Hobby Applications

Power tools have become more common in recent years for woodcarving and hobby applications. A flexible shaft machine along with a variety of burs makes the perfect combination to produce high-quality crafts items.

Woodcarvers find that power tools help to remove wood quickly, with minimal fracturing and breaking. Carvings can be thinner and more detailed, and they can be produced with less difficulty than when using edge tools. Flexible shaft machines can rough out a carving as well as be used to do the detail work. Burs are used to remove wood, as well as to carve and sand wood and other materials.

Burs are available in many shapes and sizes. While a ball-shaped bur may be used to hollow out an area, a flame-shaped bur could make concave cuts, or a taper could get into tight areas. The burs are usually made of materials such as steel, carbide, ruby, diamond, or stone. Some are designed with edges that cut like a rotary file; others have a finer grit that gives a smoother finished product.

Hobbyists, too, have found that a flex shaft machine is a very versatile tool. Not only can it be used to drill holes and grind materials such as wood and plastic, but it can be used with various burs and cutters as well. While many hobbyists craft model airplanes, boats, or dollhouses, those hobbyists that fashion jewelry may want to read about Jewelry Making Applications.