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.

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Scroll down for links to his top books from Fox Chapel!

20 Minute Whittling Projects	Art & Technique of Scandinavian-Style Woodcarving	Caricature Carving from Head to Toe
Carving Faces Workbook	Carving Little Caricatures	Carving the Human Face, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded
Hand Carving Snowmen and Santas	Learn to Carve Gnomes, Trolls, and Mythical Creatures	Whittle Little Folk
Whittling Country Folk, Revised Edition	Whittling the Country Bear and His Friends	Whittling the Old Sea Captain, Revised Edition

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By Lora S. Irish and Staff of Woodcarving Illustrated

MSRP
$112.95 (Foundation Set, factory sharpened)
$51.95 (Detail Set)
$78.95 (Expansion Set) 

Schaaftools.com

Three years ago, the WCI team reviewed Schaaf’s brand-new 12-piece foundation set with the hope that the manufacturer would expand its line of high-quality hand tools (see “Sharp Tools, Great Value,” issue #87). Now, they have: in addition to the foundation set (which, according to CEO Eli Pearlman, hasn’t changed), Schaaf offers a seven-piece expansion set complete with gouges, fishtails, and V-tools that complement the first set without any overlap. They’ve also added a four-piece detail set consisting of strictly fishtail gouges for fine detail work. 

Renowned relief carver and author Lora S. Irish prefers Schaaf’s tool sets for their tough steel, which she estimates to fall near 60 on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. This means that the tools not only sharpen well but hold an edge for long stretches of time. The steel also runs on the thicker side, letting the user “work the hardest of woods with a mallet without damaging the tool.” (For softer woods, such as basswood and butternut, Lora re-bevels her tools from the standard 23° to 15°.) 

Another notable feature of these sets is the size and shape of the handles. Lora, a carver with smaller hands, welcomes the tapered barrel design, as it offers a variety of grip options—no matter your hand size. 

For each of its three core sets, Schaaf offers both factory-ground and professionally sharpened options. If you go with the former, some basic sharpening will be necessary before you jump into carving. (For an easy step-by-step guide to sharpening all your hand tools, check out Lora’s new booklet below.) 

“These are excellent, long-tanged, long-handled, hard steel tools at an extremely reasonable price,” Lora said. “They provide good value and a nice range of sizes and shapes that will last a lifetime of woodcarving.”

Further Reading Sharpening Carving Tools for Beginners by Lora S. Irish Item 03122. Available for $9.99 + S&H (parcel post) from Fox Chapel Publishing, 800-457-9112, FoxChapelPublishing.com, or your local retailer.

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By the Staff of Woodcarving Illustrated

This review originally appeared in the Winter 2021 issue (#97). To purchase the full issue, click HERE! 

Protective gloves are the unsung heroes of the carving world—a handy tool that allows you to practice the craft not just for a year but for a lifetime. Although a good glove can significantly reduce the likelihood of injury on the job, many carvers forego it, citing reduced dexterity, comfort, and grip. 

Not so for Schaaf Tools’ new line of high-performance cut-resistant safety gloves. Made from a hardworking blend of HPPE (high-performance polyethylene), fiberglass, nylon, and spandex, with a double Butyronitrile coat on the palm side, they allow for a comfortable carving experience that doesn’t skimp on safety. In fact, these bad boys received an A9 rating—the highest possible score—on the ANSI test, which measures the weight in grams required to tear through a given material with a blade. Additionally, they received a CEN rating—which measures quality on four counts (abrasion, cut, tear, and puncture resistance)—of 4443, scored out of a possible 5 for cut resistance and a possible 4 for the other three categories. 

For Caricature Carvers of America (CCA) member Dwayne Gosnell (see his project on page 86 of the issue), these numbers paid off in real time. “After a sufficient time putting the glove through its paces, I tried to damage it to see what the glove would or would not do,” Dwayne said. “I was quite impressed and would recommend the Schaaf gloves as a high-quality product that offers good protection against those accidental slices, which happen to even the most experienced carver.” 

Fellow CCA carver Bob Hershey (get his project here) concurred, noting that the single glove he selected from the pair was “comfortable and stretched nicely to fit my hand. The black material on the palm provided extra grip to hold my carvings and is tighter-knit compared to others I have in my shop…definitely more cut-resistant.” 

The WCI team found Schaaf’s gloves not only durable, but comfortable and breathable—able to grasp small projects without hindering dexterity. Our only complaint is that currently, the gloves only come in two sizes (L and XL), although the company plans to expand their line in the future. Overall, this product is a worthwhile addition to your kit and a great potential stocking stuffer for the carver in your life. 

