Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a carpenter.

1887		S. Watson How They Met – Wops and his Wife 8/1: ‘Carpenter,’ said the captain, ‘go ashore and see what is wanted.’ [...] ‘What is it Chippy?’ asked one of the men.
1899		Hants. Teleg. 20 May 12/3: Lower Deck Slang [...] The Carpenter is ‘Chippy’.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Sept. 14/3: And old ‘Chippy,’ with a fat head, gets about like one asleep, / And a blasted able seaman’s out o’ sorts. / There’s a coalie got his head split with a cob of bunker coal, / And the ‘super’ says: ‘The ship must not be late.’.
1912		N.Z. Colonist 12 Dec. 2/5: ‘chippies’ are carpenters.
1960		(con. 1946) A. Wesker I’m Talking About Jerusalem I i: I’ll work as a chippy [...] that barn’ll be my workshop.
1981		T. Wilkinson Down and Out 103: That little chippy’s getting two hundred quid a week.
1993		I. Welsh Trainspotting 83: Ah wis apprenticed as a chippy wi a Gorgie builder.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 76: A big sign Flowerdew & Co knocked up by some chippie instead of readies.
2001		N. Barlay Hooky Gear 57: All them geezers, builders, penny-a-dozen subcontractors, plumbers, roofers, Situsec crews, chippies, lekkies, humpers, glaziers, cowboys, bodgers an odd-jobbers buildin an repairin whole towns.
2012		(con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 9: Been back graftin at ma auld job as a chippy.
2012		(con. 1943) G.S. Manson Irish Fandango [ebook] The old man was a chippie, ended up some big builder.
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 30: ‘Tried to be a tradie once, a chippie’.