One helps the chippy wash cod or skate's wings (8)
I believe the answer is:
sawhorse
'one helps the chippy' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'wash cod or skate's wings' is the wordplay.
'cod' is an anagram indicator (cod can mean fake or inauthentic).
'wings' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters) (the wings or edge letters of the word are used).
'skate' with its centre taken out is 'se'.
'wash' with letters rearranged gives 'sawh'.
'sawh'+'or'+'se'='SAWHORSE'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sawhorse that I've seen before include "stand for cutting" , "cutting support" , "Mobile carpentry station" , "Rack" , "support for chippy" .)