Tool Review I

Carving with

POWER

by Jim Barrett

From Rough Shaping to Fine Detailing, Power Carvers Do It Quickly, Safely, and Accurately

Sure, you can still find a few dyed-in-the-wool traditional woodcarvers practicing their crali with hand can ing tools only. But gone are the days when you'll sec cancrs laboriously chipping away at large blocks of wood with mallet, chisel, and gouge. Nowadays, most carvers— pros and amateurs alike—reiv on various power tools to speed work along. Over the decades, resourceful carvers have used everything from chain saws for roughing out large sculptures such as carousel horses to dentist drills for adding intricate feather details to realistic bird and waterfowl carvings.

The most versatile electric power carvers available today evolved from various types of handheld grinders, either with self-contained motors (die grinders) or with handpieces connected to a motor via a flexible shaft. When it comes to dedicated power carvers, even many of you non-carvers will recognizc Drcmcl and Foredom. two of the leading names in the industry. For this article, I've reviewed offerings from these two

companies plus a variety of other tools designed specifically for woodcarving.

In my search of the market. I soon discovered that these tools fall into four distinct categories, which I've dubbed motorized rotary tools (as exemplified by the Dremel Moto-Tool), flex-shaft rotary tools, reciprocating cancrs, and micro-motor (detailing) tools. With the exception of the reciprocating cancrs. all relv on rotary- motion to remove stock. Some purists w ill argue that these tools grind wood rather than can c it. but the end result will be the same. You can fit these tools with hundreds of different burs, cutlers, bits, and abrasive grinders to achieve practically any effect you want. Some bits have an extremely aggressive cutting action that will remove a lot of wood in a hurry. Others have been designed to provide fine texturing and detail. (See page 20 for a sampling of the most popular types.)

I confess that I'm no master woodcan er—far from it. in fact. So, for this article. 1 enlisted the aid of a local

professional carver, William J. (Bill) Schnute, to help me shop-test the various tools. (For Bill's profile and comments, see page 23.)

Motorized Rotary Tools

Pioneered as the Dremel Moto-Tool some 50 years ago, these rotary tools are miniaturized versions of electric die grinders used for various manufacturing processes. Because Dremel dominates the motorized rotary-tool market, you'll hear people calling them "Moto-Tools" or "Dremel tools," no matter who makes them. Over the years, other tool companies have come up with their own versions. However, most have fallen by the w^raysidc, simply because they couldn't compete with the original. Surprisingly. ! couldn't find any "imitators" for this review, whereas several were still available back in the late 80s, when I researched a similar article. I'm not saying that other motorized tools don't exist—but if they do, they aren't easy to find.

18 Novemher/December 1994

Wixxiworkcr's Journal