By the Staff of Woodcarving Illustrated

MakerX WX992L Manufactured by WorX® $169.99  worx.com/makerx

One of the greatest joys of carving is the portability of the craft. There’s nothing like putting knife to wood on a porch or park bench, in your backyard or on a cross-country trip. Until now, power carvers might have been the exception to this, but a unique system from WorX lets you unplug in a whole new way.

This was one of the first thoughts that hit us when we examined the MakerX rotary tool and its amazingly portable-power hub: now, power carvers can have the same freedom as hand carvers do.

Controls are on the power hub, not the tool handle.

The Power Hub The MakerX hub transfers the energy of a 20-volt lithium ion battery to any attached tool through a super flexible cord. The hub has an onboard power switch and variable speed control, negating the need for them to be incorporated into the individual tools. The kit we tested includes a rotary tool and an airbrush—but the hub can power additional MakerX tools, such as an angle grinder, heat gun, and burnisher. The WorX Power Share battery can provide up to three hours of power on a single charge, depending on the tool and how it’s being used.

Changing bits is easy with the integral spindle lock and the wrench supplied in the kit. The rotary tool has excellent power, with speeds up to 35,000RPM.

The Rotary Tool The handpiece has a comfortable ergonomic design with a soft-textured rubber grip. There’s plenty of power in the brushless motor, which allows for speeds from 5,000 to 35,000 RPM. We used several carving bits on pine and walnut blanks, and the tool performed well. The universal 1/8″ (3mm) collet holds any brand of rotary accessories. The tool is not loud, but has a high-pitched whine, especially at faster speeds. It’s worth noting that the tool will shut off when pushed too hard. This is a design feature that surprised us at first—but it occurs so that the bit or blade will not kick back or become difficult to control. If this occurs, reset the system by turning the startup button on the hub off, and then turn on again. Once familiar with the tool, we were able to carve with minimal interruptions.

The compressor pump provides a stable base for the airbrush to stand upright.

The Airbrush No noisy, bulky compressor or hose needed with the MakerX airbrush! The airbrush pen mounts directly onto a lightweight canister-type compressor that provdes 14-18 psi of air pressure. It also doubles as a comfortable handle for the brush, and solidly supports the unit upright when not in use. The pen itself is a high-quality tool that rivals those from well-known airbrush manufacturers.

Adjust paint flow with the knob on the end of the pen.

Conclusion When you place all the elements of the system into the well-designed carry bag, you’ll truly appreciate the compact portability of the MakerX. The tote is lined with pockets to hold the tools safely and separately, with ample space left over for carving blanks, a water bottle, several bottles of paint, and an extra battery or two to keep you crafting on the go. The price is modest for the array of quality tools in the kit—not to mention the capability to power carve nearly anywhere you want.

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By Editors of Woodcarving Illustrated

$579 at Foredom.net or check your local woodcarving supplier

Most power carvers use flexible shaft tools to make rough cuts and then add fine detail using micromotors with small bits, units that combine a comfortable handpiece with power supply and speed control. But at $579, Foredom’s new K.1060 Brushless Micromotor is something special—not only is it perfect for intricate carving, it’s powerful enough to handle heavier-duty work with ease. In fact, with this tool and an assortment of bits, I can carve any project under 8″ (20.3cm) from start to finish, all for a price that beats anything on the market.

Chuck in an aggressive carbide-point bit to remove waste wood in a hurry.

More Power = Faster Wood Removal To test the Foredom, I first put an aggressive carbide-point bit in a brushed micromotor and dug into a piece of oak. I couldn’t press very hard before the bit bogged down and the motor stalled. With the K.1060, I had to apply a great deal more pressure to get the tool to stall, and it tore through the hard oak much faster. Not as fast as a flexible shaft tool, perhaps, but plenty fast for my purposes.

With a finer bit, like this fluted cylinder, you can carve fur flow and texture.

Digital Readout = Safer, Easier Use Where most other micromotors have rough speed marks on the control dial, the Foredom has a precise digital readout, making it safer because you can make sure you’re not exceeding the bit manufacturer’s maximum allowed speed. Moreover, once you dial in a comfortable speed for different bits, you can easily return to that speed after changing them. Handpiece The K.1060’s quick-change handpiece accommodates bits with 3/32″ (2.4mm) and 1/8″ (3mm)-diameter shafts. Bit changes take seconds, and the collets grip well. As noted, the handpiece is comfortable to hold and the power cord is flexible and easy to maneuver.