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By Bob Duncan

See the review in the winter 2019 issue of Woodcarving Illustrated

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Three sizes:
MSRP: $10.99 (small), $11.99 (medium), $12.99 (large); re-grip.com

Re-grips are versatile handle covers that take the place of tape that carvers often apply to handles to make tools more comfortable to use. But they can be used on any tool—and go on in seconds flat.

Re-grips combine stretchy rubber sleeves with perforated spiral tubes. To use, just slide the tool handle into the tube and pull the tab at the end. The tube separates along perforations and allows the sleeve to tighten down on the handle for a secure fit. That’s it.

I use Re-grips on full-size gouge, chisel, and mallet handles. They improve my grip, are comfortable to hold, and provide cushioning that reduces fatigue when I’m using a mallet and gouge (especially during roughing out). And with regular use, these durable handle covers have maintained their shape. Eventually, I plan to have them on all of my full-size tools.

One thing to note: Re-grips will transform hexagonal handles into round ones. So use caution when transitioning; tools may now roll off the bench if you’re not careful.

Overall, this product’s convenience and comfort—as well as its reasonable price—make it a no-brainer addition to any workshop.

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By Bob Duncan

See the full review in the Summer 2019 issue of Woodcarving Illustrated

[button link=”https://foxchapelpublishing.com/woodcarving-illustrated-issue-87-summer-2019.html” bg_color=”#ff0000″]Purchase the Issue[/button]

MSRP: $95.95
factory-sharpened;
$140.99 professionally sharpened;
with free shipping
from schaaftools.com

As every carver knows, getting good tools can be a challenge. A set of ready-for-carving Swiss-made gouges will set you back over $400, while inexpensive tools require serious work to shape and sharpen before they are suitable to work with.

That’s precisely the problem that the new California-based company Schaaf Tools set out to solve. “We thought if we could make quality tools and sell them at an affordable price,” said co-founder Eli Pearlman, “there was an opportunity.” The result is this 12-piece set, sourced in China, which comes with a factory bevel for experienced carvers (who can then reshape and sharpen them to meet their preferences) or as a professionally sharpened set for an $80 upcharge so newbies can dig right in. (The set is a nice selection of multi-purpose chisels and gouges—check their website for details.)

No question, the factory sharpened tools need some work. For the carving that I do, the bevels are too short—I prefer a long, shallow one—so I headed to the belt sander to shape them. From there, because I wanted the best possible edge, I went to the Tormek sharpener. (Carving legend Chris Pye calls this fine-tuning process “commissioning the tool.”) Overall I spent several hours getting the bevels into shape. But once they were sharp, they stayed sharp. Regardless of the wood, they kept an edge with only a light buffing every so often.

I sent two of the factory-sharpened tools to Dick Belcher of Belcher Carving Supply in Tipp City, Ohio. An expert sharpener, Dick can tell the quality of the steel based on the sparks produced while grinding. After sharpening them, he estimated that the tools are hardened to 59-60 on the Rockwell Scale (making them ideal for wood carving). He used them to cut across the grain on a piece of basswood for about 20 minutes and the edge continued to hold for him. “I would compare them to Swiss quality,” Dick said. “For the price, they are excellent.”

I, too, am impressed. Once sharpened, the Schaaf tools are a pleasure to work with. While it costs nearly twice as much to order them professionally sharpened, I highly recommend this option, particularly for beginners. Especially when you consider that a comparable set of Swiss-made tools can cost three times as much.

Schaaf recently released a mallet to go with their gouges and has plans to offer a sharpening system in the future, along with two additional sets of gouges. It’s definitely a promising company, off to a great start.

Visit schaaftools.com for more information.

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By Lora S. Irish 

$99.99 at walnuthollow.com

Walnut Hollow’s new Creative Woodburner is a real game-changer—it’s a professional-quality variable temperature unit offered at a hobbyist’s budget price. The kit includes a small power base with a permanently attached pen handle, four interchangeable wire tips, tip removal tweezers, and tracing paper—everything you need to get burning.

       I began creating with pyrography over three decades ago with the soldering-style Walnut Hollow burner. Over the years I have added three more units to my pyro kit—Razertip, Colwood, and Optima—so I know what works and what doesn’t. To give this unit a full workout, I used a birch heartwood slab dragon, a cross-grain basswood slab wood spirit, and a bamboo kitchen spoon for my test burns.

The Unit

Between the 48″ (1.23m) power cord and 40″ (1.02m) flexible pen cord, Walnut Hollow gives you more than enough maneuvering room to both set your unit on the work table and comfortably move the pen tip across your wood, leather, gourd, or paper media. At 3″ by 5 1/2″ (7.6cm by 14cm), the power supply makes a small footprint on the hobbyist’s studio table.

