Power Wood Carving Tools

[Ang3lfir3]

Angel,
Here is a picture of the same head shape of a 1/4" shank burr but with the 3 different types of tungsten carbide material, from the standard ( Silver with random carbide teeth) to the Teal Extreme ( more coarse with systematically applied teeth) and the most coarse available ( Black Super Extreme with systematicaly arranged teeth). The Teal Extreme and Black Super Extreme cut MUCH faster than the standard silver and they don't load up as bad because of the way the teeth are applied. They are all cleaned the same way by using a torch and brass brush.
Dale

WOW!!!!! Never knew those even existed!!!!!!... when i mentioned burrs i was talking about your standard dremel like burrs (see attachment).

How much for the black extreme? Can you drop one in the mail and let me know so I can add it to the check for the Pot?

 

[Dale Cochoy]

Angel,
Here are the 4 choices that the Super Extreme black come in. These are pretty big burrs!!!

The cutter that Dremel sells are NORMALLY found in HIGH SPEED STEEL. THESE WILL NOT LAST long at all with our type work. Dremel does make some carbide cutters which are more expensive but will last a long time, however, most places you see Dremel supplies doesn't have very many, if any at all, and they only have a few shapes. Any time you are buying any kind/brand of high speed cutting tool for our type of work you should always purchase tungsten carbide cutters so they will last. This is true of router bits or anything.

 

[Dale Cochoy]

Dale, that's the kind I've always used, and been pretty pleased with them, but am looking for bits that can do some of the heavier work more quickly. I'm glad to see you've got some of those for sale also, as mine are wearing down a bit and they were initially a bit hard to track down, not really knowing back then what I was looking for.

I usually have a pretty fair selectin of these in different sizes and shapes. These are much more "Tame" than the router bits which can get away from you pretty quickly! If they get caught in the work you can do some damage. That is why I recommended starting with the smaller sizes of router bits. Die Grinders have LOTS of torque and if you get them caught in your work ....well, lets just that it will SUPRISE you!!

When doing shows I find myself continuly talking people OUT OF STUFF. I can sense a newbie to carving during a very short conversation and when I see them starting to choose the tools I know are above their expertise I have to steer them in the right direction for the skill level or equipment.

 

[Smoke]

When doing shows I find myself continuly talking people OUT OF STUFF. I can sense a newbie to carving during a very short conversation and when I see them starting to chose the tools I know are above their expertise I have to steer them in the right direction for the skill level or equipment.

Maybe you should think about letting them buy the stuff and start selling camera's and create a wall of shame area on your web site. I would visit that daily!

Happy new year! Al

 

[Dale Cochoy]

Lets Talk "serious Carving !!"

Once in a while we come across a major piece of stock that requires some serious wood removal so that we can get it into the range where it can be completed using carving tools that can be found in the toolbox of the average wood carver.
I have shown you some carving tools that are fairly severe in the amount of wood that they can remove, but, sometimes we need something that can really take it off faster so that we can then use the tools I've previously shown to further refine the work.
We now move into some of the carvers that can be used on the average 4" angle grinder that many may already have at home and are easily found at any home workshop-type store.
Lets start with the most dramatic first:
The most coarse cuts can be made with a couple different tools attached to the right angle grinder. The first tool I'm picturing is the "Lancelot" chain saw cutter. Basically it is a section of chain saw pinched between two plates which are designed to afford some "slip" to the chain if it gets caught. These come in 22 tooth and 14 tooth models. In case a single chain is too tame for you, they can be installed in tandem!! by attaching two 4" blades together or by using the smaller diameter "Squire"next to a Lancelot. These fit on any 5/8" arbor on a right angle grinder in the USA. ( They also come to fit metric arbors for non-USA machines).
The chains in these tools can be sharpened with either a chainsaw file or chainsaw sharpening stone on a Dremel-type tool.
Most right angle grinders have an rpm range around 12,000rpm. They are slower than die grinders but full of torque! They can easily remove wood very quickly.

 

[Dale Cochoy]

After we make our ROUGH cuts with a Lancelot carver we can smooth it up a bit by using the 4" burr discs. These are tungsten carbide discs that come in the same catagories of coarseness as the 1/4" shank burrs for the die grinders, except they are mounted on the angle grinder. They range from the standard silver grit up to the black Super Extreme. They come in 2 different shapes and even come in 7" discs for those with larger right angle grinders ( note: most folks don't use 7" grinders on bonsai! )
Below you will find a picture of a range of 4 different levels of coarseness on the burrs. If you follow them clockwise you will see the increase. These are cleaned the same way as the other burrs.

