Power Carving Burrs
Based on the number of questions we receive, no other area of carving is as frustrating to the new power carvers as trying to figure which tool to use where.
For Roughing to a shape from a Bandsaw cutout, use:
- Typhoons
- Fluted Carbides
- Ruby Carvers
- Coarse Stump Cutters
For Smoothing the blank before adding detail, use:
- Cushioned Sanding Cylinder
For Feather Groups, and Contour definitions, use:
- Ruby Carvers
- Diamonds
- Stump Cutters
- Mounted Abrasives (pink and white stones)
- Split Sanding Mandrel
For TEXTURING:
- Mounted Abrasives (stones)
- Diamonds
- Rubies
"THE RIGHT TOOL"
A lot of carvers get hung up (you might say clinically paralyzed) on choosing "the right ruby carver-diamond-stone" for a given area. The obvious answer is the right one is the one that works! You'll soon discover that using the side of a blunt shaped tool will define feather bumps, muscle groups, and general contours, and smooth out grinding and sanding marks.
The edge of a cylinder or inverted cone leaves a grooved surface that will simulate individual feather barbs, or hair in the beard of figure carving. Incidentally, you can eliminate a fair of the fuzzing from texturing in basswood by simply running the sharp edge of the stone against a dressing stone to dull down the cutting edge.
Sharply tapered tools, like some diamonds, are best used when dragged like the stroke of a paintbrush. This will help prevent the tool from digging in to the surface. A boring-in type of cut will usually result in the tool catching in the wood grain and going where it wants to, not where you want it to.