[Ashbys]

Dean Dickerson vbmenu_register("postmenu_155464", true);
Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
s: 4


Re: Carved face - first carving
Help! I'm attempting to expand my wood carving interests. I've carved many
wood spirts with palm knives, but now I'm interested in carving figures using dremmel tools. I don't even know what all the carving bits are used for that came with my dremmel! Where can I learn how to identify and use these things, internet? Thanks, Dean

Dean I moved your request here into power carving , It would help to show pics of to give the dremmel set you purchased. It is hard to help wihtout seeing what bits your speaking of.

Ash

[wacky1]

Dean take a look at most of my stuff. Power carving and knife. I find the some bits work better for green wood or dry. Diamond bits works wonderful for sanding. High speed bits for cutting, gold bits for taking anything out. Dremel had a booklet on which bits for what that may help

[Mottles]

Hi Dean, here is a link to the Dremel website Home see if they don't discribe there bits. Maybe this will help.
Kathy

[Jim-Iowa]

Dean: I have sent you a Personal Message with a link to a fishcavarving site that lists his most used burrs. The only power carving I did seriously was a bluegill based on this book which I see is still availabel through Amazon and is very cheap.Decorative Fish Carving (Paperback)
by Rick Beyer (Author)
The author lives in Racine Wisconsin(Dremels Hometown) and used Dremel tools. He does a step by step instruction with #'s of the burrs he used.
The Bluegill I did was primarily shaped with sanding drums(because I was impaitient and wanted to move lots of material quickly) and a few detail cutters I did it in poplar which I soon discovered Fuzzes badly with powercarving.
I don't think it takes a lot of burrs, It becomes more a question of finding what works best with you carving style, a small assortment should work.
I have both a 395 Dremel and a Dremel Flexshaft which I like especially well.
I find I use the flexshaft unit most for carving and the 395 is used more for houshold and shop chores(portability allows it to go to whatever job I'm wrecking at the time).

[Jim-Iowa]

Dean, I found my copy of the book I mentioned.
Here's a list of the burrs he used.
144,116,199,408,432.411,134,190,191,105,110,110,18 9,403,922,904,974,984,9912.

[real good]

Dean just use the one that does the job best the one that feels good to you .good luck Jack

[susieq]

Dean,
most of the bits that come with the Dremel when you buy it, are not useful for woodcarving. Dremel does make some small kutzal style bits for roughing, and some diamond points but they don't come with the Dremel.

You would be better off going to woodcarver's supply and getting some bits there. A couple of good basic bits to get are the ruby flame in the 3/32 shaft size, a kutzal bit in either the cylander or tapered shape in the 1/8 shaft size. The kutzals are good for shaping the wood, rubies and diamonds are good for detail work. A good investment might be a Frank Russell DVD as he is a power carver and demos the different bits while carving, showing what they do and how to use them. You will gradually get to know just by looking at a bit, what it will do and if you will use it or not. Go slow buying the bits until you do have a better grasp of this as bits can be expensive.
Good luck with your foray into power carving.

[Hugh P.]

I agree with the answers for Deans question, but my simple answer, like REAL GOOD'S reply, use the bit that does the job, is what I tell my carving students, the shape of the bit will determine the cut you want to make, and the coarse texture of the bit, from the rough out kutzall to the fine diamonds is determined by the finish you want. Very well put, use the bit that will do the job. I know its good, cause I like it. Grin.

[Donna_T]

Dean,
I haven't power carved on a fish for over a year, but I have used power on birds. Like it's been mentioned, I roughout the carvings with Kutsalls and blue typhoon bits and sanding drums. When I get down to detailing, there are 3-4 bits I use most: diamond flame and cylinders in diamond and white or blue stones. Then I use Guge spiral sanding drums/tips and Marsh flexible sanding drums to soften the hard edges by using fine and extra fine swiss sanding cloth.

And I use lots of pencil lead--constantly marking and remarking how I want the carving to look so that I've got guides to what the next steps will be.

About the only things I use from the bits that came with my Dremel are the sanding drums and the mandrels and the little stone to use to clean up my ceramic/stone bits.

Donna T