Dremel Disc For Carving?

[GregP]

I was in Canadian Tire the other day and saw this disc-type attachment for rotary tools:

The picture on the box showed what was basically a... er... what's the term... ribcage contour? that was supposedly done with this disc. I mean, the carve wasn't on a guitar, but it was about the size and shape.

Anybody have any experience with a tool like this? I wonder if it'd be usable for doing carves by hand, either for contours or for tops?

Greg

[rhoads56]

Dremels arent powerful enough.

[GregP]

The picture clearly showed a big hunk of wood that had been contoured supposedly with this thing.

In point of fact, though, I'd actually be using a SpinSaw with a flex-shaft attachment rather than an actual Dremel, if I bought the disc at all (which is unlikely... I was mainly curious).

Greg

[Dugz Ink]

Well... let me share my related experience.

I've removed a lot of wood with my Dremel. Granted, it doesn't have the power of my 2hp router, but that's the whole point; the Dremel removes wood slower than a router, but faster than chisels and knives.

I use one of the cable-like extensions on my Dremel, and the Dremel hangs over head, from a piece of conduit that was put there just for that purpose. That allows me to reach anything on the workbench without having to hold the weight of the Dremel motor.

And I use my Dremel when I need to remove a fair amount of wood with precision.

I've found that a lot of the flat wheels will burn wood. Well designed router bits and saw blades only contact the wood with the cutting edge, and this keeps the rest of the metal from rubbing against the wood. However, the flat discs (like the one pictured) continue to make contact with the wood. The resulting friction 1) burns the wood, 2) slows the Dremel motor, and 3) usually causes the wheels (especially the ceramic ones) to shatter. (ALWAYS wear a face shield when you use the ceramic discs!)

Also, these wheels aren't sharp enough to leave a really fine edge; most of them cause fuzzing, feathering, and sometimes splintering. Since they don't leave a "perfect" edge, you have to go over it with a very sharp knife or a good scraper and finish the job.

So, you can use one of these wheels to do a lot of your work... but honed steel is still essential. Personally, I wear out the cheap rotary bits until I get to a certain point, then I pull out really sharp tools (that stay sharp longer because I use them less) to do the fine work.

D~s

[GregP]

Cool, thanks for sharing. What kind of carving have you done with rotary tools, and what kind of bits did you use to do it? Or did you mostly do mini router-ish jobs?

Greg

[VanKirk]

I agree with Dugz.

Dremel disks burn the wood and you have to go over it again with a scraper or sharper hardened tools.

The severity of the 'fuzzing' varies with the hardness of the wood though.

Using a dremel disk will burn the wood and leave many small gouges all over that may be a bigger pain to get smooth again and increase the chances of an uneven looking carve - hills and valleys -

"ooops, took to much off in that lil spot, not enough in that one. Ahhh crap, now it doesn't look right cause I had to overcompensate in that area to get an even carve."

For carving a top I found that a good 'ol scraper does a good job. You can take off the wood a little at a time but over a much wider area with great control.

You can choose the best angle to sharpen your scraper depending on how much material you want to remove with each pass...doh, goin off track a lil.

[GregP]

I have a scraper and a burnisher, but I can't turn a hook properly. Consequently, I feel like I'm just pulling a piece of tin across a piece of wood and not removing any wood whatsoever.

I'm not looking for speed necessarily, but something that'll allow me to get the job done. The problem with going slow is that sometimes you go TOO slow and you loose consistency in the flow. Or at least, that's how *I* feel. I'd rather freehand sketch 'basically' what I want and then touch it up after than try to do it all perfectly in one pass.

Of course, it's hangups like not knowing the right tools that's keeping me from finishing my guitar. Experience is everything.

Greg

[fryovanni]

Have you thought about trying convex planes or spoke shaves. A good sharp blade set properly working with the grain will remove material really fast, then fine tune and smooth with scrapers. I have tried using my dremel with little success, mainly because I find it to be under powered. I have routed edges to thickness for reference then usually go after it with planes. I really tried to get the good system going with router & Dremel, but after I learned how to work the blades I really don't even like to use anything else.

fryguy

[GregP]

Yeah, I've certainly considered it.

Greg

[Dugz Ink]

If I'm working with extremely straight-grained wood, I will usually use hand tools. However, I tend to gravitate towards the "odd" wood grains, which usually want to take the tools in a direction that I DON'T want to go.

Dremel tools seem less prone to following wood grain.

My favorite Dremel "bits" are the small sanding drums, fitted with aluminum-oxide sleeves. Team that up with the extension cable, and I can remove wood with the motions that are similar to what I would use for painting with an artist's brush.

When I get into small spaces, I sometimes use the "engraving" bits, which have a very small ball on the end. I would say that I use those with a motion that is more like drawing a sketch with a pencil.

D~s

[GregP]

When I get into small spaces, I sometimes use the "engraving" bits, which have a very small ball on the end. I would say that I use those with a motion that is more like drawing a sketch with a pencil.

←

See, that's what I need... I think I can more easily see myself doing 'sketch' motion and feeling comfortable doing it. I guess the only thing to do is get some scrap wood and give it a try. Not sure if my sleeves are aluminum oxide, but I'll check into it.

Greg

[Doc]

Fourty years ago three of us carved a full sized cigar store Indian for a Boy Scout project. Took forever but it does work. We used the regular burs. Looked great.

The gaget you posted is related to a bunch of doodads that have been made to turn side grinders into carver;s. I think one was called an Excaliber. They will remove a lot of wood in a hurry. Sometimes a whole lot of wood. Sometimes a finger. I like the slow way better.

Sagino ( I think that's the spelling) makes a tool the size of a Dremel that is an impact carver. Comes with a bunch of carving chisel type attachments and goes through even maple like a dream. Check the national mail order guys like Rockler.

[GregP]

Thanks, will do.

I have to admit, any disc attachment on my flex shaft makes me ultra-paranoid of losing a finger. I had to cut some metal not too long ago, and at 10,000 rpm, that little thing was looking like a little wheel of death.

Greg