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What’s on your carving/embellishing bench?
- Thread starter Ted Pelfrey
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2021
- Messages
- 1,582
- Likes
- 1,383
- Location
- Roulette, PA
- Website
- www.reallyruralwoodworks.com
This would be an excellent thread to follow, I would hope it gets as popular - I'm sure there will be tons of fresh ideas that way.
I hope so Brian . One of my favorite parts of a club or this site is seeing others peoples work. Especially in progress.
I would love to see this thread take off. I’m not sure I should post this
, but here goes.
I started this 2 years ago when I wanted to start carving bowls however I did not have the tools needed so I set it on a shelf in the shop. I have a vision of what I want it to become and acquiring some of the tools needed now.
This is a very rough at this time and way to large to start with, I have a tendency to make I first new turning styles too large
.
I have pulled it down from the shelf several times over the last week or two and plan to start back on it this summer.
, but here goes.I started this 2 years ago when I wanted to start carving bowls however I did not have the tools needed so I set it on a shelf in the shop. I have a vision of what I want it to become and acquiring some of the tools needed now.
This is a very rough at this time and way to large to start with, I have a tendency to make I first new turning styles too large
.I have pulled it down from the shelf several times over the last week or two and plan to start back on it this summer.
Thank you also for getting this thread started. Embellishment and detailing of Bowls and Hollow forms is my interest and there is some great work being produced that inspires me. I'm located in NZ, when I visited the 2002 AAW symposium and viewed the gallery I was impressed by the standard
Ted:
Thanks for starting this. I don't have anything to offer at the moment, but I am hoping for inspiration and ideas, and of course the opportunity to look at works in progress to learn more about the processes.
Cheers.
Barry W. Larson
Calgary,Alberta, Canada eh!
Thanks for starting this. I don't have anything to offer at the moment, but I am hoping for inspiration and ideas, and of course the opportunity to look at works in progress to learn more about the processes.
Cheers.
Barry W. Larson
Calgary,Alberta, Canada eh!
Making slow progress.
I would love to see this thread take off. I’m not sure I should post this
I started this 2 years ago when I wanted to start carving bowls however I did not have the tools needed so I set it on a shelf in the shop. I have a vision of what I want it to become and acquiring some of the tools needed now.
This is a very rough at this time and way to large to start with, I have a tendency to make I first new turning styles too large
I have pulled it down from the shelf several times over the last week or two and plan to start back on it this summer.
View attachment 74445
View attachment 74444
View attachment 74443Looking good to me!
Attachments
Looks great, keep posting progress pictures!
That will be a great piece!I would love to see this thread take off. I’m not sure I should post this
I started this 2 years ago when I wanted to start carving bowls however I did not have the tools needed so I set it on a shelf in the shop. I have a vision of what I want it to become and acquiring some of the tools needed now.
This is a very rough at this time and way to large to start with, I have a tendency to make I first new turning styles too large
I have pulled it down from the shelf several times over the last week or two and plan to start back on it this summer.
View attachment 74445
View attachment 74444
View attachment 74443
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
Those are great!
If one were to start carving their turned projects, is there a suggested or recommended system? What horse power? Carving bits? I like buying used so I would love to see some suggestions as to what to look out for. I do know Foredom has been in the business for years, but I don't even know if they are currently "the best" way to go. Or what to look for in there drive units? Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks, Todd Bowen
Well the budget may effect the outcome some. But I have a selection files both engineering and rifler files. I generally buy the low end of the market Chinese files as wood kill files. OK if you want real quality the Swiss make needle files at around $200AUD per set 6-8 or so. Plus I have several Dremel's with a wide variety of burrs. carbide,HSS diamond etc. Ideally high speed is the way to go if you're doing small intricate stuff 100,000+ Oh and patience
, soft wood has different characteristics to hard wood , the idea is to mess around till you find a species you like . My avatar is fairly common to what I do, Solomon Island Queen Ebony or Tubi around 4" squareAttachments
Donna Banfield
TOTW Team
Careful, Todd. Carving can be as deep a rabbit as woodturning...and just as expensive.
That said, you can get started without requiring a second mortgage. First, look for a rotary powered carver that uses a micro-motor handpiece. These are easier and more comfortable to use compared with the standard Foredom, which uses a cable to connect the handpiece to the motor. The issue with that set up is needing to keep that cable fairly straight during use. Get a kink in the cable while under power, and you'll wreck it. And it's fairly easy for that to happen because your attention is focused on your work.
This machine Mighty Marathon from Power Carving Depot is an inexpensive way to get started with power carving. Power Carving Depot is Ken Rizza's new company; he is the former owner of Woodturning Wonders. There are a lot of people on this forum who have been satisfied customers when Ken was running Woodturning Wonders.
Burs come in many shapes, sizes and materials. For rapid rough stock removal, I like to use these saburrtooth. Smoothing the rough cuts, I use rasps, rifflers and small discs of abrasive material on the top of roof nail heads. The shank of the nail fits well in the collet of many micro motor handpieces. Just keep your speed down below 7k rpm or the disc will come flying off immediately.
Getting started is the first step. Don't try to 'make' anything in particular. Just start using the carver and burrs and learn how they work. Just like woodturning, there is a learning curve. No shortcuts. I hope that this helps.
First attempt at piercing. Scrap maple with a knot in the bottom. The cutouts are pretty rough, but I'll get better. Needs to be thinner; with this thickness I have to push too hard on the tool, which results in some wonky shapes. My next attempt, when I tried to turn a thinner piece, blew up.
Donna Banfield
TOTW Team
What tool are you using to pierce?
micro motor with a 699 cutter.
Donna Banfield
TOTW Team
You have the right bit for piercing. But the micro motor won’t give you enough speed. Your need to push hard is because of the lack of speed. You really need a dental lab handpiece and an air compressor. They run at 320-400,000 rpm. Most micro motors run 30-50,000 rpm.
