Harry Mangalam <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<6xhkd.97218$kz3.9419@fed1read02>...
> I do a lot of freehand carving of wooden spoons and bowls, roughing
with a
> bandsaw and then chainsaw disk, then successively finer kutzall
disks all,
> on motorized angle grinders. This works quite well, but the disks
are a
> bit large for doing the inside of spoons and the whine of the angle
> grinders is a pain. I wear ear protection, but I think the neighbors
may be
> starting to tire of it.
>
> I saw an ad for the Proxxon mini grinder at King Arthur Tools
(renamed the
> Merlin):
> http://www.kingarthurstools.com/merlin.htm
> It's packaged with pretty much the blades I'd like for ~$200.
However, it
> looks a bit weak for the kind of work I do and I'd like feedback by
anyone
> who has ever used it. Quality of construction, sound, ease of use,
> vibration, etc.
>
> Alternatively, some friends have suggested switching to air tools,
using
> something like mini die grinders on a big compressed air rig. This
seems
> attractive for the relative cheapness of the handpieces and
decreased sound
> (motor only runs after pressure has decreased past the cut-in
point). I saw
> that Sam Maloof runs this sort of setup in his shop to good effect
:) but
> the additional cost of the compressor and large tank are significant
> (~$1000). Feedback on this is also welcome and appreciated.
>
> please cc me as my connection to the news server seems to be spotty.
>
> Thanks!
> Harry
>
Harry
I just purchased the Proxxon carver a couple of weeks ago. It's light,
minimal vibration and seems to be built solid. I have used it only
once to get the feel of it and was somewhat dissapointed. I have found
the unit to be a bit on the weakside when carving wood. The chain
cutter/carver is not cutting into hardwood as I expected, maybe
carving basswood will be better but haven't tried it. I was planning
on using this unit mainly for roughing out but was dissapointed with
oak and butternut. I amInterested on other feedback from those who are
using it.