Even finer bits, like this inverted cone (right), add more intricate detail. Below: a sample of bits the K.1060 can handle.

Workability Power carver Lori Andrews creates most of her projects—including the bear on our cover—using flexible shaft tools. I duplicated her project using just the Foredom. While I had to substitute a smaller carbide-point bit—Lori uses a large cylinder-shaped one with a 1/4″ (6mm)-diameter shaft—I was able to carve the bear in a similar amount of time, quickly and easily. In fact, I prefer the high-speed tool for adding the fur details because it allowed me to take light, quick cuts. Overall Opinion If you already have and regularly use a flexible shaft tool, you may not need a micromotor this powerful. But if you’re looking to start power carving, especially if you’re having trouble using edged tools, I highly recommend this bad boy. For most of my power carving, it’s now the only tool I use.

Get the Power Carving Manual 2023 Issue [button link=”https://www.foxchapelpublishing.com/magazines/power-carving-volume-5-2023.html” bg_color=”#ff0000″]Purchase the Issue[/button] For more articles like this, subscribe to Woodcarving Illustrated magazine. [button link=”https://www.foxchapelpublishing.com/wood-carving-illustrated-subscription.html” bg_color=”#ff0000″]Magazine Subscription[/button] Plus! Get digital mini magazines in your e-mail between printed issues. [button link=”https://woodcarving.zeeframes.com/enews/” bg_color=”#ff0000″]Subscribe to Strop Talk[/button]

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By Bob Duncan

Rockler’s Silicone Project Mat is one of those products that makes you ask, “Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before now?” This mat will protect your work surface from … well … everything.

The 15″ by 30″ mat gives you plenty of space to work. The 1/8″-thick nonstick but nonslip, heat-resistant silicone material is durable, and you can literally peel dried glue and paint off easily. The mat rolls up for storage, but ALWAYS opens flat. The patterned front catches glue, paint, and even wood chips and sawdust. It will even protect your workbench from a woodburner or soldering iron mishap.

It’s a must for glue-ups in the shop, but woodworkers beware! When I took one home to test, my wife fell in love with it. She envisioned using it with our kids for craft projects and when she makes greeting cards (the mat would catch ink overspray and glitter). A coworker ruefully mentioned ruining the finish on her kitchen table when fingernail polish remover soaked through newspaper—this mat would have prevented that. Basically, if you do anything besides eat at your dining room table, you need this mat.

Rockler’s Silicone Project Mat is available for $29.99 plus S&H from Rockler, 800-279-4441, www.Rockler.com.

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By Bob Duncan

Even expert carvers find themselves in situations where it’s challenging to get a clean cut. Either there’s a bad spot in the wood or you can’t get a tool into the area. The best tool to reach for in these situations is often a rasp, but the utility of traditional rasps is limited because, like the metal files they are related to, they cut only on the push stroke.

Enter the Kutzall Grit Hand Rasps. Kutzall has adapted their carbide-point bit technology and used it to create a set of grit hand rasps that cut on either a push or pull stroke. These tools, which come in a variety of shapes and grits, stand head and shoulders above traditional rasps, bringing much of the convenience of power carving to hand carvers.

I use the coarse-grit rasps to remove wood quickly. Like coarse-grit carbide-point bits, these rasps will leave scratches on the wood. You can remove them with the finer-grit rasps, which leave only fine scratches on the wood, especially if you shape with, rather than across, the grain.

I find the small, tapered, fine-grit rasps excellent for cleaning up cottonwood bark houses. They remove rough spots effortlessly, from the window details to the tight areas on a roof. They never require sharpening, and if they get clogged with glue or a resinous wood, you can easily clean them with oven cleaner or a butane torch.

Kutzall Grit Hand Rasps range in price from $25 to $49, depending on the grit, shape, and size. For more information or to purchase, call 810-765-100 or visit www.Kutzall.com.

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By Bob Duncan

Imagine combining an eraser with a sanding sponge—the result is the Klingspor Sandflex hand block. I use these blocks to literally erase rust anywhere.

