[Alice in Wonderland]

Chipping Away Dedicated to Wood Carvers
Kathrein here is a Canadian suplier he has just about everything and I know he sends to U,S,
Alice

[carver84]

kutzall makes a sanding sleeve that goes over a rubber mandral that is very helpful for any type of sanding needs. They come in a few different coating types. Let me see if if can find some online and i will send you a link. I know they work much better than the sand paper sleeves you were talking about earlier because they last a lot longer and provide a much smoother finish.

[arbarnhart]

2 of my favorites on a foot controlled flexshaft (makes a difference to have the power of the hanging motor and the speed control; I did not like these as well when I just had the Dremel) are a Dremel carbide cutting/shaping wheel and a spiral bit (sold for cutting virtually anything with a RotoZip). These are potentially very agressive depending on speed and technique.

[Joggernot]

I have used a 1/2 inch drum sander, 60-grit to rough out a carving. It quickly removes unwanted wood and gets you to the detailing. I also use the flexible, floppy sand paper for the first sanding of the piece. Final sanding is done by hand.

Joggernot

[arbarnhart]

What makes the Dremel carbide cutting/shaping wheel particularly interesting is that it can do really rough shaping of very hard wood quickly (I have used it on rock maple with good results) yet it is also a good choice for some detail work, particularly hair. It's a matter of using the surface and a bit of pressure versus the edge with a light touch. So I find myself using it early in a project, then again late in the project. The spiral bit only does round, like a small drum sander, but crank up the speed and it is a saw. Slow it down and move the tool around and it leaves carving facets (for some types of work, that's a finished surface).

[telecarver]

For roughing out, between the Kutzall style carbide, for major rough out, and ruby or diamond, for final finish, I use custom made high speed burrs. They are very aggressive and leave a relatively smooth finish. High speed steel is less brittle than carbide allowing for a sharper angle on the flute. This allows the flute to slice easier and more aggressively. These bits are not available through woodworking catalogs. I order them custom made from Rico Tool Co. Another woodcarver turned me onto them and after trying them, I would never go back to carbide fluted burrs. They don't hold and edge as long as carbide but the increased cutting ability far outweighs the shorter edge life. I order them in lots of 10 and send them back to be resharpened a number of times. Each time they are resharpened they get a little smaller so I end up with an assortment of subtle size differences to use in different applications.

I also use varying sizes of sanding discs ranging from 3/4" up to 3'' for roughing out and smoothing. I use 36 grit for roughing out and up to 180 grit for smoothing. Some of them come with a flexible edge for inside curves.