      The pen, while much narrower than the standard Walnut Hollow burner, is slightly thicker than many other hot-wire pens I have used. However, the plastic grip is easy to hold without requiring any excess pressure from the fingertips. It rolls easily in your fingers, helping your movement to stay smooth and clean through the strokes.

      The unit comes with four interchangeable wire nibs—ball point, looped drawing point, universal shading point, and rounded shading point. The nibs use two pins to create a strong, secure connection to the hard-wired pen. The tweezers make changing tips quick and easy. These four nibs happen to be my favorites and provide everything you need to accomplish a detailed, shaded, realistic design. (These are the only profiles available, and the unit is not compatible with other interchangeable nibs. Also, since the pen is wired directly to the power supply, you cannot use a different brand’s pens, and if the pen wears out, you’ll need to replace the entire unit.)

Burn Quality

The burning unit has a high-range temperature setting, adjustable with a 1-to-10 dial. The low range setting clearly created pale tone burns on the basswood. The birch burning needed the higher settings. At no time did any wire tip (even during a long-term session on the 10 setting) turn red from too much heat, which can damage the tips.

      The universal shading point and rounded shader nib have a light spring that makes long pulled strokes lift nicely off the wood. This reduces the number of small dark spots at the end of a shader stroke.

      The nibs provide sepia tonal value without the need to change settings. I didn’t have to adjust temperatures when changing tips to continue burning at the same value. The wire nibs are well polished, having no drag or grainy feeling as you move through the strokes.

      The nibs also hit the wood at a comfortable distance from the finger grip. There is plenty of room to move the tips smoothly without having to over-extend your fingers or tighten your grip. There is little thickening of the burned line from a medium temperature setting to the hotter settings. At no time did my burning strokes create a halo or scorched area outside the burned lines. The handle remained surprisingly cool and comfortable, even on the hottest temperature settings.

Overall

The Creative Woodburner has all the power and punch of the other professional-quality burning units on the market, at less than half the price. As it comes as a complete package including the four most commonly used pen tips, the Creative Woodburner puts a high-end professional tool at the fingertips of every hobbyist. I highly recommend the Creative Woodburner for those that are new to our craft, as well as all professionals looking to add to their tool kit.

Note: I recommend upgrading to graphite paper, especially for projects on softer wood like basswood and poplar. The carbon paper that comes with the kit works okay, but is made from old-fashioned typewriter carbon that cannot be completely erased or sanded off. 

See the full article in Woodcarving Illustrated Spring 2019, Issue #86.

Want to rush to the store and buy Walnut Hollow’s new unit? You’ll need patterns, too! Download two free pyrography patterns HERE:

WEB-WCI86-Walnut Hollow-Irish Patterns

The post We Review the New Walnut Hollow Woodburner appeared first on Woodcarving Illustrated.

By Mindy Kinsey

This review was originally published in Woodcarving Illustrated Summer 2018 (Issue 83).

Flexcut has added three spoon carving tools to its extensive range of carving equipment: two Sloyd Hook Knives and the Spoon Carvin’ Jack. Together, they ensure that spoon carvers both at home and on the go are fully equipped for their art.

Sloyd Hook Knives

“Sloyd” refers to an old Scandinavian concept of handwork and an educational system intended to teach crafts holistically, as part of a well-rounded education. These days, the word calls to mind a simple, sturdy, multipurpose knife designed for carving or whittling.

Flexcut’s new single- and double-bevel Sloyd hook knives are made with a high-carbon steel blade and a tang that extends through an attractive cherry handle. The Single Bevel Sloyd Hook Knife is 8″ (20.3cm) long and deeply curved, and its blade comes to a point. The double-bevel version is slightly longer at 8 1/2″ (21.6cm) and has a more open curve ending at a square edge. Both arrive sharp and ready to use, which is great because hooked knives are challenging
to strop, let alone sharpen.

In fact, these tools are so sharp that I was hesitant to use the Double Bevel Sloyd Hook Knife. I rest my thumb on the tool to push it through the wood while I carve, and that isn’t possible with this knife. It would be very useful for larger projects, like bowls or even large serving spoons, where the carving motion comes from rotating the wrist rather than pushing with the thumb. For a small spoon, however, I found myself constantly shifting my grip on both the tool and project, trying to get the right leverage while avoiding the sharp bevels.

