Quick Start Guide To Flex Shaft Wood Carving

Quick
Quick Start
Start Guide
Guide to
to
Flex
Flex Shaft
Shaft Wood
Wood Carving
Carving
Welcome to the quick start guide on wood
carving with
a flex shaft!

Whether you are new to carving or an experienced carver, this

short guide will get you on the right path and show you just how
much fun wood carving with a Dremel tool or any flex shaft rotary
tool can be!
Warning

“To reduce the risk of injury, user must read the instruction manuals for all tools and accessories used in
this project. Wear eye and respiratory protection. Failure to completely follow these instructions may
result in injury and/or property damage. Use clamps to support work piece whenever possible.
Carving Bit Example
"HowToWoodCarve is in affiliation with Dremel® and Amazon LLC and will receive small commissions on each Dremel® brand product
purchased through Amazon at no extra cost to you. Dremel® is a registered trademark of Robert Bosch Tool Corporation."
Power Carving Guide
All About the Tool and Common Questions
What is a Dremel® Tool?

Dremel tool is a brand of rotary tool that can be used in various applications of
grinding, cutting, carving, drilling, polishing and more. In general, Dremel
brand products are widely used for power carving.
Is Power Carving & Wood

Carving the SAME Thing?
They are the same, but “power carving” is the correct terminology to use if you
are using a power tool, such as Dremel rotary tool, to wood carve.
Are There Other Brands

of Rotary Tools I Can Use?
Most definitely! Dremel brand tools are used in this guide simply because they
have been around for a long time and are well-known.
Am I Limited to Just Wood Carving

with Dremel Brand Tools?
No. Many people use the Dremel brand tools for engraving metal, glass,
carving stone, and many other things!
Power Carving Guide
The main part of the Dremel® tool we will focus on is the flex shaft
attachment and how it relates to wood carving throughout this
guide.
Bonus Tip #1: You don’t have to be

an artist in order to carve. You can
utilize free to use images online
you can simply trace out and
carve.
Dremel rotary tool and flex shaft attachment

(Picture courtesy of Dremel®)
Do I Need the Flex Shaft Attachment?

For wood carving, most definitely.
The benefit of having a Flex Shaft attachment is that it allows you to have a
tremendous amount of mobility to move around and make intricate cuts,
which would not be possible otherwise.
The Dremel® Flex Shaft attachment can be

purchased seperately or in select bundles
Power Carving Guide
Wood Carving Bits
What is a Bit?
A bit is the small cutting accessory that is inserted into the collet, located in the
hand-piece of the Flex Shaft.
Carving Burr Example

What is a Collet?
A collet is a small sleeve that houses the bit. Different sized collets are available
for different sized bits. Most Dremel bits are 1/8". Other commen sizes are 1/16” &
1/32”. (Always check the size of your bit diameter to make sure you have the right
fit for your collet. The Dremel brand a has a quick-change chuck that alleviates
the use for a collet.).
A collet sits inside the collet nut to hold the accessory in place. A collet nut sits
outside of the collet and, when tightened, secures the accessory in the tool.
Using a collet wrench, the collet nut is tightened to secure the accessory inside the
collet.
1/8" collet (left) 3/32" collet (right) Inserting a Collet Into the Handpiece
Power Carving Guide
What is a Chuck?
This keyless chuck allows you to quickly and easily change accessories on Dremel
rotary tools by eliminating the need to change collets.
The chuck works with accessories that have 1/32" - 1/8" shanks. It is Ideal when the
application requires numerous accessory changes. Insert and securely tighten the
shank of the accessory well within the three
jaws of the chuck.
Bonus Tip #2: When picking out a

pair of safety glasses for carving,
make sure they are fog proof. This
will help tremendously, especially
when wearing a dust mask.
Dremel Chuck

Which Bit Do I Need to Use?

Choosing a bit can become a pretty daunting task until we become familiar with
them. While there are many brands and types to choose from, we will name some
of the most basic types below.
Carbide Bits:
Carbide bits are some of the most commonly used on the market today. The
heat and wear-resistant quality of these bits make them a great, long-
lasting bit. These are used on a variety of materials, not just wood. These
are widely available in hardware stores and online.
Round Carbide Bit Example
Power Carving Guide
Roughing Bits: Diamond Bits:
Roughing Bit Example Diamond Bit Example
“Roughing” is a term used in These are another type of bits you will
power carving that simply means see often. Diamond burrs are very hard
to remove a lot of stock. These and “gritty.” These are best suited for
burrs are “spiky” or “gritty” which glass and stone carving, so you won’t
are used in the beginning stages see just a lot of wood carvers use them.
of carving in order to get the basic Although, when used correctly,
shape of the design established. diamond bits still have a place in wood
carving.
Common Bit Shapes
Round Bits:
Round Carbide Bit Example

Round Carbide Bits Example
These rounded tips make this bit great for general carving use, concave cuts,
hollowing out, tracing lines, and finishing techniques, such as stippling.
Power Carving Guide
Cone Shaped Bit: Cylinder Bit:
Cone Shaped Carbide Bit Example Cylinder Shaped Carbide Bit Example
These are available in large variety of These bits are great for contour
cone shapes. This design makes this bit cutting against edges and for corner
great at making concave cuts, rounding work.
edges, as well as reaching difficult areas
and recesses.
Obviously there are a lot more bits out there than what was listed here.
As you learn more about carving, your knowledge of them will
increase.
Bonus Tip #3: Diamond bits are

great to use for sanding and
finishing. These can help remove a
lot of work that is normally
achieved with sandpaper!
Power Carving Guide
When choosing a bit, ask yourself these questions:

1) What result am I trying to achieve?
2) How fast do I need this done?
These answers will give you a good foundation starting place.

