Help me buy more tools!

I have read the "Tools carvers use" thread, but am still unsure on what tool(s) I want.

I've been getting by just fine with the limited tools I have had for the several years I've been carving tikis. Chainsaw (my ONLY tool for a while!), and a set of 5 Craftsman flat chisels, 2" - 1/4", plus various sanding and shaving tools. I don't do any small scale carving, it's all 2' to 8' tikis, and all fan palm.

I want to add some detail to my stuff, in the way of tattoo style lines on larger portions of tiki. I've seen several of you carvers do this on your tikis, but I don't know what you all are using. Here's my thoughtful guesses on what might work for me:

Gouges, V-tools, and any other handheld tool used with a mallet. Probably best to start simply. But I do like power, so...

Router. I don't know if this is an out of the box idea, but it works well in my mind. A carpenter I work with suggested a palm-style router, vs. the normal two-handed type.

Some sort of handheld power tool on a flexshaft. I'm not clear on these, or even their name!

I want to be able to carve a curving line about 1/2" wide and 1/2" deep, although those dimensions are up in the air until tried. What's the best way? What works for you, and why?

Your feed back on any of this is greatly appreciated!

4WDtiki, to make the line you describe and do it with the most control and with the ability to vary it as much as you want, you needThis Here tool. With a greas break a couple times, that will do your line all day long!

4WD, If your ever in Temecula or close, come on by I'll let you try a few Power and Non power tools that i have. That way you can get a feel for it before you buy.

Let me know.

On 2006-08-08 08:49, tikimecula wrote:
4WD, If your ever in Temecula or close, come on by I'll let you try a few Power and Non power tools that i have. That way you can get a feel for it before you buy.

Let me know.

I'll make the same San diego area offer. I PM'd you my phone #...
Buzzy

Benzart, that power chisel looks cool. Do you own one?

Andy, that sounds great. I'll PM you.

Thanks, both of you. Any other opinions, advice, or info out there, bring it! :D

Thanks, Buzzy! Dialing right now!

Yes I do, and it will put a smile on your face. I also have Foredom and Wecheer recip carvers for the flexshaft good for smaller work, don't get the Foredom brand.
If you want more power and don't mind spending 600$ then get the Flexcut power carver, it is a monster.

Ben!

Hopefully you mean don't get the Foredom brand recip "handpiece".

I love my Foredom SR Flex shaft 5240 unit - but I have the wecheer handpiece (not Foredom's) - a good combo.

By the way, the Arbortech unit may be cheaper at Smokey Mountain Woodcarvers, than at Treeline, and their service is excellent.

You know.... I bought the Arbortech chisel, and the Foredom with the Wecheer, and then figured out a few months later that I like carving with a chisel and mallet better. It's definitely slower, but it's quieter, more relaxing, and more fun. My two cents...

4WDTiki,

The Foredom might make your fingers buzz for hours, but it's a good buzz if you don't use it too too much. Many of us have spent countless hours researching tools and spent lots of bucks on them. And we cherish our expensive tools. But as Dave pointed out, there is a basic simplicity and efficiency in some of the oldest tools around, the chisel and mallet. And there is something to be said for slowing down the process, which allows you to think things out. That being said, go for it, buy all the toys (we all love 'em!), but don't ignore your hand tools.

A-A

On 2006-08-09 20:54, Davez_tikiz wrote:
You know.... I bought the Arbortech chisel, and the Foredom with the Wecheer, and then figured out a few months later that I like carving with a chisel and mallet better. It's definitely slower, but it's quieter, more relaxing, and more fun. My two cents...

I came to this same realization yesterday, while I was visiting Buzzy. (Thanks Buzzy, for lettin' me stop in and check out where the magic happens!) :wink:
While the Arbortech looks great, and I want one, I think I will start with a single V-tool chisel, and see how much I can do with it. Then, maybe get a gouge or two, and eventually, go for the powertools!

PS, Dave, want to sell that Arbortech, if you no longer use it? :D

On 2006-08-10 14:19, 4WDtiki wrote:
While the Arbortech looks great, and I want one, I think I will start with a single V-tool chisel, and see how much I can do with it. Then, maybe get a gouge or two, and eventually, go for the powertools!

That's the way I started too, and I use the hand tools lots more than the power tools. It's good to have all tools ever made, if you can a ford em (get it? A foredom? :wink:).

Benzart said (in a previous post somewhere) that power tools are fair game because anything you can use to remove lots of wood (when necessary) is good. Purists disagree somewhat, but someone else said in another post that if the ancients had power tools, they would be using them. Today's carvers in NZ and HI use power tools too.

It's all good in my book, but my book doesn't count. Use whatever whenever.

Look at the ancients tools back in the stone age they used stone chisels that worked,,sort-of. Then along came soft metal, did they say "Not for me, I'm a purist and the old wayz are z best?" No Way, they jumped right in to the bronze tools and then steel came along and did they stick with the Old again? Crap NO, man they want what cuts the best and FASTEST. Speed was the thing. Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie..
Along came power tools, do we stick our stuffy noses inn the air claiming to be Purists, "the Old ways are the best"??? Gimmie a break and then show me the Power cord.
There is a place and time for every tool. Just because you have a chainsaw, doesn't mean you carve the whole piece with it, you use it to rrrremove the largest pieces of wood as possible, then go to hand chisel, and if you are doing a repetative type section like hair or waves or such, then bring out the power chisel. when you get to the fine detail you put it away
If these pureists are REALLY that pure, they should be using stone and glass tools. but they don't so what gives? They are Selective purists meaning they want to use Only the old tools they like but not all./
So remember that when you buy tools You wnat a tool for every ocassion!

i use both. sometimes i'll force myself to use the chisels just so i can learn to become better with them. i like the way it feels when they cut through wood.

then again, i use macintosh and windows.

You Cheat!

On 2006-08-14 16:51, Benzart wrote:
You Cheat!

Buahahahahaaaaa! Ben Funny

Spent some money, got a new tool! I veered from my path and bought a log wizard. This thing kicks serious ass! It should majorly reduce my prep time, vs stripping logs by hand, or with a planer. (Buzzy take note, come by and try this thing out if you want.)

A V-tool chisel is my next purchase, I swear! :wink: