Carbide burs

[John_C]

I am shopping for a few burs the ones I have are high speed steel they don't last long.
when I go online I see carbide burs in the size range I need but the prices range from 4 dollars to 32 dollars. I'm looking for round head burrs from 2mm to about 4 mm.

just a little confused

[BobD]

It just so happens that we've got an article on that very subject in the latest issue.

Woodcarving Illustrated - Choosing Power Carving Bits - Fall 2009 Issue 48

[John_C]

look forward to seeing the article.
my interest is primarily in the difference in price between the different vendors. I know how carbide is better and longer lasting then steel I am curious about the manufacturing process and quality differences between one carbide burr and another that prices similar looking burs and 4 dollars and another at 25-30$

[Rockytop85]

That article is really helpful.

However, I have a question that I didn't see answered in there.

I purchased two dremel brand tungsten carbide bits over the weekend because they looked like they would be good for the project I'm working on (carving a pair of treble and base clefs out of a piney wood (I know I need to find a supplier of bass wood, I just picked up these scraps at work to practice on and it started looking like it might actually turn out okay) that I plan on turning into a book end for a friends wedding gift).

Anyways, the bits look like the high speed cutters that are used for wood, but I cannot determine if they are good for that purpose. The packaging says metal, and I didn't really read that before I bought them because they look the same as the steel bit that my dremel came with. The bits are kind of expensive for my budget, and I won't be cutting much metal with my dremel, so I'm wondering if anybody can answer this for me so I can determine if I need to take these bits back or not.

I don't have them on me, but I can probably provide the part no. on Monday if needed. I'll be out of town this weekend.

Thanks.

[BobD]

A part number of a photo would help. Under most circumstances, though, if it will work on metal, it will work on wood.

Bob

[Claude]

Take a look at Wood Carvers Supply, Inc.
Over on the left side, scroll down a little over half way to get to the Power Carving section, then a little further to find the carbide burrs

The Steel & Carbide Burrs/Bits have the Monster brand burrs that look more like spiral cutters used on milling machines.

The Saburr Tooth are formed burrs that look like little tiny cones glued on to the basic form.

The Kutzall ones look like sand was glued onto the basic form.

In my opinion, all cut wood just fine, so if your Dremel Burrs look like one of these, it should be fine. Word of caution, though - the spiral cutters like the Monster ones leave a smoother surface than the Saburr or Kutzall, but the spiral ones can "grab into" the wood and run across the surface digging it up as it goes and then continues right onto your hand and digs it up also. Because of the high RPM, when it digs in, you don't have time to react before the cutter has started chewing up your wood-holding hand. As a safety precaution, always wear a LEATHER glove on the hand holding the wood. Do not wear a mesh or woven carving glove as the burrs will latch onto the weave and break your hand before you can blink.

Claude
<edit> Just looked at the Dremel web site. They offer both structured carbide (similar to Kutzall) and another type that looks like spiral bits (similar to the Monster ones, but much smaller.) If you're planning on carving wood any larger than two or three inches tall, I'd suggest you look into buying some of the Kutzall style burrs. Woodcarverssupply is a good firm to deal with - I've bought several burrs from them. You can also find burrs at Woodcraft stores and Rockler - and there are other online retailers as well. Just be careful you only get the burrs with 1/8 or 3/32 inch shafts - a lot of places sell the 1/4 inch shaft versions for the larger power tools such as Foredom and WeCheer.

C