[anne5440]

Oh duh, it just dawned on me that I can tell you all exactly what spoon pattern I am working on. It is the spoon in the current Woodcarving Illustrated magazine! The one with the carousel horse on the cover.

I have been reading web sites while I drink my coffee. I am off to do a little housework, well laundry. Then the bench is calling me.

[mark yundt]

Sounds like you're well on your way,,don't forget to post some pics.

[John_M]

Hi All Guess im the new kid here LOL. I need some advice PLEASE !! LOL A jsut getting started and have been loooking into using either a Turbo Carver or one from Profitable Hobbies,, these tools run at around 300,000 RPM's . The work i would like to do would be small carvings well at least until i get more experience. Am getting a Dremel tool with all the accessories (150 piece) including a flex shaft Monday for $35,, found it on CraigsList. Would like toget the turbo carver but being on SSD after having 8 heart attacks i cant aford one right now. Anyway i would appreciate any help or advice, actually i need all the help i can get lol. thanks John

[susieq]

Hi John,
I don't know much about the turbo carvers except that they seem to be used mainly by people doing gunstock checking, engraving or carving ostrich eggs. I know they run really really fast....faster than most of your detail diamonds and rubies should go. They would probably burn up at those speed, plus you need an aircompressor to run the airturbo.

I don't know what they cost but I would suggest a micro motor for fine detail. Master carver makes one that goes 50,000 rpms and that is about as fast as you want to go with most of the carving bits. Master micro pro costs about $300. The guy I bought mine from didn't even charge shipping...
You would probably want to get the 3/32 collet extra with it...about $25.

The unit comes with the 3/32 adapter that fits down inside the 1/8 collet...comes out with the bit everytime you want to change bits, so you have to clip your thumbnail over the edge of the collet when pulling the bit out. ...real pain...get the collet and put the adapter away....just my thoughts on it.

The Dremel sounds like a good deal. Most of the accessories that come with them will not help you though. The bits that come in the kit, are not for wood carving. But that is a heck of a deal....new they run about $90 for the kit with the flexible shaft. You need to get bits from a wood carvers supplier. There are many good ones. Woodcarver's Supply, Christian Hummel, Smokey Mt. Woodcarvers, Richard C. Watson, just a few... there are many more.

If you don't know what bits to get, for shaping and roughing out, a 1/8 kutzal in either the cylinder shape or the inverted cone shape. Both are good bits for shaping. A ruby flame is really good for shaping details. That is one bit that nearly everyone can find a use for. Diamond points are nice for detail too. But beyond that, you have to look at the catalogs, at all the different shapes after you have been carving for a while...after you get a feel for it, you will know which shaped diamonds and rubies you need. A tapered sanding mandrel or two and a couple different cloth backed sandpapers to put in them.

You could actually get by with the bits I listed and your Dremel, until you make up your mind how much you want to invest in this hobby. I Power carved with just a Dremel for quite a while before I invested in a larger shaft unit....a Foredom. Then it was a few years after that I bought the Micro motor...which I would be lost without now....

Hope you enjoy power carving. Please wear a dust mask, use a dust collector, eye and ear protection. Saftey first.
Best wishes