[Bonnie]

I've been using a combination of a dremel, foredom and turbocarver to carve gourds. I'm tempted to add a micromotor tool and would like to hear some of the pros and cons of the various brands. I am a Foredom distributor so it would be easy to buy one of theirs; but perhaps there are some compelling reasons to buy another brand?

Do any of these have enough power that you'd feel comfortable using 1/8" shank burs and doing some heavy carving? Does anyone have any preferences on the advantages/disadvantages of a burner/carver combo unit? Are some manufacturers better at customer service? Any comments about any of the tools would be appreciated. I did read a previous post about micromotors but would love more info from those of you that actually have some good or bad experiences to relate.

Thanks in advance to all of you that take the time to answer.

[susieq]

Hi Bonnie,
You sure came to the right place to get opinions......everyone has one...
There are some carvers on here who do use a 1/8 collet in their units. I never would. Even though they come with one they are not really made for roughing or hogging the wood......that is just my opinion but I think they are too delicate for that and if you have a Dremel or a Foredom flexshaft unit, that is what you should be using a 1/8 bit in or larger.

I am a big fan of Foredoms. But they sell two units that are very different from each other in price, speed and power. If you are a distributor you probably get a discount? Get the model 1050. It is the new evolution in micromotor handpieces from what I understand. Brushless and the handpiece runs on a full 110/120 volts. It is rated at 50,000 rpms. It still plugs into a power source like the others. It is also quite expensive unfortunately. nearly $1,200.00. I have a friend who owns two of them and he loves them. I am saving for one.

The model 1070 is the traditional technology for handpieces. You have to replace the brushes on it now and then. It is rated at 38,000 rpms. I think it cost somewhere between $250 and $300. Paul has one and he likes his unit. He also has experience with another brand and will probably get on here and tell you about it.

There are quite a few Ram users on here too and for the most part they sound happy with their units. I tried a Ram ten years ago before buying my first Foredom Micromotor. Back then the Ram was not very impressive. I think a lot has changed....for starters, many of the micromotors are probably made in the same factory and are pretty close in quality.

My ten year old Foredom had to go in for new bearings recently. I didn't hear from them for two weeks after they received my unit in the mail. Found out later that their repair guy was on vacation...bad timing on my part. But I was in the middle of a big project and had to have a micromotor so I bought a Master Carver. It is about the same quality as a Ram or a Foredom 1070. It is rated at 50,000 rpms and says it has higher torque. It came with a 1/8 collet in it and an adapter to run 3/32 bits in the 1/8 collet. I didn't care for that set up at all. I had a Foredom 3/32 collet on hand and tried it in the Master Carver and it fit so I have been using the Master Carver hard ever since I got it last week. Since last Sunday I have put over 30 hours on it and it seems to do the job. It does vibrate and shudder with larger bits in it. I cannot imagine using a 1/8 bit in it....

If you are not in a hurry to buy something right away, I think there is a plan for Woodcarving Illustrated to do a comparison between a few of the micromotor sets and print the results.
I am sure that much more will be said on this subject. Stay tuned.
susieq

[Bonnie]

Hi Susie,

Thanks for your response. Your info is just what I've been looking for. I don't really NEED a micromotor tool myself, although I'm always looking for an excuse to add new tools to my arsenal. I do 90% of my carving with my Foredom Bench Model Flexshaft and #30 handpiece, and the other 10% with my Turbocarver. There are a lot of ladies that take classes from me that are wanting to switch to a different tool because either their hands are small or they want a combo unit so when they travel they don't have to bring so much stuff. I've been leery of the micromotors because of the reason you mention, most of out carving is done with 1/8" shank burs and I'm afraid they'll overload the tool. I'd probably be fine as I'm pretty experienced; but my students might not know better.

Some of the gourd dealers sell Mastercarver and Optima units. I don't push the Foredom micromotors - mostly I suggest the regular Foredom tool with the flexshaft.

Thanks again, Bonnie

[mark yundt]

Well I for one use 1/8 inch bits in my micro all the time. Everything from kutzalls..stump cutters,carbide burrs. Even used it to grind ports on a set of cast iron cylinder heads.It goes through oak,maple,,,you name it.It's a brushless handpiece,,not sure if that makes a difference but it has power to spare. Seems no matter how I lay on the thing it just keeps on going. The worst that has happened is I throw the breaker,reset it and it keeps on going.The speed never varies from what I set it at,,and has amazing torque for a small motor.I never hesitate to use the 1/8 inch bits,,love 'em.

[Bonnie]

Which micromotor do you own? Sounds like a good recommendation.

Bonnie

[mark yundt]

I have two. An NSK and a Ram. Both have separate collets for the 1/8 and 3/32 bits,,no inserts. I am talking about the NSK,,anything I ask of it,,it delivers.I also use the 1/8 in the Ram,,but I would hesitate to push it as hard as I do the NSK.
I use all my tools hard,,and often.This one is 16 yrs old.Never gave me an ounce of trouble.I gave it some trouble after I dropped it one too many times on concrete and bent the bit that was in it 90 degrees.It still ran,,but made some really strange noises.They had it back to me in about a week.But during that time I couldn't be without a micro because of the job I was doing,,and as a filler picked up the Ram so I could continue working.It was very inexpensive and figured it would last at least a week and It might also lessen the burdens I place on the NSK.

