National Wood Carvers Association  



Current Chip Chats Issue.  Join the NWCA to receive your copy.  Scroll down to see the current table of contents.

Media Gallery



Thanks to our carvers for sharing pictures!

Send us pictures from your club Show and Tell and Community Events for sharing!  Send your pictures and a brief explanation with the Subject line: Media Gallery to NWCAweb@gmail.com.  

Join the NWCA

NWCA membership is $29 USD /year for addresses in the USA; $31 USD/year for Canadian addresses; and $35 USD /year for international.  Membership includes a subscription to the association publication, Chip Chats.

 JOIN or RENEW - USA  

JOIN or RENEW - CANADIAN  


Join as a Sustaining Member and receive additional benefits.

JOIN or RENEW


Advertise with the NWCA

The National Wood Carvers Association maintains an audience of nearly 5000 carvers from the USA, Canada, and International.  As we celebrate over 70 years of promoting the art of carving we are setting our sights on new ways to support the carving community.

Our sponsorship program is being developed to expand the opportunity for businesses to reach their target audience through the NWCA.  Multiple sponsorship levels and media provide options to choose from website, publications, and more.  Opportunities that we would like to discuss with you.

See our MEDIAKIT for advertising in our publication, Chip Chats.  Check out the special rates offered for our upcoming 75th Anniversary celebration! 

Contact our publisher, Julie, at nwca@chipchats.org for more information.  We look forward to working with you.



Tax Deductions


Maximize your tax deduction while supporting the National Wood Carvers Association.  The NWCA is a tax exempt 501 (c)(3) organization and qualified required minimum distribution (RMD) contributions directly to the NWCA can help offset gross income and save on your taxes. 

Thanks to our members

At the National Wood Carvers Association, we are grateful to each and every member.  Every contribution you make helps the organization and community thrive!  Please know that you are appreciated every day.  We wish you much joy today and every day. 







 Holiday Ornament Share & Care Campaign - Third Annual Campaign 

The third annual ornament share and care campaign has been launched.  Over 1200 ornaments were distributed in 2025 and we look forward to exceeding that in 2026 with your support.  Check the Holiday Ornament tab for more details.  This campaign is open to all carvers.

Your passion for carving and helping others are truly what makes this organization so special.  We accomplish so much together.  Thank you for your continued support and contributions to the National Wood Carvers Association.

NEW ORNAMENTS HAVE JUST BEEN POSTED!!

 


Thanks to the vendors that are sponsoring the NWCA 2026 Ornament Share and Care Campaign.  Check them out on the Holiday Ornament tab.  Contact the NWCA to become a sponsor.


Flexcut

Sabuurtooth

Kutzall

Helvie Knives

Statlander

Deep Hollar Knives

Badger State Blades

Tree Line USA

Oneida

Wood Carving Illustrated

Barry Bowers Carvings

Van Kelly Carving

Wayne Laramore Carving

John Engler Carvings

Roger Stegall Woodcarvings


NWCA Accessories and Clothing

If there is an item you would like, let us know and we'll follow up
to see if we can get it!
If there is an item you would like, let us know and we'll follow up to see if we can get it!


If you missed the live demonstration you can watch Todd Martin, NWCA Director, on the IAWC YouTube channel.




Table of Contents for the Fall 2026 issue of Chip Chats.  Join/renew the National Wood Carvers Association to receive your copy.


