Creative Woodworks & crafts 1998-03, страница 35

USING THE ULTRA /PEED TURBO-CARVER

by Bill Vogel

Fig. 2. Use a round burr to rough out the pattern.

wc found in a magazine. Your design can tome from one of many sources such as technical books, art supply stores, libraries, computer clip art or photographs. Tracing paper can be used to create an inlay outline from a photo or other graphic image. The possibifites are endless!

Sfep 2. Next, use a laser printer or copy machine to reproduce the image. Tip: a computer can be invaluable in this regard, since it can manipulate the size and proportions of the image in its printed output. Step 3, Adhere the artwork lo the wood with stick glue, which can be applied to either the paper or ihe wood. Before the glue dries, apply the stencil to the wood, making sure it has good contact with the stock (see Fig. 1). Let the glue dry before proceeding. Sfep 4. With the stencil firmly attached to the wood, rout a l/8"-deep groove around the entire outline with a small diameter cylindrical carbide burr (No. 55). Using magnification, such as an optovisor, will help you achieve the crispest details. Be sure to hold the handpiece in a vertical position while routing the outline of Ihe design. Step 5. With the outline complete, switch to a large round carbide burr (No. 8) to create a depression within Ihe outline just completed, as shown in Fig. 2. This burr is the most effective for removing a large amount of material. The bottom of the depression should be as rough as possible and the outline should be undercut. This will allow the inlay lo adhere to and shrink as little

Astounding applications

With the many burrs available, you can detail and precision engrave, carve, polish, and grind just about anything with the Turbo-Carver. Il is absolutely the finest tool available for precision and detail work. The Turbo-Carver can be used to engrave knife blades, metal gun parts, glass, and stone. It is capable of engraving the hardened metal of a file as well as piercing a hole through blown glass without breaking it. One interesting application is it's unique ability to produce exquisitely detailed inlays in just about anything. To demonstrate, we will now lake you step by step through creating an exquisite inlay in a wooden gun stock.

You may be thinking that you would have an easier time flying to the moon than creating a fine inlay in wood. Relax! Various stencil systems make this process as easy as tracing a line with a pencil.

Inlay carving on a gun stock

Step 1. First you'll want to choose the design you want

to inlay into ihe wood. We selected a horse pattern that

March. 1998

The easy to use Turbo-Carver can be utilized for many projects.

Exquisite inlays, such as this one in a gun stock, are one of the many applications for the Turbo-Carver.

They're not just for cavities anymore

Ultra high-speed dental handpieces have long been used lo shape and polish metal as well as porcelain crowns and bridges. These air turbine-powered rotary tools use interchangeable 1/16"-Dia. dental burrs and spin them at speeds approaching 400,000 revolutions per minute. The burrs are available in steel, carbide, stone, diamond and rubber, and can be used to engrave, relief carve, rout, grind and polish just about any material.

By contrast, electric and flex shaft carving tools rotate 1/8"-Dia. burrs at only about 30,000 rpm, with their powerful electric motors producing a lot of torque. These tools are excellent for gross reduction of material, but are large and cumbersome to use.

The Ultra Speed Turbo-Carver is just the opposite, ft is small in size and light in weight. There is little tendency for the cutting burr to walk, so you can rout a line crossgrain without deviation or engrave almost anything, and it's simpler to use than you'd ever expect.