Well ,,as you might imagine,,the Ram has a nice coat of dust on it sitting there looking all new,,,,and the NSK is back earning it's keep.
I'm no electronics wizz,,but it seems to me the cheaper brush type motors run much hotter (the NSK is always cool) are noisy ,might be the bearings as NSK's specialty is making bearings and dental tools,,,and they're a bit fatter..I guess NSK's dental experience pays off here as well.

'Course the trade off is price. I could have bought another hand piece for what I paid for the entire Ram (which in retrospect I could have done) and the repair for just the handpiece alone was $250 but a small price to pay for all the work it's done, money it's made for me and the yrs I've had it,,it averages $15.00 a yr for it's SPA treatment to get freshened up.It deserved it.
My wife thought I was nuts when I first bought it,,but I have never regretted having it,,it paid for itself with the first bird I did,,she was happier from then on,,,,LOL....

[susieq]

Mark,
What voltage does your NSK handpiece draw? I am thinking that the brushless handpieces run off of regular voltage instead of the lower volts that most handpieces use.... That would probably make a big difference in the power of the handpiece too. Also, what rpms does your old NSK run?
NSK was probably way ahead of it's time making brushless handpieces....

I know that brand is also expensive and worth every penny.....have quite a few friends who use them. Most of them are the same vintage as yours. I have noticed in the online catalogs that offer NSK, that the high end models are often not for sale there.

I expect my old handpiece to be back home this week sometime. The Master Carver worked in a pinch and my husband will be unhappy with me for setting it aside but there was no comparison between it and my old Foredom.....other than they look identical in pictures. Even though the Master Carver is rated at 50,000 rpms, it doesn't seem as fast as the old handpiece which is rated at 45,000. So the ratings of some of these moderately priced units is suspect to me.

I am saving for the new Foredom 1050 brushless handpiece. I can't wait to get one and try it. I know I won't be disappointed in it.
susieq

ps.

Bonnie, I am not familiar with the Turbo carver but the other tools you mentioned, though wonderful for certain applications, still keep you tied to a flexshaft...the truly wonderful thing about a micromotor is that you have total freedom of movement with your working hand. It is almost like working with a paint brush or a pencil....no air hoses (as in air turbines), no flexshaft to worry about kinking while working, just a small electric cord for power, that allows you to move freely while working. Once you get used to that, it is really hard to go back to the other things for detail work.

[mark yundt]

I believe it's 35? Yes,,VINTAGE!! that's it. I really don't know if the new ones are the same as the oldies. Could be "they don't make 'em like they used to" then again,,technology being what it is,,they could be better.I really don't know.

I'm also not concerned at all with how fast one of these spins.Both I think are rated at 35-40 I think ( too lazy to run out through the rain to look)Whatever they spin it's fast enough to do whatever I need to do. I also look at it this way. If I had two cars,,and both are able to hit 40 mph,,no big deal,,till you come to hauling a load or going up hill,,which has the torque to keep pulling and not slow down or stall?. No load or full load ( till the breaker blows) the NSK keeps on going,,never changing speed,,the Ram on the other hand,,,well,,a little load on it,,it slows and gets hot.Speed is fine,,sometimes slow is just as good,,but can it maintain that speed consistently.There are some air driven ones that run at insane speeds,,but you can't work them.

I know,,I sound like an ad for my favorite micro..but another full time carver went out and bought 2 more for himself,,and another who teaches,,bought 8 for his students,,.Yeah,,they're a bit pricy,,but once you have one,,you'll never look back. I couldn't afford mine when I got it as a hobbiest,,but I'm now glad I have it.If it lasted 15 yrs the way I treated it,,now that it's in semi retirement ( all chisels,,little power anymore) it should outlast me.

[mark yundt]

You know,,,thinking about it,,I guess the reason I'm such a fan is because it's one of the few things I have that has been around so long that I haven''t broke,,wore out,,fried,,regardless what I've done to it. Heck,,I even made a base for it and used it as a mini router to make miniature mouldings...

Except for my wife,,haven't broken her yet,,but I have blown her fuse a few times.

But I'm on my second table saw,,2nd band saw,,5th cordless drill,,6th regular drill,,8 angle grinders,,3 circular saws,,2nd jointer...

I'm the guy they were talking about when they say,," somebody, somewhere, sitting on a beach ,,with nothing but a rubber mallet will find a way to break a bowling ball",,,that's me.And memories from my childhood with my dad saying,"Mark,,,it wasn't designed to be pushed that far..."

But the NSK is still here,,,asking,,what's next? And my wife,,wondering ,,NOW what are you doing?

Not real important,,,just thinking out loud,,,,

[susieq]

Mark, I hope you haven't cursed your NSK by talking it up so much... that would be my luck. But it is remarkable how much punishment it has withstood from you. My machine was a huge investment for me and I babied it for fear of breaking it because I knew I couldn't afford another one anytime soon. Back when I bought it, I wasn't selling work for the prices I am getting today. It is still a lot of money for me but I know I will make it back now.

I do think the speed matters if you aren't bearing down on the wood. I use a light touch and the rpms do the work...therefore higher rpms matter to me.

If I had faith that I wouldn't totally tear up the machine, I might be a little more aggressive with it. But yes, we do sound like commercials for our favorite micromotor....
carving
susieq