AusBonsai

Hey guys..

I would love to see some eye candy craft work on perhaps some of your living works of art

I have never done this on my trees before though I do see specimens that will benefit from it

Can I ask what tools do you use ? I am planning on getting a dremel.. what do you guys think?

And how much or how little should I carve / grind / drill , to ensure tree health and survival..

Cheers

.. also would recommend the dremel 300 or 395 ?

Or is there something better and more suitable ??

Lots of different tools available for carving now. You will get what you pay for, and while dremel are not cheap they are good. Only drawback is they are not good for heavy carving. There are so many bits available you can get whatever texture or pattern you desire.

I mostly use a dremel to finish off detail, but for heavy timber removal you cannot go past the Arbortech range of carving tools. Not sure which dremel I have, but it is a variable speed model and I have had it for years. Just don't apply to much pressure to avoid putting it under heavy load. The mini arbortech fits on a standard grinder and is magnificent for rapid removal and refinement of timber.

As far as quantity acceptable, if it is already dead wood go for it. If you are carving into living wood you can usually remove up to 2/3 in one go depending on the tree and where you are taking it from. It does vary from tree to tree though. If in doubt, start slow and remove it over time. Experiment on some stock that is not valuable first.

Tony

Hi guys, while on the subject.
Does any one know where to get hold of one of these Arbortech tools please.

I have an arbourtec mini grinder but cannot find replacement blades for it. Local hardware outlets no longer stock them and cannot tell me where to get blades. Anyone have ideas?

Petra wrote:Hi guys, while on the subject.
Does any one know where to get hold of one of these Arbortech tools please.

Here is a link to a list of their NSW dealers http://www.arbortech.com.au/view/aust-w ... ealers-nsw.

shibui wrote:I have an arbourtec mini grinder but cannot find replacement blades for it. Local hardware outlets no longer stock them and cannot tell me where to get blades. Anyone have ideas?

Vic dealers http://www.arbortech.com.au/view/aust-w ... ealers-vic



And all Australian dealers ... http://www.arbortech.com.au/view/woodwo ... ers-austnz

Thanks Ozzy, Not many retailers now but the online shop should be able to help.

Machine carving is initially quite expensive but once you have the hardware and carving bits and with proper care, should last a very long time. The Dremmel is a good place to start but is really only suitable for small trees or detailed work on larger material. For larger trees I would suggest a Makita die grinder. This is a superb tool for removing large quantities of wood. The arbortech tools are very good but work in a different plane and I find them useful for external work, rather than internal.

These are the cutting and sanding tools I find most useful.
1. Small rotary saw tooth for the Dremmel
2. Small wire brush for the Dremmel
3. Sanding flap wheel for the dremmel
4. very thin saw wheel for graining. Dremmel.
5. Shogun with short shaft. Big trees where you need to get in very deep need the 103mm shaft. Great for starting work off (punching in to the deadwood) and removing in those hard to reach places. Makita.
6. Ninja, for getting in behind those punched grooves and creating depth.
7 Flexcut knife for the finest detailed graining. Great for curves and knots. Hand.
There are no cheap options with machine carving whatsoever.

The most important thing of all though is practice and observation. You can have the best tools and cutting pieces in the world but you won't create good and convincing deadwood without knowing your tools. I bought wisely and under guidance but my early work looked like it had been chewed by a Dingo (you don't have Beavers, Squirrels etc?). Pratice on poor material or as I suggest to students, put a lump of timber in a vice and experiment.

shibui wrote:I have an arbourtec mini grinder but cannot find replacement blades for it. Local hardware outlets no longer stock them and cannot tell me where to get blades. Anyone have ideas?

Carbatec Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra are a start. They stock some stuff the Bunnings doesn't or can order it.

http://www.carbatec.com.au/

Grant

Speciman - (gee you might need to change your name?) - have a look at the post 6 Ft to 2FT in 4 Hours in the decidious trees section to see what can be done with different carving tools. I agree that the Makita diegrinder with appropriate disc is the go for bulk carving.
Cheers
Watto

Carbatec are in Brisbane also if anyone from Bris is reading and interested.

I have a die grinder also with various bits, and we have spoken about the mini Arbortech, but the Arbortech Industrial Pro, which is a 100mm blade removes timber easier and faster than anything I have or have used. It cuts from side to side as well as in deep, but you need finer tools for the finishing.

Tony

bunnins has a cheap alternative to a dremel.
the brand is Ozito and it comes with over 100 bits.
I "borrowed" my dads dremel for a year or so, then bought the
Ozito and it works just as well.
I thinks it's about $60-$80.