 

[Dale Cochoy]

An alternative to the burrs or the LANCELOT are the Arbortech cutters for the right angle grinders. For about the same cost as a Lancelot we find the PRO4 cutter This looks, basically, like a solid disc with chainsaw-looking teeth. It does not have a chain attached to it, instead the cutters are stamped into the solid metal disc. This steel is as hard as chainsaw blades. They can be sharpened in identical methods to the Lancelot. One drawback is that you cannot replace the cutters as with the Lancelot chain!
The more expensive, but very fine, alternative is the INDUSTRIAL PRO CARVER. The Industrial pro carver use 3 cutting heads which appear Identical to the cutting heads of the previously mentioned Samurai cutter for die grinders. These will have the greatest life expectancy for these type of tools, and the cutting heads are replaceable. This is the top of the line cutter for OUR PURPOSES when using right angle grinders.

 

[Dale Cochoy]

You might ask yourself "who uses these tools?"
Below you can see some pictures of Masahiko Kimura carving a demonstration tree using a LANCELOT cutter attached to his custom made carving machine. Many people have marveled at Mr. Kimura's tools that were custom made for him. He uses these one-of-a-kind tools extensively during carving demonstrations.
A few years ago California bonsaiman Ernie Kuo bought a LANCELOT carver from me as a gift for Mr. Kimura, his teacher. On two occasions since that time Mr. Kimura has bought extra LANCELOT carvers from me. He greatly enjoyed showing me the custom mandrel he had made for his tool to attach them. Below are some shots of Mr. Kimura with his custom tool which he has mounted the LANCELOT blade too.

 

[Bill S]

Dale you probably know, Graham Potter from the UK uses and sells these too, he did a workshop with our club very informative.

 

[Dale Cochoy]

Bill,
.....OK

BTW, I ALSO do workshops and demos, both bonsai and pottery, and...you don't have to fly me across the Atlantic!

Dale

 

[Graydon]

Bill,
.....OK

BTW, I ALSO do workshops and demos, both bonsai and pottery, and...you don't have to fly me across the Atlantic!

Dale

So true! We had Dale stop in and do a demo for our club in 2007 on his way to the Florida state convention. Great time and very informative. The attached photo is a close up of Dale working on a tree using one of his Makita grinders and a Samurai carver. Notice the excited onlookers!

 

[wahoo172]

Hey that tree looks like it needs to be repotted....

 

[Dale Cochoy]

Thanks Graydon,
BTW, I just noticed that the picture you posted illustrates my comments on stabilizing the die grinder. Note one finger from my left hand simply touching the tree. this slight contact alone stabilizes the tool immensely.
Dale

 

[Dale Cochoy]

A couple good carving tools to go into your carving tool box along with the Samurai or Ninja Master are the SHOGUN tools. The SHOGUN tools have 2 tungsten carbide cutters that are the same size as the Ninja Master cutters. It comes in the short model or the longer SHOGUN MASTER. These are great for getting down into some narrow and deeper areas of the trunk. Enclosed is a picture of the two next to a ruler and a picture of the head with and without the cutters attached. As with the Samurai and Ninja Master these cutters are replaceable and/or can be rotated to a new cutting face. These tools, like the Ninja Master, are machined from a solid piece of stainless steel.

 

[Poink88]

Dale,

Inquiry PM sent for the longer SHOGUN MASTER.

Thank you.

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Dario you would probably do better to go onto FB if you want to get something from Dale... he isn't a nutter anymore to speak of, if at all.

I have that bit... it's phenomenal... but you'd expect no less from a wood carving chick like me. lol

V

 

[Dale Cochoy]

https://www.facebook.com/dale.cocho...mono-no-Kokoro-Bonsai-Pottery/315977808423603

 

[Javaman4373]

Does anyone use a mini chain saw for carving? This Bosch model comes in a 12V and an 18 V version. https://bigamart.com/product/bosch-...MIpd35v9jt6wIVIv7jBx0Ahg8rEAQYASABEgJ-H_D_BwE

 

[penumbra]

Does anyone use a mini chain saw for carving? This Bosch model comes in a 12V and an 18 V version. https://bigamart.com/product/bosch-...MIpd35v9jt6wIVIv7jBx0Ahg8rEAQYASABEgJ-H_D_BwE

Looks like it would be good for aggressive carving on larger plants. I just bought an Abortech mini grinder but haven't had the time to even take it out of the box yet.

 

[Coppersdad]

Does anyone use a mini chain saw for carving? This Bosch model comes in a 12V and an 18 V version. https://bigamart.com/product/bosch-...MIpd35v9jt6wIVIv7jBx0Ahg8rEAQYASABEgJ-H_D_BwE

While in Japan, I was fortunate to see Master Kobayashi carve with one at his studio. Check this out:

He pioneered the use of a chainsaw and "the powers that be" at the time were really not happy with him.
thinking of my personal struggles with hand carving and with a Dremel, I shudder to think how much damage I'd do with a chainsaw. I'd probably need to practice on a green log for a couple of years...