Dremel

I have a dremel and am more than intrigued about starting to carve Tiki's as I have been fascinated by them for as long as I can remember. I was wondering if anyone can suggest any bits that work well for carving? Are there any other tools or supplies (other than wood) that I might need?

Thanks in advance for the advice,

Chris.

A dremel is fine for small items, but if you're planning on carving logs you'll need bigger stuff- IE a chainsaw, mallet & chisels, grinder, rotary sander, etc. I've been carving some fish out of 2x10 redwood and even on something that small I use a chainsaw and router for rough shaping, a rotary sander for smoothing and then go to a moto-tool for final shaping & sanding. By the way, a whip attachment is fantastic for moto-tools, it's a lot easier to control than trying to hold the whole thing. Good luck and welcome aboard!

When using a Dremel (or a flexshaft) you have to have a strong grip because the spinning bit has a tendency to jump out of what you are carving.

As far as bits go, you should spring for the carbide bits. They seem to last forever, stay sharper and cleaner.

My advice would be to make the first "incision" with a chisel and use the dremel for clearing out what you don't want. Chisels give you more control.

For basic tools, if you wanted to start cheap, you could go to Home Depot and get their 3-pak of orange handled chisels for about $10. Get some kind of carvers mallet, or a rubber mallet if you wanted to start slow. Buy lots of sandpaper.
The most important tool is probably a pencil. You have to start with a good design drawn on the log.

If you wanted to get power tools, check pawn shops. Tools are one of the main things that people pawn.

If you really get into the carving, then you can really go crazy with tools.
Angle grinders, a true carving mallet, chainsaws, flexcut chisels seem to be popular. There are many options.

Also get safety gear. Always wear some kind of eye protection. Wear a mask or respirator when you are sanding or stripping a log.

With practice, you will learn what works for you.

I think Dremel is the most important tool. There are different types of tools like pencil, eraser and brush etc. I know little bit about this. This is a mechanical tool.

Richard Arthur
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^ SPAM ALERT ^

Clearly that guy posted the last message just to get his auto auctions message in there. Doesn't know about tools like pencils and erasers? LOL!