cheap power carvers

[A_Swope]

Does anyone know where to find a cheap good quality power carver?

[mikeGinSC]

You can check Ebay, but I gotta tell you...cheap and good quality don't usually belong in the same sentence when you're talking tools. As someone on the Rec. Woodworking forum once said..." Buy the best and only cry once." Sage advice I can tell you from experience.

Seriously, you can check online auctions or keep your eye out in the local paper. I use a Dremel with flex shaft and hand tools. I have more invested in hand tools than I do power tools,but that's just me.

Mike G.in SC

[mpounders]

This is nothing fancy, but it is cheap ($50). I've had one a year and have used it a lot. I like not having to change collets with the handpiece it comes with. It uses standard handpieces and I have added a Foredom handpiece that will let me use 1/4" burrs. I also added the Wecheer recipricating chisel handpiece. So if it blows up, I still have all my bits and handpieces that will work fine with a nice foredom or mastercarver.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


Motor hanger lets you mount it on any vertical surface
Ball bearing motor: 1/4 HP, 1 phase, 60 Hz, 115V
Includes: 1/4 HP motor, 38" flexible shaft, handpiece, 4mm (5/32") key-type chuck, foot control for hands-free operation
Speed: 15,000 RPM

[DuaneV]

Yeah, sage advise for sure. Been there, done that. Cheap, good quality is NEVER found in the same product. And cheap is a relative term, too. What do you consider cheap: $50, $150, $200, $500? I think the best you can get for the least money is a WeCheer for about $160 or so. A Foredom SR kit would be my recommendation though, for about $245 you get a Foredom and a ton of bits and stuff with it. Whenever Ive purchased "cheap", thinking I could use it till I upgraded, I always ended upgrading sooner than anticipated and spent more "renting" the cheap stuff till it gave out. Honestly, if you MUST buy a power carver now/soon, save your pennies and get the best, reliable and tested unit you can afford. Duane

[A_Swope]

I have a Dremel right know. Well it's actually borrowed from my brother because he used to carve. So I started using it and he wanted it back because he is a mechanic and apparently he can use it somewhere on cars, and the other day I went to use it and wasn't in it's case and when I asked him about he said his friend would be using it for a while and then he would need it. So this kind of ruined my plans for a carving and I was just thinking of getting one of my own. I just wasn't sure if it would be expensive or what kind to get.

[Donna_T]

A Dremel with flex shaft is hard to beat for a beginner power setup. Don't bother using the bits that come with it (except for the little sanding drums). Even though I used my Dremel exclusively for 10 years, and now have a Foredom and Ram, I still use the Dremel periodically. I haven't price them lately, but would guess you can get the Dremel and flexshaft for under $100 at Walmarts or lumber yards.

Donna_T

[A_Swope]

I found a wecheer, but it was a detailer. If I put larger bits on it as long as they were the right size would it work?