Contents
   2 … Letters to the Editor
   3 … NWCA Membership Application
   3 … Buy an NWCA Patch or Decal
   4 … Sustaining Membership in the NWCA
   5 … Wood Side Chat  NWCA President by Charles Sapp
   5 … 75 Years, 75 Tips: Share What You Know
   6 … Next Deadline: November 1
   6 … Send an Article to Chip Chats
   7 … 39th North Jersey Show  by Sol Goldenberg
 10 … Club Help Desk  by Patrick Wentzel, NWCA Vice President
 11 … Intarsia Quilt  SourcePoint Senior Center Carvers
 12 … 41st Mid-South Show, Huntsville  by Paul Freeman
 15 … Carve a ‘Space Shuttle’ Neckerchief Slide  by Rob Motal
 15 … About Those Gloves ...  by Ed Brackett
 16 … Preventing ‘Chip Out’  by Troy Nelson
 16 … Cigar Store Indian Pattern  by Floyd Rhadigan
 17 … ‘String of Dolphins’ Continued  by Paul MacHardy
 18 … SW Florida Wood Art Expo 2026  by Jim O’Dea
 22 … The Parsimonious Curmudgeon  by Fred Cogelow
 26 … Third Annual Ornament Campaign
 27 … A Lovely Loon Lamp  by Gary Forrest
 27 … Upcoming Chip Chats Themes
 28 … Kaw Valley Show 2025  by Wilbur Coffee
 32 … Scrapwood Santa Earrings  by Robert Rangel
 34 … OK City Celebrates Community & Craft  by Honey Witcher
 38 … NWCA Member Show and Tell  
 40 … Coastal Carvers ‘Artistry in Wood’ by Kathy Jensen
 44 … Saving the Fingers of Beginners  by Rob Motal
 44 … Statement of Ownership, Management, Circulation
 46 … Set Your Carving Free  by Russell Scott
 46 … Basswood Burl, a Man for all Centuries  by Bob McGinnis
 47 … Financial Statement for 2025  
 48 … Theme: Halloween
 49 ... NWCA Ballot
 50 ... Obituaries
 51 ... $75 Anniversary Deal
 52 ... Calendar
 54 ... Instruction
 55 ... NWCA Merchandise 


Blast from the Past - Patterns

Patterns rotate with new content.  Got a favorite, send it or issue number to our web master at  NWCAweb@gmail.com.

This issue of Chip Chats from May-June 2005 has a great article by Martin Geisler-Moroder on how to carve a human head, step by step. 

Click here to see the article.  



Submit your show reports, tips, patterns, articles for publication in Chip Chats.  See how in the text below.  Need assistance with writing the article, no problem, contact our editor Julie and she will provide guidance and assist in writing the article.


Submit an article / pattern / photograph(s) to NWCA/ Chip Chats

If you have a project or pattern to contribute, or an unusual woodcarving journey to share, email it to nwca@chipchats.org.  We’d also like to hear about carving or finishing tips you find useful, and any techniques that are especially helpful.

Photos must be high resolution (300 dpi) digital images, and each one needs a caption (carver’s name, wood type, carving size).  Include a photo ID list numbered to match the numbers on the photos.  If submitting a show report, please limit the number of photos to no more than 20.

Submissions sent on a flash drive should be accompanied by printouts of the items that are on that device (article text, photo ID sheet, etc.).  If you want your flash drive back, include a self-addressed and stamped padded envelope.

Calendar events, workshop listings, and other short, text-only items can usually be included in the next issue when received prior to the deadlines.  Lengthy articles and stories with photos are used as space and time allow.  Show reports are published based on when the event occurred, not when we received the report.

Photographers:Before taking pictures, remove any ribbons, pins, tags, medals, stickers, labels, tape, etc., from the item.   Place the individual carving on an uncluttered surface.  Lighter carvings need darker backgrounds; darker carvings need lighter backgrounds.  Avoid patterned/textured backgrounds.

Photos of students holding class projects rarely do the carvings justice.  Close-up photos of an individual student carving tend to be more interesting.

Publication License: In consideration of publication by the NWCA, the contributor grants the NWCA a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish or display the submission in Chip Chats, on the NWCA websites, and in official social media.  Submissions may be reproduced and used in current or future media in support of the NWCA’s educational and nonprofit mission.  Submissions may be edited for grammar, formatting, layout, sizing, and publication style, provided the technical content is not materially altered without the contributors consent whenever practical.  Contributors retain ownership of the copyright to their submissions. 

Email any questions to nwca@chipchats.org




Calendar

For a detail listing of future events and to register your upcoming classes and events on the website - click on the calendar tab in the menu above.  

For even more events check your copy of Chip Chats.  To register your event in the Chip Chats publication, send the information to NWCA@chipchats.org.

Upcoming events

Member / Wood Carver Interest Survey

To better serve your interests as a wood carver,  the National Wood Carvers Association would like your input on a survey of carving interests.  Your feedback will help us provide articles and formats that promote carving and fellowship.  Thanks for taking the time to complete the survey.  Results will be published in a future issue of Chip Chats.

Click here to take the survey:  NWCA Carving Survey



Contact:

Web issues:  NWCAweb@gmail.com

Chip Chats: Call:   (513) 561-7045; Email:  nwca@chipchats.org


National Wood Carvers Association
PO Box 43218
Cincinnati, OH  45243


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