Whittling, carving wood, chip carving all date back to ancient Egypt and probably beyond. Beautifully crafted wood work has been discovered in tact in the tombs from around the world. From large exotic Budda's to tiny carved works, most were produced by means of chip carving. A style of carving in which knives or chisels are used to remove small chips of wood from a flat surface in a single piece.
It's not always apparent in today's fast paced world, what the method of chipped wood can produce. Mainly beacause wood carving is slow and requires substantial skill, making the works expensive. What with cheap faux wood appearing on things ranging from head boards for the bedroom, to serving trays, today's modernization has created cheaper methods of decorating with faux wood by means of molding to appear as wood. These cheap versions produce instant gratification to the purchaser, though it's guaranteed, that you will not find those pieces 100-years from now in some stashed box by the grandchildren. Thankfully, real, carved pieces survive because of the large number of woodcarvers who have carried on or advanced the tradition in different parts of the world.
A rarity in the field of dollhouse miniatures, is a real woodcarvering gem, CDHM Artisan Linda Master of Miracle Chicken Miniatures, IGMA Fellow' who continues the ancient craft by producing amazing chip carvings.
Linda,with her chisel in hand, produces detailed, wood pieces ranging from 1:12 animals, pegged-jointed dolls -- like Hitty, household items, and elaborately carved chair legs.
Let us share just a few of the household pieces that Linda has created in 1:12 dollhouse miniature scale. Also, Linda has a blog where she will graciously share her knowledge of wood chipping.♥ ♥ ♥
This fully functioning chip-carved 1:12 scale antique fireplace bellows was carved from pear wood, real leather gusset, and turned brass nozzle.
This is a copy of an 100-year old antique chip-carved tray, carved from pear wood. Each tiny square in the border takes 30-separate cuts. This tray took Linda 25-hours to carve the bottom alone.
This is another replica of a 1700's pipe box. It is chip-carved from cherry and has two compartments for holding tobacco. Tiny knobs are turned from brass. The pipes are hand carved from African black wood, pear and brass.
Old English rocking horse. The horse is hand carved wood, as seen in the second image, as are the rockers. The boards across the bottom are from Linda's little home grown cherry tree, with perfect scale grain lines and knots. The saddle Linda made herself as are the halter and straps.
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