaks in between. Unfortunately, I felt the consequences — I could not carve the next two or three days due to my shoulder soreness. This is my hobby and I try treating it as a hobby: I mix chip carving with other types of carving or with painting, sketching, reading, etc. This helps to avoid soreness and helps to keep it fun. Anyway I stretch and exercise my body, arms and hands a little every day.
Share the rows of diamond chips that you have already completed. That will help to see the progress overtime when you finish your practice board. Be sure the progress is always amazing!