new power carver ,burr questions?

[littlejohn1959]

greetings . i recently purchased a dremel tool . i am about to explore the world of powercarving . i do chip carve . i find it to be a very relaxing hobbie .
i deal with lee valley tools for alot of my knifes , oils , waxes , etc . i find the quality ,and service , to be good .
as you know , there are hundreds of burrs out there . diamond , ruby , carbide , etc . some kits , some sold seperate .
i have a few questions .
is it better to buy a kit , as opposed to buying seperate?
what are the BEST burrs . diamond?ruby?carbide?
i will be useing the burrs for woodcarving .
below is a link to lee valley tools [burrs ].
if you were me , and had a budget of $100.00 , what burrs would you buy?

any help or suggestions for this wanna be power carver , would certianly be apprecitated .
thanks for reading .
cheers .
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,130&p=43409

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Take a look at MDI ...www.mdiwoodcarvers.com they are up your way in canada and I get their catalog all the time......huge selection....and if nothing else may give you an idea of sizes and shapes you might want. I have never bought from them so far, but its a good reference catalog. Mostly I haven't bought anything, because I don't do much power carving.

[susieq]

Greetings LittleJohn,
You were asking about bit sets? Pros and cons..... you will pay less per bit in a set, but you will also probably get a bunch of bits that you won't use.... Still it might be a way for you to experiment with a bunch of different shapes and see which ones will work for you. One bit that I think every power carver needs is a ruby flame in fine and course grit. Also a good roughing bit such as a typhoon or a kutzall, the cone or cylindar shape.

I hope you got the flexible shaft with your dremel.....then you just hang the motor up slightly behind you (on the right side if you are right handed.) and adjust the height of it so the shaft end has just enough slack in it to allow you to move comfortably but not too much because a bend in the shaft will cause it to over heat. Working with just the handpiece of the shaft instead of trying to hold that motor and do fine detail, is much easier.....
susieq

[littlejohn1959]

Originally Posted by susieq

Greetings LittleJohn,
You were asking about bit sets? Pros and cons..... you will pay less per bit in a set, but you will also probably get a bunch of bits that you won't use.... Still it might be a way for you to experiment with a bunch of different shapes and see which ones will work for you. One bit that I think every power carver needs is a ruby flame in fine and course grit. Also a good roughing bit such as a typhoon or a kutzall, the cone or cylindar shape.

I hope you got the flexible shaft with your dremel.....then you just hang the motor up slightly behind you (on the right side if you are right handed.) and adjust the height of it so the shaft end has just enough slack in it to allow you to move comfortably but not too much because a bend in the shaft will cause it to over heat. Working with just the handpiece of the shaft instead of trying to hold that motor and do fine detail, is much easier.....
susieq

susieq,
thanks for the reply . yes my tool does have the flexable shaft . thanks for the tip on not letting it hang to slack . there was several bits that came with the kit . i am not sure of the quality though . i will take your advise on the ruby flame and kutzall bits that you mentioned . i wont start carving until late fall . i would like to gather as much info as i can before hand . can you suggest some books or dvds that may help me on my way .
again , thanks for your help here .
cheers .

[Aliciana]

Hi there
If you look below into the Forum you see a "Power carving" there ,you may find several good advises in that section
Alice

[susieq]

Littlejohn,
Frank Russell has put out a new DVD on power carving. He has numerous books out on the subject too. I believe they sell both here on this website. Fox Chapel publishing, the same people who put out the Woodcarving Illustrated magazine.
susieq

[littlejohn1959]

Originally Posted by susieq

Littlejohn,
Frank Russell has put out a new DVD on power carving. He has numerous books out on the subject too. I believe they sell both here on this website. Fox Chapel publishing, the same people who put out the Woodcarving Illustrated magazine.
susieq

thanks susieq . by any chance , is this the dvd you mean?
http://www.foxchapelpublishing.com/p...ls.cfm?PC=2219

now i need to fine out where i could send a money order .
im thinking that $29.95 , is u.s dollars .
some companies will not ship to canada .
maybe i should google frank , and see what comes up .
thanks for the info . that dvd should be a great help for a new fella .
cheers there susieq .

[squbrigg]

Hey bye! What do you intend to be carving?

I'm from that other Island originally, PEI, and it is great to see some true Maritimers aboard.

KV Woodcarving in Quispamsis, NB, has a good catalogue and carries lots of burrs. They are great folks to deal with, Mary & Lynn Rosevear. E-mail them for a catalogue, kvwcs@nbnet.nb.ca, or call 506 847 3052. There is also Chipping Away in Ontario, at www.chippingaway.com pretty good folks , for Mainlanders.

A hundred bucks wouldn't buy much in the way of burrs, but will give you a start. I use power a lot and begin with Kutzall Red's (very coarse), then Kutzall blues (coarse), then Typhoon Silvers (medium) , then Typhoon Golds, (fine), then to ruby and diamond burrs to sand and polish. I've used a few steel burrs , stump cutters too, but be careful, burrs can run you a lot of money, so just identify what you need to start and go from there.

Best of luck Buddy!

Bob

[littlejohn1959]

Originally Posted by squbrigg

Hey bye! What do you intend to be carving?

I'm from that other Island originally, PEI, and it is great to see some true Maritimers aboard.

KV Woodcarving in Quispamsis, NB, has a good catalogue and carries lots of burrs. They are great folks to deal with, Mary & Lynn Rosevear. E-mail them for a catalogue, kvwcs@nbnet.nb.ca, or call 506 847 3052. There is also Chipping Away in Ontario, at www.chippingaway.com pretty good folks , for Mainlanders.

A hundred bucks wouldn't buy much in the way of burrs, but will give you a start. I use power a lot and begin with Kutzall Red's (very coarse), then Kutzall blues (coarse), then Typhoon Silvers (medium) , then Typhoon Golds, (fine), then to ruby and diamond burrs to sand and polish. I've used a few steel burrs , stump cutters too, but be careful, burrs can run you a lot of money, so just identify what you need to start and go from there.

Best of luck Buddy!

Bob

i did email that kvwcs company this morning . i am intrested in frank russells dvd ,as well as some burrs . i will start small . then gradually add to my tool collection . i intend to carve wood .
man , i was browesing your webshots page . those schooners are amazing . i remember as a young boy building a plastic model of the cutty sark . i can only imajine the time it takes to build it out of wood . you should be proud . great work on all your carvings . i have a long ways to go to be even 1/8 th that good , ha ha . time and patience will pay off , im thinking . as well as help here on this forum .
thanks for the links and info . ill post here again , no doubt .
fair winds bob .
cheers .

[susieq]

"thanks susieq . by any chance , is this the dvd you mean?"

Yes, LittleJohn, that is the one. Enjoy.
susieq