However, I really liked the Single Bevel Sloyd Hook Knife. I could push it easily through the wood in my preferred grip. I appreciated the deep curve, which fit well into the smaller spoons I was carving. I found that I used different areas of the curve depending on the part of the spoon I was carving. The Single Bevel Sloyd was easy to use, fit my hand well, and cut through my hardwood blanks cleanly.

The carver and author Lora S. Irish had a different experience with the hook knives. She noted that the single-bevel knife “is definitely a right-handed tool. I am not comfortable as a lefty using it in a backwards pushing motion, which takes away my ability to control the cut.” Lora also had a large problem, literally, with the size of the handles. “The width—girth—of the handles on both tools does not give me, a small-handed woman, any possibility for a secure grip. That lack of gripping power means that I lose all control over the cutting stroke. … Most spoons are carved from a hardwood species [so] the pressure the carver needs to add to the cutting stroke increases the chance of losing control of the cut with a knife that does not properly fit inside the palm of your hand.”

I did not experience problems with the sizes of the handles, suggesting that carvers will need to test the handles to see if they suit your hands (and consider sanding them to size as needed). Left-handed carvers should also be aware that the single-bevel hook knife may be uncomfortable to use and consider the double-bevel version instead.

Spoon Carvin’ Jack

While carving spoons seems like an ideal “whittling” activity, most people don’t carry a curved blade along with their pocketknife. Shaping a spoon bowl with a straight blade is challenging and time consuming.

Enter the Spoon Carvin’ Jack, Flexcut’s newest folding knife. The 6″ (15.2cm)-long body contains three locking blades (one straight and two curved) that arrive sharp and ready to carve. Together, they enable carvers on the go to shape both the handles and bowls of spoons. The body of the knife is made of ergonomically shaped aerospace aluminum that’s comfortable to hold and has a solid, if slightly heavy, feel. It is cross-hatched for improved grip.

This is a brilliant idea. In practice, while the radiuses of the two blades match those of the Sloyd hook knives, I did not find them as easy to use as the full-size versions. The curves are fairly slight in such short blades, making it harder to dig deeply into the spoon bowl. That said, if you simply carve shallower spoon bowls when you’re working in the wild, the Spoon Carvin’ Jack will enable you to whittle by the campfire to your heart’s content. It’s a small price to pay for the portability, safety, and convenience of an all-in-one spoon tool that will fit in your pocket or pack.    

The suggested retail for the Single Bevel Sloyd Hook Knife is $74.95, the Double Bevel Sloyd Hook Knife is $79.95, and the Spoon Carvin’ Jack is $124.95. Visit www.flexcut.com to order or to find a local retailer.

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The post Product Review: Flexcut Spoon Tools appeared first on Woodcarving Illustrated.

Clamp any carving with this solidly built and versatile bench

By Bob Duncan

While many carvers work in their lap or on a tabletop, some projects call for clamping. Enter the Sjobergs Elite Clamping Platform. Paired with the right accessories, its all-over pattern of dog holes lets you clamp any carving—even irregular shapes.

The 18-1/2″ by 23-1/2″ (47cm by 60cm) platform is large enough to hold most projects while still fitting easily into your shop. It’s made of solid beech wood, which will take a beating without damaging your tools, and its heavy-duty metal braces have a 100lb. (45.4kg) weight capacity, so it will hold firm even if you’re pounding a large project with a mallet. It was designed to attach to a Sjobergs Elite Workbench, but can be attached to a wall or another workbench instead.

The platform is covered in 3/4″ (19mm)-diameter dog holes, which allow you to use almost any clamping accessory or configuration. It comes with four bench dogs, works well with the company’s ST11-Holdfast and other holding accessories, and accommodates cam-style clamps, shop-made fences and wedges, and even devices made by other manufacturers, such as Veritas’ Wonder Dog. You could thread a bench screw up through one of the holes into a carving.

Although an experienced woodworker with the right tools could make a similar clamping bench, building one as solid and exact as this platform would take days. Too, drilling all of the holes exactly perpendicular to the surfaces (including the sides) would be a challenge, and the usefulness of the platform drops dramatically if the holes aren’t perfect.

For solid construction and endless versatility at a convenient size, the Sjobergs Elite Clamping Platform is the ideal solution.

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From this side, you can see how the hold-down fits into the holes in the side of the platform so you can press a carving against a dog.

The Sjöbergs Elite Clamping Platform retails for $468. For a limited time through Dec. 31, 2017, it is available $399 and includes a bonus 3/4″ (19mm) holdfast. The combo’s total value is $539. To locate a dealer or retailer for all Affinity Tool Works brands, visit www.affinitytool.com.

Looking for more clamping ideas? CLICK HERE for more shop-made clamping solutions.

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