treesner Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 Would like to have a die grinder with some kutzal bits for the tight corner areas of my sculptures where I do most of the work with an angle grinder. I bought this big makita one, haven’t used but it seems overkill with the size. 25,000 rpm 3.9 lb wondering if this smaller makita one would be sufficient 28,00 rpm 2 lb or if one of these flex shaft grinders where the motor is separate from the grinder would be better? I just don’t like that it has a foot pedal, more chords to get in the way / setup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 I cannot get any of your links to pull up, so am speaking in generalities. If your sculptures sit on a bench, the foot pedal is nice as you can use two hands in your work. One to grind and one to stabilize or rotate your work. RPM is only half of the equation. Higher RPM can help small bits be more effective. Lower are preferred with wider bits. Torque is where I often run into issues with small units like the classic Dremmel. You grind plywood forms? The glue in the ply will drag on those grinders, requiring torque and making the motor hot. Flex shaft grinders allow for motors that handle this better and are remote so heat is not an issue. This may all be info you already know. Just want to be thorough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 Expensive to start up, but air-powered die grinders are quite compact. Speed varies with air pressure, but they do require volume. If you already have a large compressor, its a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 I went through several on my sculpted bar stools the one I kept was an air powered Ingersoll Rand around $70. I love me some Makita cordless tools, I have many, but the unit was way to big and the batteries went fast. I also tried a corded version but found it to be to big as well. The IR is only slightly bigger than the size of my hand and worked very well. Downside I'm not sure how big of compressor you need I have a very large one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 I've used the large self contained grinders you mentioned and they are not balanced, they are bulky, and it is hard to control wood removal. I currently use a flex-shaft grinder and love it because it is small and light. Don't seem to mind the foot pedal, but that may be because I'm a dentist in real life and I'm used to using a foot pedal for a drill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 1 hour ago, Bmac said: I've used the large self contained grinders you mentioned and they are not balanced, they are bulky, and it is hard to control wood removal. I currently use a flex-shaft grinder and love it because it is small and light. Don't seem to mind the foot pedal, but that may be because I'm a dentist in real life and I'm used to using a foot pedal for a drill. Are you using an old dental drill in the workshop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 44 minutes ago, Mark J said: Are you using an old dental drill in the workshop? No the tool I'm using is actually a woodworking product. I'm sure you could repurpose and use old dental drills in the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted November 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 6 hours ago, Tpt life said: I cannot get any of your links to pull up, so am speaking in generalities. If your sculptures sit on a bench, the foot pedal is nice as you can use two hands in your work. One to grind and one to stabilize or rotate your work. RPM is only half of the equation. Higher RPM can help small bits be more effective. Lower are preferred with wider bits. Torque is where I often run into issues with small units like the classic Dremmel. You grind plywood forms? The glue in the ply will drag on those grinders, requiring torque and making the motor hot. Flex shaft grinders allow for motors that handle this better and are remote so heat is not an issue. This may all be info you already know. Just want to be thorough. fixed, did it on mobile didnt work for some reason. didnt know about torque no, how do do they measure that to make sure I have efficient setup 5 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Expensive to start up, but air-powered die grinders are quite compact. Speed varies with air pressure, but they do require volume. If you already have a large compressor, its a good option. yeah I love sculpting with compressed air tools but dont have the space for that in my current shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted November 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 3 hours ago, pkinneb said: I went through several on my sculpted bar stools the one I kept was an air powered Ingersoll Rand around $70. I love me some Makita cordless tools, I have many, but the unit was way to big and the batteries went fast. I also tried a corded version but found it to be to big as well. The IR is only slightly bigger than the size of my hand and worked very well. Downside I'm not sure how big of compressor you need I have a very large one. air would be ideal but dont have the space. that makita one is pretty huge. wonder if this one would be better and torquey enough https://www.amazon.com/Makita-GD0603-Compact-Die-Grinder/dp/B01C3WPX6I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1543599359&sr=8-5&keywords=makita+die+grinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted November 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 2 hours ago, Bmac said: I've used the large self contained grinders you mentioned and they are not balanced, they are bulky, and it is hard to control wood removal. I currently use a flex-shaft grinder and love it because it is small and light. Don't seem to mind the foot pedal, but that may be because I'm a dentist in real life and I'm used