The blocks come in three grits: coarse, medium, and fine. Choose a coarse or medium grit based on how much rust you need to remove, and use the fine grit to remove any scratches left by the coarser grits.

The flexible rubber of the blocks acts as a binder to hold the grit. The grit removes the rust, and the rubber erases any marks left by the abrasive on the tool. The blocks are flexible enough to fit inside the curves of most gouges, and it is easy to trim or carve them to fit into even the tightest veiners.

The rubber is soft, which means that as you use the block, you are constantly exposing new abrasive and wearing it away over time. However, I’ve been using the same block for about three years to clean up tools in my shop. I wore away quite a bit the first time I cleaned my band saw and table saw tables, but I haven’t worn away much since, even though I use it to maintain my saw tables and all of my carving tools.

It is possible to use the blocks on wood or to remove stains from hard surfaces, but I save them for my tools.

The set of three Sandflex Hand Blocks are available for $18 plus S&H from Klingspor on Amazon.com.

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By Bob Duncan

Arbortech’s new Contour Random Sander dramatically reduces the sanding time for any size carving. The sander, which attaches to an angle grinder, allows you to quickly sand all but the smallest of carvings. The soft rubber base of the sander adapts to the contour of the carving without digging in or changing the shape of the piece. It also fits easily into tight spaces.

The kit comes with pre-cut discs of PSA-backed sandpaper in various grits. You can buy discs from Arbortech or make your own.

Although there are no sharp cutting edges, I suggest clamping a carving in a vise while you use the sander. It’s easier to control with two hands on the angle grinder.

I tried the sander first on a large woodspirit I was carving with gouges and chisels. I used the tool to smooth the forehead a bit before I carved in wrinkles. The flexible pad fit into even the tightest corners at the hairline. In about 15 seconds, I sanded the entire forehead. (It was probably faster than that, but it took me that long to realize I was done sanding.)

To test the limits of how small I could go, I carefully clamped one of Tom Hindes’ 5-Minute Wizards in a vise (with Tom’s permission) and used the sander to remove some extraneous pencil marks. I didn’t try to get into all of the tight corners, but the sander did quickly remove the pencil marks.

The contour sander excels at removing tool marks left by carbide-point discs and other large power-carving tools. The pre-cut discs come in a variety of grits that let you choose how smooth to make the project. The overall size of the disc is large enough to reduce sanding time, but small enough to fit into tight areas.

The Arbortech Contour Random Sander is available for $89 plus S&H. Visit www.ArbortechUSA.com to purchase, or to find a local retailer.

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Tabletop dust collector cleans up after most aggressive bits

By Bob Duncan

Several commercial tabletop dust collectors are available, as are a host of plans for shop-made versions. The Tornado 1000, which is made in the USA by SMC Enterprises, stands out thanks to its large working area and the vast amount of air it can move. The Tornado 1000 took everything I could throw at it and kept going!

SMC Enterprises was begun by Steve Chlupsa and his brother Andy in the mid-1980s. They created the Optima line of woodburners and the SafeAir dust collector unit, which was popular during the 1990s. After selling the Optima line to PJL Enterprises in 2000, Steve got out of the dust collector business—until Andy wanted to upgrade his carving equipment. Steve went back to the drawing board.

The aptly named Tornado 1000 is built around a state-of-the-art 10″-diameter variable-speed impeller designed not to lose power or suction as it pulls 1,000 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) through the filter.The impeller fan is computer controlled, so flipping the switch triggers a self-diagnosis before starting the fan. Once the fan starts, it quickly moves up to speed. I could hear the air moving when I wasn’t using a tool, but once I started working, the tool drowned out the dust collector. (The dust collector has a noise rating of about 63 decibels (db) at low speed, 76db at medium speed, and 84db at high speed. A typical flexible shaft tool is rated at 68db, and a typical rotary tool comes in around 77db.)

I had a hard time finding a tool the Tornado 1000 couldn’t keep up with, and I tried a variety of tools of increasing sizes and dust production capacities without changing or cleaning the filter. The Tornado 1000 easily kept pace with an aggressive carbide-point bit in a rotary tool. After 20 minutes of carving while sitting comfortably outside the acrylic shield, there was almost no dust on the table, but dust covered the filter. The Farr 30/30 filter is a high-efficiency model that will catch most particles over 6 microns and is designed to provide good airflow even as it collects dust and debris.