I have Ken Rizza’s new electric carver, Big Blue, that runs at 90,000 rpm. As soon as I get a couple of things off my plate, I intend to see if that speed will accomplish what for now, only the pneumatic dental drills could.
Thanks, Donna. That's what I was thinking. I didn't want to spent the money on the dental handpiece until I tried a few pieces using the tools that I've already got. I've seen recommendations for the NSK Presto II; is that a good one?
I personally use a Ram BP-HST. It’s a pricing unit that I just upgraded to recently. I was using the Ram BP-50 which was a great unit. I wanted something that would turn the 1/4” bits for heavier carving. Not a fan of the foredom type units. They’re great for hogging heavy material but I experience hand fatigue fairly quickly. I can use the BP line of tools all day with almost no fatigue . As for used check with your and other local clubs. I sold my old unit to a club member. I but most of my bits from MDI and some from Bits For Carvingwhich is J Paul fennel. Hope this helps
Looking good Karl! One tip if this makes sense. Break up your joints , think of masonry , you lay two bricks then stagger the next brink. I never want the line between piercing going for more than one pierce. And yes the NSK is a fantastic tool and will improve your piercing immediately .
Beautiful work Hughie!Well the budget may effect the outcome some. But I have a selection files both engineering and rifler files. I generally buy the low end of the market Chinese files as wood kill files. OK if you want real quality the Swiss make needle files at around $200AUD per set 6-8 or so. Plus I have several Dremel's with a wide variety of burrs. carbide,HSS diamond etc. Ideally high speed is the way to go if you're doing small intricate stuff 100,000+ Oh and patience
Donna Banfield
TOTW Team
Yes. I have the original NSK Presto, that I purchased from Binh Pho in 2010. I acquired a rebuilt Presto II a couple of years ago as a back up for when I’m traveling and teaching. I can’t risk that tool quitting on me when teaching.
Treeline USA sells that tool, as well as the regulator. A couple times a year they will have deals on the tool alone, or the kit, which includes the handpiece, tubing, the regulator and a few bits.
I know a few people who acquired the angled dental lab handpiece on Ebay, where they can be acquired for $20-$30 bucks. This is same tool that the dentist uses in your mouth, as opposed to the NSK, a straight handpiece which is used by lab technicians who make dentures. But you need to do some modifications: you need to close off the ports that are used for water flow. Easy to do if you’re the type of person that has that skill. But actually using that style is awkward for piercing work. It’s hard to see exactly where your bit is cutting, because your hand and fist are blocking your line of sight.
Had one of those dental pieces, gave it away
Actually it is not necessary to close off the extra hole which is intended for water. Just connect to the drive air hole. There is a cap designed to attach air but I just use fuel line and a zip tie to lock it on. Don't do a lot of piercing but find the angled head to be more comfortable.
@Karl Best This video
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P8Zh_pI-tU&t=551sby
Glynn Cox is worth watching. As far as dental drills the 90 degree NSK like Donna uses is the best, but around $500. An alternative would be the 45 degree handpiece, however it will not have the same torque as the 90 degree. I would not recommend the lower angle dentist drills as they are more difficult to use. The 45 degree you would want the 2 hole with the light. I did not solder the second hole and drill as Glynn did in his video. I just installed a needle valve to regulate the air to blow away the smoke. You will need the attachment hose and some type of regulator setup with a filter. the horizontal filter in my setup is 5 micron that I bought from HD.
Glynn Cox is worth watching. As far as dental drills the 90 degree NSK like Donna uses is the best, but around $500. An alternative would be the 45 degree handpiece, however it will not have the same torque as the 90 degree. I would not recommend the lower angle dentist drills as they are more difficult to use. The 45 degree you would want the 2 hole with the light. I did not solder the second hole and drill as Glynn did in his video. I just installed a needle valve to regulate the air to blow away the smoke. You will need the attachment hose and some type of regulator setup with a filter. the horizontal filter in my setup is 5 micron that I bought from HD.
Donna Banfield
TOTW Team
Did some stippling on some bottle stoppers, here's one, african blackwood.
I use a tiny egg-shaped carbide cutter in a Dremel.
Put a picture of some finished stoppers on the "What's on your lathe?" thread.
These are the first I've made in a long time.
JKJ
I use a tiny egg-shaped carbide cutter in a Dremel.
Put a picture of some finished stoppers on the "What's on your lathe?" thread.
These are the first I've made in a long time.
JKJ
Cool thread, Ted. Here is one in the works. A little box, whose lid is a spin top with a coin bearing. I'm adding a triangle pattern to the exterior. Pyro and colors will follow. I will also carve the finial/stem so that the upper section is triangular in cross-section. Maple, Bocote, and a US penny.
Here's my latest carved/embellished bowl. It's endgrain poplar with pyrography on the rim and foot. The interior is power carved in a spiral pattern and painted with acrylics. I guess it's technically still on the bench till the poly is on it. 
Don't mind the flotsam and jetsam on the table.
Don't mind the flotsam and jetsam on the table.
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Why’s that Hughie? Just curious.
That’s awesome!
That’s gonna be great!
Looks great!Here's my latest carved/embellished bowl. It's endgrain poplar with pyrography on the rim and foot. The interior is power carved in a spiral pattern and painted with acrylics. I guess it's technically still on the bench till the poly is on it.
Don't mind the flotsam and jetsam on the table.
Ted, It wasnt up to the task. The head didnt clamp on the burr tight enough. The speed was fine, although the angled head wasnt ideal but I figured I would live with it.
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Looking great, can’t wait to see the finished product.
Thanks David. This piece is taking WAY longer than expected! Had to many other irons in the fire.