Lonnie Jones Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Hi everyone, I was needing some advice on micro motor tool, I was wanting to start carving netsuke and I was wondering which micro moto tools are the best there are a few that I have been looking at the nsk and foredoms new micro motors could anyone offer any advice? Thank you, Lonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Broadwell Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Lonnie, I make knives and writing instruments and do a lot of carving on them. I've never made a netsuke. I use a small rotary tool from http://www.woodcarverssupply.com/store/ Run down the left menu to "Power Carving", then click on "Micro Motor Tools". Mine is #793000. I also bought a 1/16" collet and their carbide burrs. I also have a Foredom, but don't use it much anymore. The little one works nicely and holds up well. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon F Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Lonnie, I make knives and writing instruments and do a lot of carving on them. I've never made a netsuke. I use a small rotary tool from http://www.woodcarverssupply.com/store/ Run down the left menu to "Power Carving", then click on "Micro Motor Tools". Mine is #793000. I also bought a 1/16" collet and their carbide burrs. I also have a Foredom, but don't use it much anymore. The little one works nicely and holds up well. David That looks a good little unit. Has anyone tried the 450,000 RPM TURBO CARVER-II COMPLETE KIT -air powered tool??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Hastings Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 That looks a good little unit. Has anyone tried the 450,000 RPM TURBO CARVER-II COMPLETE KIT -air powered tool??? I have an aunt who dabbles in gourd carving she has a turbo carver. It is nice on gourds almost useless on metal. It has an extremely high speed and extremely low torque. Can't say much about its performance in wood as that is not my medium. It is inexpensive and easy to repair, but personally I can't find any use for so little torque. They say it will carve a chicken egg without chipping or cracking it. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 I have a turbo carver II and I love it. The only way it works on metal is with diamond bits and don't get matcho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 I use the Electer Emax NSK. 35,000 rpm down to 1,000 rpm, great torque for what I do with dense hardwoods and mammoth tusk. The motor is in the hand piece, with a coiled electric cord, easy to control. The flex-shaft varieties that produce swing and stiff handling with motor separate are not easy to control and make for more hand and arm fatigue after hours of tight work. Janel I'll PM you with contact information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonnie Jones Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Lonnie, I make knives and writing instruments and do a lot of carving on them. I've never made a netsuke. I use a small rotary tool from http://www.woodcarverssupply.com/store/ Run down the left menu to "Power Carving", then click on "Micro Motor Tools". Mine is #793000. I also bought a 1/16" collet and their carbide burrs. I also have a Foredom, but don't use it much anymore. The little one works nicely and holds up well. David Thank You David, I appreciate it, I like the price on that one to it fits nicely into my budget. I looked at your website and your knifes and pens are amazing. Lonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonnie Jones Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 I use the Electer Emax NSK. 35,000 rpm down to 1,000 rpm, great torque for what I do with dense hardwoods and mammoth tusk. The motor is in the hand piece, with a coiled electric cord, easy to control. The flex-shaft varieties that produce swing and stiff handling with motor separate are not easy to control and make for more hand and arm fatigue after hours of tight work. Janel I'll PM you with contact information. Thank you I appreciate it Janel I'll give these folk a call, I was wondering do you usually when you carve on mammoth tusk do you usually do the majority of the rough shape of your peices with the micro carver and the do find detail with hand tools. I ran across a short video clip of you demonstrating the use of your tools on a peice of boxwood in the forum and I was wondering if you had a demo on tusk carving. Lonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi Lonnie, I use the power tool for roughing in both wood and mammoth tusk. I don't get close enough in to do detail work, just the bulk of the excess material. I always use hand tools to establish the final shapes and work through to the details with hand tools as well. If the power tool can assist opening a particular spot that a hand tool cannot do, then I will use it for a moment. The farther I get with the detailing, the more fearful I become of wizzing away something that was intended to be left, since the machine works so much faster and knows no limits. Hand tools have their limits, so to speak, though they can do damage as well with a slip or a poke in the wrong direction. I have done only the one demo video. I am not likely to do a mammoth carving one, since I don't carve it often, though you never know... Janel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSS Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Be careful when buying micro motors .. some of them are sold with a basic on/off type footswitch................i recently had one purchased for me in US but the guy did a deal and swapped the footswith to a variable speed one ............Just something to think about..it is also the quick release type ...no messing about ....a quick twist and the tools locked in place.... ..also some may require the use of spanners to tighten the collet up.......this for me is a real pain...Once you use the quick release type there's no going back...... also recently purchased a new foredom handpiece which is the quick release type, the one i had before was tightend up by hand ... again the difference is superb.........and