The border shown here is called the Gothic border. You see it carved in two different styles. When laying out this border typically we use the same dimension as we used in our borders earlier—two millimeters, four millimeters, four, four, four and two.
But for this demonstration I’ve made my box a little bit larger so you more easily able to see them. So I’ve used my T-square and ruler and I’ve laid out the following pattern on my board. I’ve chosen three millimeters, six, six, six, six and three millimeters and then divided them into six millimeters squares all the way across my board.
Choose whatever size works for you as you practicing. I’ve suggest two four, four, four make them into four millimeters squares all the way across your board. Notice on this practice board and for demonstration purposes, I’ve darkened the lines to make 4 x 4 squares, so I’ve darken this line here to show me a four by four and the same right up to here.
So that’s just so you’re more easily able to see how to draw out this pattern. So here’s what I’m going to do working inside this 4 x 4 square. Outside is 4 x 4, and then inside we have a 2 x 2 square. To draw the Gothic border, I’m going to start on one corner of my two by two square and draw a curve up to the outer corner the 4 x 4, and then from there down to the other corner. Repeat that on the other side from the inside of the 2 x 2 square to the 4 x 4 and the same over here.
Now for the next one do the same thing except run in the opposite direction so from here the corner of my 2 x 2 down to there and up and the same from here over and up, and then once more the same thing here. These lines don’t have to be perfect. They’re just guidelines for you to follow. So there, that’s the method you use to draw out the basics for the Gothic border.
Now let’s go ahead and show you how to carve this. I’ll start by doing one of these at a time. As you can see here, we’ve got outside chips, inner chips surrounding the 2 x 2 and then the flip flop motion on the inside. So let’s start on the outside. Here’s a very narrow part of the chips so don’t put your knife into the wood very deeply at all and then here is where you get your depth on your chip. Notice again, my knife is in the first position, thumb, knuckle and knife blade form in that consistent angle. Then from here plunge your knife down in to get the depth and draw the knife out right out to the corner and I’ll do the same thing right here shallow to deep, turn your board, deep and draw the knife out.
Now to take out those chips, we’ll start here come across—here’s the wide part of the chips so that’s where it gets the deepest. Shallow there’s the deep part and draw your knife out right to the corner. Do the same thing for the other side, turn your board. There’s a shallow part get your depth right there the widest part of the chip and draw it out. Thus it hangs up just a little bit. It’s across the grain cut most likely, like there is with the grain, there is with there is the deep part to take out the rest of that chip.
Now as to the inside portion which is around that 2 x 2 square on the center I’d like to carve away from my previous chips so I’m going to make this cut first starting at the corner of the 2 x 2 shallow. There’s a deep part and right up to the corner turn your board there’s a deep part and draw it up right to the corner. Now as you make these cuts, try to follow right along the edge of your previous cut so get a nice edge along the top. There’s the deep part and draw it out. And now we’ll take those out I’m going to follow right along the line of that 2 x 2 chip. There’s the first part of it now that doesn’t want to come out. I’m going to leave it for now and make this cut plunge down to get my depth and draw the knife out right to the end.
Okay, now that previous one didn’t come one so most likely it’s this cut across the grain right down in there. The deepest part of the chip is where it will hang up okay, so just a little bit right there and it comes out really nicely. So the same thing on the other side, take out that chip, here’s my first cut and we’ll make the second cut plunge it right down to the bottom and draw it out right to the end. Okay that one hung up a little bit, so don’t pry it out, instead take your knife and throw back into the cut and it should come right out.
Okay I’ve done all the outside chips and the chips surround the 2 x 2. Now do the flip flop motion and finish up this. Put my knife down into the previous chips I just made and just draw it right out to the point flip over to first position with your knife and draw it out to there. There’s a previous video on the flip flop motion if you don’t recall this you can look at that to refresh your memory. Just turn your board, work away right away in the outside doing a flip flop. There it is the first of the Gothic border.
Now if I were doing this round the edge of a plaque or a box where I had many of these to do, I would do more than one at a time. I would do a whole series of cuts at a time then I’ll show you how to do that with these two right here, so just imagine that I’m going around the whole box I would do this long enough entire length of the box. Here’s how I do it. I going to make this cut—there’s my depth come right along the line pull it all the way out to the end I’m just going to continue right down the line shallow to deep. Then I would take this cut draw it out and I would take this cut, so I don’t have to turn my board again. Now I rotate the board and make this cut right along the line again. Pull your knife out and here’s the deep part I’ve plunged down in, and draw it out. Rotate the board once again and I would make this cut with the grain and this one. You can see by doing in this manner I save turning the board so many times. It’s more efficient that way.
Now we’ll take out these chips same way we did before. And if your chip doesn’t come all the way out it’s most likely you’re across the grain cut. Now I will take out this one. I have a couple on a row here. Let’s go back and clean up. Now I’ll do this one and it came out real nice, just a little bit of clean in the bottom, and one more in this side. Okay so those two now I work myself around inside 2 x 2 try to be efficient with our movement here, so I’ll start right the corner of the 2 x 2 down. The point of the knife is in the very bottom of the previous chip and draw it out and one more now we’ll do the flip flop and again for economy of movement until one and I’ll do this one right at the same time and that flop it over.
So that’s how you carve the Gothic border. It’s nice and elegant and very intricate as well. It look great on the boxes, plates, plaques or other things use chip carving.
At the start of the video I showed you the Gothic border and showed you it carved in two different ways. Carving in this manner is quite simple let’s lay out one more 4 x 4 grid and I’ll show you how to do that. Again sketch it in the same manner from the corner of the 2 x 2 to the outer corner of your 4 x 4 and then just take your straight edge and go from corner to corner and divide that 4 x 4 right down the center and now let’s take out those chips. I’m going to start on the inside and work my way out and I’ll explain to you why in just a second. We’ll start here and there’s the wide part of the chips so there’s my depth and I’ll draw right out to the corner turn my board, shallow, deep and draw it out. There’s just a tiny little bit of clean up that I want to do before I go on right there.
Now I want to carve away from this chip and work in this direction. Shallow there’s the deep part and cut out right to the end and turn my board and I might take this one out, shallow, right to the end. And it didn’t come all the way out, so I’m going to go back in with my knife and there. Okay so I’ve got the center portion carved out now I can take out the outside of this carving away from my previous chips means that I’ll take this cut first and form a nice crisp edge along the top of that previous chip I just took out right along here. Don’t go very deep here very, very shallow and there’s your depth. And now let’s take out that chip. There is a deep part and draw it right out.
There’s a little bit of clean up again it’s going to be on the cross grain section right there little bit across here. Okay and there’s one more on this side, begin the carving away from your previous chips so let’s start right here very shallow, I’ll turn my board so you can see my depth and draw it out. It’s loose but not quite it out so I set it before its right at the deepest part you see on the across grain right down there right there. And there you have the other version of the Gothic border and how to carve it.
So it’s really quite easy. It’s lot of fun. Notice I’m carving this on standard 5 x 12 x 3 eights clear best with practice board. You’ll find these on my chip carving store so you can practice all the different styles of borders especially this Gothic now that I’ve showed you how to carve it.
Enjoy your chip carving be sure to subscribe for the free subscription of my chip carving lessons and free patterns if you haven’t done so already and we’ll see you here next time at My Chip Carving.
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