[Woodcarver] Cleanup fuzzys and router question

Thu Aug 19 11:31:51 EDT 2004

Hi Mary Jo:

     For scraping in smaller areas I often use a usefully shaped and 
sharpened Warren Tool Company blade:  There are alot of different 
interchangeable blades that you can experiment with.  Exacto knives work as 
well, but the Warren blades are more substantial and can be easily resharpened.

     For alot of the work I do I use the abrasive ScotchBrite finishing 
pads ( usually the grey colored ones ) which I cut into as many rectangles 
as the long side of the pad allows, fold over into double thickness squares 
( about 2" to a side ), punch through the centers with an awl, and attach 
to a mandrel on my Foredom handpiece. I use the ScotchBrite gray because 
the dye does not come off on the wood:  The green and the red are less 
colorfast.  The mandrel is basically a 1/4" threaded rod with a nut screwed 
on maybe a half to 3/4 inch and tack welded.  I push the end of the rod 
through the abrasive pad and lock it down with a lock washer and another 
nut.  The nut is the same diameter as the Foredom handpiece wrench, which 
is convenient for tightening.  The lock washer I made has "teeth" that grab 
the pad and keep it from spinning on the mandrel.  I leave the pads square 
and simply spin them over the fuzzy areas of my carving.   They become 
round fairly quickly, but last for a while until the fibers fray out and 
lose their abrasive properties.   Most or all of the fuzz is removed, but 
the pad doesn't really affect the carving as long as it is handled with a 
sensitive touch.  If you bear down with a little pressure, the wood is 
lightly sanded and slightly burnished, but I have never really had a 
problem with the carving itself being abraded or damaged, even on delicate 
areas as long as you keep an eye on the direction of the grain of the 
wood.  You can remove more fuzz if you go at it from two directions.

Hope this helps

Stephan

At 08:01 AM 8/19/2004, you wrote:
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>Hi Folks,this is Mary Jo again.I'm trying to do a relief carving in
>Basswood.I need to know how to smooth off the little Fuzzy places.I've tried
>using a sanding stick but some of the places are to small to get in.I've
>also been reading that alot of carvers use a trim routers to rough out the
>background on the beginnig of the pattern. Does anyone think that's a good
>idea and if so where could I get a book that would give me the
>information.I read the list everyday and am grateful for the advice I've
>received so far.Thanks for all your help.Mary Jo
>
>*************
>
>Hi Mary Jo,
>
>What types of tools are you using, rotary power tools or hand tools like
>chisels and knives? Power tools tend to leave fuzzy areas because the tooth
>of the rotary in not razor sharp like a chisel and, because of the direction
>of tooth or the rotary tool will not reverse direction so some cuts are
>fighting the grain. If the tool is cutting into the grain rather than out of
>the grain it will make a rougher cut. The suggestions you are receiving
>here, for cleaning up the fuzzes, are excellent, especially from Susan
>Irish. Another technique you might try is scraping. Putty knives make
>excellent scrapers. You can quickly grind them to fit the shape you need.
>Sharpen the scraper by leaving a burr rolled over the edge. When you pull
>that burr over the wood it will plane the surface smooth to whatever shape
>you have on your scraper. I have some putty knives ground into very small
>shapes for scrapping out small areas.
>
>If you are using hand tools perhaps they are not sharp enough or you are
>cutting in the wrong direction, into the grain rather than out of the grain.
>If you are using hand tools make sure your cutting edges are razor sharp, so
>sharp you can shave with them. Also make sure they are completely free of
>nicks. If your tools are not sharp they will not make a clean cut and will
>rough the surface. If your tools are sharp and still leaving a rough surface
>try switching the direction of cut. The grain might be trying to pull the
>cutting edge into the cut and switching directions the grain will allow the
>cutting edge to plane the surface without digging in. This will result in a
>much smoother cut.
>
>Another key to clean cuts is to not exceed the depth of your stop cuts. By
>first making a clean stop cut, to protect a high area, you will be able to
>make clean cuts to remove the background down to the depth of the stop cut.
>If you exceed the depth of the stop cut you will brake the fibers at the
>stop and result in fuzzy edges.
>
>Sometimes I do use routers and other types of power tools for roughing out
>large areas. Most of the time I never route the whole surface. I route a
>series of stop cuts perpendicular to the grain, perhaps a couple inches
>apart, stopping just short of the finished depth. This method allows me to
>still have the original top surface for the router base to ride on and gage
>the depth of the cut. This also allows me to split out the wood between the
>stop cuts in large chunks resulting is saving time and lots of cleanup. I
>prefer to use a tapered "lettering bit" rather than a straight flute router
>bit. It is so much easier to guide a tapered bit, by hand, than a straight
>flute bit. The straight flute bit wants to chatter in the hole and a tapered
>bit will not chatter. I use a carbide 60-degree lettering bit for most of my
>routing needs.
>
>Although I consider myself more of a traditional carver, using hand chisels
>for more than 95% of my carving, I do use power tools when it will save
>time. Drills, saber saws, routers, air hammers and anything else that will
>do the job. One of the upcoming issues of Carving Magazine, in my Ask Joe
>column, I discuss how I use about 20 different types of power tools in the
>interest of saving time.
>
>
>Joe Dillett
>The Carving Shop
>645 E. LaSalle St. Suite 3
>Somonauk, IL. 60552
>(815) 498-9290 phone
>(815) 498-9249 fax
>http://www.thecarvingshop.com
>jdillett at thecarvingshop.com
>http://www.carvingmagazine.com Carving Magazine web site and Readers Forum
>http://community.webshots.com/user/joe_dillett
>**************************************************
>
>
>
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   R. Stephan Toman - artisan/carver
-- Sonrise Woodcarving  Studio --

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