to using a foot pedal for a drill. that makes sense because I need two hands on the grinder when using an angle grinder. could see the die grinder needing the same with the weight of it. which flex shaft did you get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted November 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 I wonder if something like this would be good, I can use it as a normal die grinder or attach the flex shaft and use that, also no foot pedal https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-Portable-Flexible-Complete-Accessories/dp/B000LRJZ8U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1543599746&sr=8-5&keywords=flex+shaft+die+grinder+attachment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 17 minutes ago, treesner said: air would be ideal but dont have the space. that makita one is pretty huge. wonder if this one would be better and torquey enough https://www.amazon.com/Makita-GD0603-Compact-Die-Grinder/dp/B01C3WPX6I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1543599359&sr=8-5&keywords=makita+die+grinder Honestly I think its still going to be two bulky at 2 lbs and 12" to give you a reference the IR is 6 1/2" and 1 lb. If air is an issue I think the flex shaft tools would be worth a look. Unfortunately I don't have personal experience with those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 There are rotary tools that have a small DC motor in the handheld unit, and a flexible power cord coming from a power supply. They come in all sorts of sizes, speeds, and power ratings, but are pretty expensive. Here is one of the cheaper ones: https://mdiwoodcarvers.com/products/07-bp50-ram-brushless-micro-motor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 4 hours ago, treesner said: that makes sense because I need two hands on the grinder when using an angle grinder. could see the die grinder needing the same with the weight of it. which flex shaft did you get I got the Wecheer 1/4 hp flexshaft kit. If I had to do it again I'd get the Foredom setup. The cost was less for the Wecheer, a Chinese machine, I did that because I wasn't sure how I would like it. Knowing what I know now and how I like to use it than I would have got the better unit. With that said I haven't had any issues with the unit I have and I've used it for about 6 sculptured pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 1, 2018 Report Share Posted December 1, 2018 These micro motor grinders are much cheaper now than when I was looking at them some years back. https://www.fdjtool.com/mo4010-besqual-2-micromotor-with-standard-handpiec.html https://gregdorrance.com/product-category/carving-tools-supplies/power-carving-2/micro-motor-units/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted December 1, 2018 Report Share Posted December 1, 2018 Newbie question here: where do these tools fit in, say between a dremel tool and an angle grinder? Could/would you carve a section of a totem pole (or sculpt a braided rope in a beam) with one of these micro motor grinders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted December 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2018 do those little flex shaft grinders handle big burs? all the examples I see are people doing tiny pieces/details more for like knives where as all the chainsaw carvers are using the big makita/harbor freight style die grinders and that scale work is more what I'm doing looks powerful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krtwood Posted December 1, 2018 Report Share Posted December 1, 2018 I have the Foredom SR and wish I'd gotten the TX. It's okay for smaller bits but something like a 3/4" ball it's really easy to stall it. I doubt you could push even the TX as hard as in that video though. Also I hated the foot pedal and ripped off the pedal part and added a knob to press it. I also don't like the power switch, which has off in the middle and forward and reverse on either side. You have to be really careful to only turn it off and not accidentally throw it into reverse. If you do it destroys the flex shaft. But for what's going on in that video, also look at the Arbortech ball gouge. That thing is a beast and leaves a fantastic surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted December 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2018 14 minutes ago, krtwood said: I have the Foredom SR and wish I'd gotten the TX. It's okay for smaller bits but something like a 3/4" ball it's really easy to stall it. I doubt you could push even the TX as hard as in that video though. Also I hated the foot pedal and ripped off the pedal part and added a knob to press it. I also don't like the power switch, which has off in the middle and forward and reverse on either side. You have to be really careful to only turn it off and not accidentally throw it into reverse. If you do it destroys the flex shaft. But for what's going on in that video, also look at the Arbortech ball gouge. That thing is a beast and leaves a fantastic surface. whats the TX? I ordered this kutzal ball bur https://kutzall.com/collections/ball-nose/products/1-4-shaft-extreme-ball-nose-burrs?variant=30013938693 and a less course version for clean up because of how much glue are in my pieces ive found any thing blade related dulls super fast (chainsaw or chainsaw grinding wheel) the little carbide tipped spiky things work great though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesner Posted December 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc53sFJsyY0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krtwood Posted December 1, 2018 Report Share Posted December 1, 2018 The SR is 1/6 hp and the TX is 1/3 hp. That's gotta be a softwood he's carving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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