If you’re looking for a quick, easy-to-carve chip carving design to dress up a leather strop, this free chip carving pattern might be just what you need. The layout of the simple chip carving pattern includes two strop lengths: slightly less than 8″ (20 cm) and 10″ (25 cm). I chose the sizes so the finished pieces will slide easily into common storage containers.
The design is deliberately straightforward and suitable for beginner chip carvers. Most chips are spaced from their neighbors, leaving a small gap that reduces the risk of breaking sharp ridges aligned across the grain. At the same time, there are many sharp ridges aligned along the grain, adding a delicate look.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been chip carving for years, the pattern scales well. Beginners can practice basic shallow cuts without worrying about delicate breaks. Meanwhile, seasoned carvers can experiment with deeper chip carving cuts to give a strop decoration more contrast.
Click the button below to download the free, printable, scalable PDF of a simple chip carving pattern and decorate your DIY strop today!
Carving tip: The simple chip carving pattern features many cuts that follow the grain. Those cuts are exactly parallel to it, so give it a slight offset to achieve cleaner cuts. Rotate the pattern about 1-2° opposite the way you hold the knife; right-handed carvers should turn it 1-2° counterclockwise, while left-handed carvers should turn it 1-2° clockwise. This slight misalignment lets the blade glide with the grain and reduces tearout.
I hope you enjoyed carving this simple pattern. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.
Read my article where I describe how to make a strop and what design choices to consider: Make a DIY Strop for Carving Knives
Would you use a nice strop like this if you made one? Or would you keep it for display only? 😉
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