quick....the speed aspect may not apply to everyone but once you get going im not a fan of stopping to mess about with spanners....each to their own...... The micro motor I purchased was a Marathon 7 fairly cheap compared to some of the other Hi end products out there...I had a different handpiece supplied and the footswitch being variable so ended up with a decent bit of kit........had a little play last week and really pleased with it......not had a chance to give it the full work out as the house is falling down around me...Im starting to dislike DIY very much..............My intensions are to use it for fine detail rather than ripping away large chunks or material...I'll use the foredon for that...... The foredom handpiece I purchased is used on a basic motor and flex drive.This was again a lot cheaper than the foredom motor and has been used for many hours with no problems at all .the handpiece is a No. 10D with Duplex Spring . .have a look on the foredom home page for their handpieces...i got mine of ebay for a fraction of the list price ,,,SHOP. around ..... ..... I remember Clive saying If your going down the road of a flex drive buy a good quality handpiece..Ive done that and the difference is amazing...you feel as though your in touch with the tool rather than fighting with it ...... hope this helps...lots of ways to go depending on you budget...... would like to talk more but Joanne has told me to get some more DIY done and i feel I may bore you to death..... good luck.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Broadwell Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Thanks, Lonnie. I've attached a couple of images of parts I carved with my micro motor. The elements on the blade were made using abrasive disks, carbide burrs, some small riffler files. I used small rubberized abrasive sticks in the rotary tool for some finishing. All this was done with the blade in the annealed state to make it easier on me. The second pic shows the handle for the same knife. It is stabilized koa. I used the micro motor and abrasive disks to rough it in, and burrs and rifflers to refine the shapes. I cut the textures with a burr. I do have to take it easy on wood since it's so much softer than the steel, but the small rotary tool is easy to control once you get the hang of it. The guard was carved from wax, specifically the blue wax that can be filed. I used the rotary tool to rough it in. Had to be really careful with this! I'll show pictures of the finished knife in a few days. I looked into the turbo carvers but because of the lack of torque I did not think it would work for me. However, they may work well for your wood carving where less torque is needed. I don't think they would be great for hogging off excess material, but I bet they are great for fine detail work. I have a video that shows how I use the little MM. It is geared for knives and mostly metal work though. Several of us have been trying to get Janel interesting in cutting metals (like damascus for dragonfly wings!). Maybe I should put the sales pitch on her at the same time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Blades Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi, I have an ex dental Micromotor, a Royal Hand engine C-33 . I got it second hand a few years ago and it has been very useful for delicate wax carving and also a bit of silverwork. It is starting to get hot at the front end,ie too hot to hold in the end. Can(or should) I oil it , or are its bearings going. I don't put a lot of pressure on it but a do use it for prolonged periods, say 1/2 -3/4 of an hour at a time. is this too long to use one? I wouldn't be without one now, especially since I made myself what I am told is a 'Knuckleduster' see below I didn't invent it but I can't find the source at the moment. It does stop your hand aching though. Anyone help?, regards Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 (It'll take time and money, and I have neither of those right now!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ruslander Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Mr. Broadwell. I see a strange image forming in in the scroll pattern. Bits of undersea "alien". Thanks for posting the unfinished. That's how I learn different techniques. Thanks for sharing. Mike R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsterling Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Can(or should) I oil it , or are its bearings going. I don't put a lot of pressure on it but a do use it for prolonged periods, say 1/2 -3/4 of an hour at a time. is this too long to use one?regards Tim. Hi Tim, Bad news - the bearings are gone. High speed bearings of this type are sealed, oiling will just destroy the rest of the machine. You should be able to use it for any amount of time with fully functional bearings. More bad news - replacing bearings is expensive, but less than a new handpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonnie Jones Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 David, Thank you for the information, I can't wait to see the finished knife. I think I will be leaning toward a good micro motor and just take my time get use to the feel of it. Lonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonnie Jones Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 (It'll take time and money, and I have neither of those right now!) It was a great video, It really shed some light on netsuke carving, Maybe in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Hi Lonnie, The time and money thing was for learning metals, but any video would take lots of time, and then money too, because my camera takes 35 second clips, and a movie camera would be great for continuous work demos. Thank you for the compliment! Watching others carve has always been a dream of mine. When I was a potter, I learned by watching, and taught by demonstrating. Carving has been a very solo learning experience. That is one reason why this forum is such a great resource for those who wish to learn and for those who wish to learn more. I get to learn a lot from all of you folks! My thanks to all of you! David, video? Tell