Am looking for input regarding the best tool to purchase for carving feet on bowls. Any input based on your experience will be appreciated.
Am looking for input regarding the best tool to purchase for carving feet on bowls. Any input based on your experience will be appreciated.
Roger,
I don't know that carving feet on bowls is different than other types of carving. I use a variety of tools: a Fordom rotary carver, a reciprocal carver, hand-held carving gouges, various knives, and sometimes a scalpel with a #11 blade. Besides cutting tools I use small rifflers and files. Further smoothing is with sandpaper, with small sheets of sandpaper and hand-held sanding sticks like this: https://www.amazon.com/Lumberton-123.../dp/B0039ZCQAK
I choose specific tools based on the type of wood, the shape I'm carving, the direction of the grain, and what I feel like at the moment. If I had no carving tools and a limited budget I'd probably buy a few carving gouges and a Dremel with a few carbide bits.
This is a bowl with "handles" and feet I made from Bradford Pear a while back:
carved_bowl_small.jpg
JKJ
Very, very, nice work John. Thanks for the input and advice. I'm sure you're correct I'll want different tools based on the application.
I use whatever works but a Dremel with a small roller type sander works very well.
Fred
If you have to go out and buy a dremel, I suggest getting a micromotor instead. Must nicer bit changes and high speed carving, plus it fits the hand better too.