Next, I moved on to a carbide point disc in Foredom’s new angle grinder handpiece. Even without changing or emptying the filter, the Tornado 1000 kept the workbench pretty clean. When I switched to a carbide point disc in a full-size angle grinder, the unit struggled a bit to keep up with the volume of dust I was creating. To take the test to the absurd, I tried Arbortech’s new Microplane disc, which creates shavings rather than dust. This is beyond any normal expectation for the unit, but the Tornado 1000 collected about half of the shavings and all of the fine dust. To test the unit’s ability to collect fine dust, I used an Abradenet disc in the mini angle grinder. I sat a comfortable distance from the shield, and the unit easily caught all of the sanding dust.

After completing my tests, I used a shop vacuum and an air compressor to restore the filter to nearly new condition. I’m sure the filter will break down over time; when it does, I suggest replacing it with another Farr 30/30 filter, which is available for $12.95, or a MERV11 filter, which catches particles down to 3 microns (useful when sanding or using diamond or ruby bits) and is available for $16.95.

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By Bob Duncan

Every carver should have a tube of wood-colored epoxy in his or her toolbox. Kampel’s WoodFil Epoxy is not only easy to use, but also comes in a variety of colors. I like the way you can mix and match different putty colors to make custom colors.

To use this two-part epoxy, simply cut off a slice and kneed it to mix the two parts. You can mold the putty to fill a hole or repair a damaged section. Carvers who use glass eyes for their pieces often use epoxy putty to seat the eyes in drilled holes, fashioning the excess epoxy into eyelids as it sets. Most epoxy putties come in a limited number of shades, which means sculpted or repaired areas usually need to be painted; however, Kampel’s selection of colors makes it easier to match the epoxy color to the blank. When dry, the epoxy patch can be sanded, cut, carved, and drilled. It never changes color and cannot be stained.

The WoodFil Epoxy is available for $11.15 per tube from www.americantechnologyinc.com.

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By Bob Duncan

Dremel’s new Fortiflex flexible shaft tool features a more powerful motor and higher torque than the company’s standard high-speed rotary tools. It comes with a hanging motor attached to a flexible shaft and a variable-speed foot pedal to control the 1/5hp motor, which can reach speeds of 23,000rpm.

Dremel discontinued its flexible shaft tool years ago but evidently gave in to requests to bring back the popular tool. It enters the market competing with a number of other similar—but not identical—flexible shaft tools. The Fortiflex is an able competitor; it’s both powerful and easy to use right out of the box.

The Fortiflex combines the speed of a traditional Dremel rotary tool with the power and torque of a flexible shaft tool. I had to bury an aggressive bit in a piece of wood to make the motor even slow down, but the tool, at top speed, was fast enough to use with all but the smallest bits. The three-jaw chuck in the tool’s hand piece will not accept 1/4″ (6mm)-diameter shaft bits, but that problem is easily solved because the tool is interchangeable with hand pieces from Foredom, Mastercarver, and most other flexible shaft tools.

The MSRP for the Fortiflex is $299. Visit www.Dremel.com to find a list of retailers.

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By Bob Duncan

Remove the excess wood on a carving easily with Arbortech’s new TurboPlane. This tool, which comes in two sizes, attaches to an angle grinder and allows you to remove wood quickly and easily.

I’ve used other tools that attach to an angle grinder and remove wood quickly, including Arbortech’s woodcarving disc and Holey Galahad, but they require a lot of effort to use. When I first tried the TurboPlane, I set my feet firmly, grabbed the grinder, braced my shoulders and wrists, and applied the tool to the wood. I was pleasantly surprised at how little resistance I felt as wood sliced off the blank. This tool moves wood without causing wrist, arm, and shoulder fatigue.

I use the large TurboPlane to remove excess wood and use the smaller one in tighter areas. Just make sure the blank is firmly clamped down so you can use both hands on the angle grinder.

The full-size TurboPlane is available for $159, and the Mini-Turbo is available for $139. For more information, contact Arbortech, 866-517-7869, www.arbortech.com.

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