us more about it, like will any of us be able to see it? NSK Elector Emax Mine is like the one at the top of the page, the standing blue model. It will go left and right, has hookups for two tools... learn more... Janel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 That looks a good little unit. Has anyone tried the 450,000 RPM TURBO CARVER-II COMPLETE KIT -air powered tool??? Simon I was alittle short with my responce on the turbo carver, let me clarify my experiance with my little miracle power tool. First of all the air compressor you use should be a small comercial, an air brush type does not work I understand, I have never tryed it myself, all of my compressors are comercial with small tanks. I am able to carve hens eggs without chipping or breaking. I have carved emu eggs and have gotten wonderful results and effects. I have used it on metal, annealed steel is the hardest and only with high grade diamond bits and what you accomplish ingraving, unless you are very patient and work over the same spot over and over. You cannot sensibly carve steel with this tool, as has been said and I will say the answer about torque - it has none - zero - don't even think torque! This tool is not for removing wood substantially, this is only for intense detail, and it does a beautiful job. When I am useing this tool to a flat surface such as the side of a face or the surface of a leaf it feels just as though I am chaseing silver. For what it is made for it is a wonderful little tool. The model I bought is the one that has the water mist attachment. I carve small stones, with this little attachment I am no longer stuck with files and sand paper, or useing a flexshaft in a pan of water. I feel I have reached the 20th century. Next I hope to graduate to the 21st century with laser..... Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Broadwell Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 David, video? Tell us more about it, like will any of us be able to see it? Janel Janel, I produced a commercial video a couple of years ago with a company that makes many instructional videos for knifemakers. There were a lot of knifemakers asking me how I carved my knives, and while I was happy to just tell them it did make sense to get paid for it! It's 2 hours long, and much of it is using my rotary tools, especially the micro motor, to carve steel and other metals. However, I use the same tools and techniques to carve ivory, wood, mother of pearl, and other materials. I just have to take it easy on them. It's easy to adapt the tools and techniques to other objects. I use them for my pens. Go to my web site and you'll see a link in the upper left area. Mike Ruslander has one of the DVDs. Mike, tell everybody if you think it will work for them. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon F Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 SimonI was alittle short with my responce on the turbo carver, let me clarify my experiance with my little miracle power tool. First of all the air compressor you use should be a small comercial, an air brush type does not work I understand, I have never tryed it myself, all of my compressors are comercial with small tanks. I am able to carve hens eggs without chipping or breaking. I have carved emu eggs and have gotten wonderful results and effects. I have used it on metal, annealed steel is the hardest and only with high grade diamond bits and what you accomplish ingraving, unless you are very patient and work over the same spot over and over. You cannot sensibly carve steel with this tool, as has been said and I will say the answer about torque - it has none - zero - don't even think torque! This tool is not for removing wood substantially, this is only for intense detail, and it does a beautiful job. When I am useing this tool to a flat surface such as the side of a face or the surface of a leaf it feels just as though I am chaseing silver. For what it is made for it is a wonderful little tool. The model I bought is the one that has the water mist attachment. I carve small stones, with this little attachment I am no longer stuck with files and sand paper, or useing a flexshaft in a pan of water. I feel I have reached the 20th century. Next I hope to graduate to the 21st century with laser..... Debbie Thanks Debbie - i've been looking over all the suggested tools people have been discussing. What fun we could all have if money was no object... So with the air tool you'd need to have other power tools too i guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ruslander Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Glad to Dave, Actually I just watched it again the other day. It is in depth and full of how to info. I've drawn up a plan for a knife and want to get started carving using the Broadwell technique. It will give you lots of ideas, but best of all, you will learn how to make those ideas a reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Broadwell Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Take some pictures of your progress if you can, Mike. I would like to see what you come up with. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Broadwell Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 (It'll take time and money, and I have neither of those right now!) I certainly understand, Janel. I can't help you with the time, but if you really want to try I'll send you a couple of little scraps of damascus to play with. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Blades Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Thanks for the advice Tom, I tracked down a new front bearing and it is running as sweet as a nut now. Apparently Royal is a common make for dental technicians although they don't seem to have a web presence. It cost me a tenner and was easy to replace. for anyone in the UK with one I got it from a company called Skillbond, they are also sending me details of their range of burs which sound interesting. Dental technicians seem to use bigger stuff than dentists. regards Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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