[Woodcarver] Questions about rotary tools & wood burners

[aliceleorabriggs at comcast.net]

Hello! I am very, very  new to wood carving, but have many more years 
of experience than I care to recount with drawing and printmaking 
 (intaglio).   I hope you can help me with a question or two. I have totally burned 
 out one Dremel and another is now fairly decrepid.  However, I inherited a Foredom from my father (a violin maker) who quickly rejected it for a return to handcarving. It has survived my first two carved panels 5 feet x 4 feet ea. I certainly plan to keep it, but I  like the Dremel's higher RPMs (35,000 
 as compared to my Foredoms 18,000), plus the smaller handpieces that 
 Dremel makes are best for my small hands. I tend to use the Dremel for 
 all detail work. I lubricate the Dremels' flexible shafts regularly, but not too 
 liberally and am careful not to torque the shafts too much while 
 working. Is there something else I am doing incorrectly, or are larger
 carving jobs just too much for a Dremel? I am working on cabinet grade Baltic Birch plywood (3/4inch) . What other options can anyone recommend for carving on this scale?

Also, I am  really fascinated by the high RPM tools used for detail work that are 
 now on the market. One is Turbo Carver another is Power Carver. They 
 do 400,000 to 450,000 RPMs. Have you ever used either of these? If so, 
 what do you think of them?

I also use wood burning in conjunction with the carving. I have a Nibsburner with a thermostat. It's great, except for the hand pieces. They have a  partially plastic housing near the tip with vent holes. The whole arrangement melts if the burner is turned up past 6 (the top end of the register is 10). Is this a normal problem? I am guessing it is since the handpieces are only about $7 each. Are there other woodburners that you have been extremely happy with? 
Can you all tell me which rotary carving tools and wood burning tools have been most successful for you?

Please forgive me if I have asked questions that have been addressed previously. I checked the Archives, but probably not as thoroughly as I might have. I have really enjoyed looking at some of your work on websites provided. I don't have any carvings online, but I do have a gallery in Santa Fe. You can see my work (Alice Leora Briggs) at nuartgallery.com

   
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