"HowToWoodCarve participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. HowToWoodCarve currently holds affiliation with Dremel. HowToWoodCarve currently holds affiliation with Amazon.
Choosing the right flex shaft tool can be a little overwhelming, even after a TON of research.
The purpose of this short article is to shine light upon exactly which flex shaft tool is right for you without overloading you with a ton of information,
Before we continue, keep these two questions in mind:
1) What do I plan on power carving?
2) What is my budget?
What is a Flex Shaft Tool?
A flex shaft tool consist of a motor, a flex shaft wire and a hand piece.
Many people from hobbyists to professionals use flex shaft tools in various situations.
While many things can be done with a flex shaft tool, this guide is written to show how a flex shaft tool relates to wood carving,
Each flex shaft tool usually falls in one of the categories below:
Large Motor Flex Shaft Tools
Small Motor Rotary Tools with Optional Flex Shaft Attachment
Pneumatic & Micro-motors (which are not traditional flex shafts)
Large Motor Flex Shaft Tools
Large flex shaft tools have a larger motor, which in turn has more torque to "hog" through wood. These units are very powerful and can handle from small to very large projects. Find it on Amazon here.
Foredom SR Series with 1/6 hp motor.
Pros
External speed/foot controller
Consistent torque at lower speeds & higher speeds
Interchangeable hand-pieces
Has the ability to go forward or in reverse
Cons
More expensive
Usually runs at lower speeds compared to other units
Small Motor Flex Shaft Tools
Small hand-held rotary tools are the most common and widely available. A common example of this is the Dremel.
Dremel and other similar brands are marketed as "hand-held rotary" tools but almost all of them have an option for a flex shaft attachment.
These are great for smaller to medium-sized projects. Find the Dremel 4000 on Amazon here.
Dremel 4000 w/Flex Shaft Attachment
Pros
Easy to find
Budget friendly
Many brand's to choose from
Can be used as a flex shaft with the proper attachment
Cons
Can lack torque for bigger projects
Not necessarily made for hours of extended use
Pneumatic Carvers & Micro-Motors
Pneumatic carvers & micro-motors aren't considered to be true flex shaft's because they do not use a steel wire.
Pneumatic carvers use air to spin the carving burrs instead of a flex shaft wire.
Pneumatic carvers need an air tank and other accessories in order to operate. These may be purchased separately or in a bundle.
Micro-motors are not as fast as pneumatic carvers, but they are faster than the larger & smaller motor flex shaft and rotary tools. Micro-motors have the motor built inside the hand-piece,
Pneumatic carvers and micro-motors are great for light carving applications, precision and detail work.
Strong 202 from Tree Line USA.
Pros
Great for precise detailing and light carving work
Very quiet
Leaves clean cuts
Cons
Can be expensive depending on what you plan to do with it
Not as fast as an air turbine unit
Not recommended for heavy stock removal
400XS from SCM Systems. (Air Tank & supplies not shown)
Pros
EXTREMELY Fast RPM's
Fantastic for precise detailing & light carving
No drag or "hiccups" while carving
No hand fatigue while carving
Cons
Can be expensive depending on what you plan to do with it
Not recommended for heavy stock removal
RPMs: How fast does my flex shaft need to be?
RPM stands for "rotations per minute." This is how we judge the speed of the carving burr when it is spinning.
There is something that you need to understand:
Running at higher RPMs doesn't necessarily make the carving process faster, OR the tool better.
The benefit of running the flex shaft tool at a higher RPM is that it produces smoother cuts,
although, higher speeds are not effective for removing a lot of wood.
To give you a general idea, here are some standard RPMs from each category of the tools mentioned above:
Foredom SR series up to 18,000 RPM
Dremel 4000 up to 35,000 RPM
Strong 202 Micro Motor up to 45,000 RPM
Pneumatic Carver SCM 400XS up to 400,00 RPM
Let's go back to the two questions you asked yourself earlier:
What do I plan power carving?
What is my budget?
Small Motor Flex Shaft
For most people just starting out, the small motor rotary tool with the flex shaft attachment like the Dremel 4000 will work fine.
You can check out the Dremel 4000 on Amazon here.
If your budget is very limited, there are always cheaper options available on Amazon.
One cheaper option I recommend can be found on Amazon here.
Large Motor Flex Shaft
As your skills increase or if you just want to take on larger projects and need a little extra power, a large motor flex shaft unit like the Foredom SR series will always be a great choice,
You can pick up the Foredom Sr Series on Amazon here.
Pneumatic Carver
A pneumatic carver is a fantastic choice for fine detail work or general light carving.
They are more expensive, but they will make up for the cost, time and time again,
The pneumatic carver I recommend is System 3 from SCMS which you can find here.
Micro-Motors
Micro-motors can be very handy to have around, especially when combined with a traditional flex shaft tool. As with the pneumatic carvers, they aren't designed to remove a lot of wood but are great for light carving and detail work.
You can find the Strong 202 Micro-motor at Tree Line USA here
I hope this guide will help you make your decision on which power carving tool you need to start carving with or to expand your current collection.
To learn more about power carving please visit our associated Youtube HERE
All advice & recommendations are given unbiasedly on author's sole opinion.
HowToWoodCarve participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. HowToWoodCarve currently holds affiliation with Dremel. HowToWoodCarve currently holds affiliation with Amazon.
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