Seeking advice on blades for recipro-carver

[Linda Persoon]

I'm a beginning carver with a couple of basic questions. :confused: I own a Mastercarver Flex-Shaft Machine with a Recipro-Carver Pen.

1) Where can I find quality blades?
2) How do I sharpen the blades?

I would prefer to buy a quality set and appreciate advice from an experienced user. Thanks!

[Susan Mattix]

Hello Linda,
Flex cut makes some very nice blades for reciprocating handpieces. They fit most standard flexshaft recip handpieces. As for sharpening, I sharpen mine the same way I sharpen a traditional gouge, on my felt wheel with a good rouge/compound. Keep them touched up the same way you would a regular gouge. Don't use them to the point where they get dull before sharpening. It's much easier to touch up as you carve.

[Terry Beadle]

You can also make a hone-ing wheel out of a disk of dense plywood. Glue some leather to the outside diameter. Put a bolt or screw in the center and mount in a drill press or hand drill. Add some green rouge or some of that yellow abrasive sold by Flexcut. Hone the edge after about 5 to 10 min of working to keep the edge fresh. I've even made a hone-ing wheel bigger and mounted it on my wood lathe. Works great and cheap.

[Mike Pounders]

I've heard that the Flexcut blades make a big difference with those types of carvers. Here is a link http://www.woodcarvers.com/Flexpwr.htm