Do not feel you have to use multiple bits for a project to look good. I have
literally used one or two for an ENTIRE project before!
Which Wood Do I Need to Use When
Learning to Carve?
While there are many woods to choose

from, it is a good idea to start with a
soft wood first when learning to carve.

The most common go-to wood is

Basswood.

Basswood is a soft wood that is easy to

carve, it can be found nearly
everywhere and is very affordable. I
Basswood Example highly suggest that this be the first
wood you begin experimenting with.
Power Carving Guide
Safety
To reduce the risk of injury, user must read the instruction manuals for all tools
and accessories used in this project. Wear eye and respiratory protection. Failure
to completely follow these instructions may result in injury and/or property
damage. Use clamps to support work piece
whenever possible.
ALWAYS wear a quality dust mask and proper eye protection while carving
Loose clothing is a big no-no
Long hair should be properly kept in a pony-tail behind your back or secured in
a hat (I’ve personally seen pictures of someone who accidentally got their hair
caught in the flex shaft-it wasn’t pleasant!)
Use common sense and take your time when carving.
Let's Begin!
For this part we need:

A Tungsten Carbide Bit
(Dremel® #9905 or similar)
Your choice of Flex Shaft attachment.
The Dremel Flex Shaft is compatible
with Dremel 3000, 4000, 4300, 8100,
and 8220 rotary tool models.
Accessories Used
Basswood
Ruler
Pencil
Drawing Template (optional)
Power Carving Guide
The exercises we are about to do in this final part of the guide

will help you grasp the concepts and core principles of
carving. Do not neglect these; they will teach you more than
you think! Moving forward, you will have a firm foundation to
start building your skills.
Let’s use our ruler and draw some basic shapes with nice
straight lines. We will be using basic two-dimensional shapes.

Draw a triangle, circle, and square.
Draw A Triangle Draw A Circle
Draw A Square
Power Carving Guide
The exercises we are about to do in this final part of the guide will
help you grasp the concepts and core principles of carving. Do not
neglect these; they will teach you more than you think! Moving
forward, you will have a firm foundation to start building your
skills.
It’s time to start carving!
Turn on your rotary tool between 16,000 - 25,000 RPMs.

Lightly begin to trace the edges of the shape you want to begin
with. Do not press hard. Get a feel for how fast you need to trace
and how much pressure you need to apply.
Bonus Tip #4: I highly discourage

carving on Pine wood. The
structural qualities of Pine make
it difficult to carve and it splinters
very easily.
Tracing Outer Edge

Power Carving Guide
For optimal performance with this burr, your hand should be

moving left since the burr is rotating the opposite direction.
(Note: This is not a rule but a guideline to achieve a better cut.)
Go back over your initial cut by moving to the right in order to

smooth out rough areas.
If you feel the handpiece wants to “run away,” that is completely

normal. As you practice, you will gain control over the
handpiece. Continue to trace out the following shapes.
Sandpaper
After all the shapes are

complete, take a piece
of sandpaper and sand
the tops of the shapes
to remove excess wood
“fuzz” and to straighten
the lines.
Sanding the Designs
Power Carving Guide
We are done!
Final Product
This simple lesson should not be taken lightly. Practice what you
have just learned over and over until you gain confidence in
yourself. These principles are the absolute foundational building
blocks of power carving from which everything else is built.
Wait... We aren't done. Watch this video by clicking on

the link below
Power Carving Video Click Here
Power Carving
Power Guide
Carving Guide
I hope this short guide helped you and solved a lot of the
initial questions you may have had. There really isn’t an
end-all guide when it comes to power carving because it
is a skill that you can always learn and grow in.

Now do yourself a favor; get out there and start carving!

Would you like to step-up your creativity?

Check out my exclusive eBook & mini-course:
The Wood Carving Project Idea Guide:

-Discover strategies and

techniques for approaching art
and design as it relates to wood
carving.
-Printable Exercises
-eBook & Streaming Video Guide
Get the Project Idea Guide HERE
Power Carving
Power Guide
Carving Guide
To view the tools I recommend visit my

personal kit page in the link below:
Wood Carving Tools & Accessories
Get the Project Idea Guide HERE
Copywrite © 2021 Cornelius Creations

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical
methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For permission requests, contact Matt@howtowoodcarve.com


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Quick

Whether you are new to carving or an experienced carver, this

Carving Bit Example

All About the Tool and Common Questions

What is a Dremel® Tool?

Is Power Carving & Wood

Are There Other Brands

Am I Limited to Just Wood Carving

Bonus Tip #1: You don’t have to be

Dremel rotary tool and flex shaft attachment

Do I Need the Flex Shaft Attachment?

The Dremel® Flex Shaft attachment can be

Wood Carving Bits

Carving Burr Example

Bonus Tip #2: When picking out a

Which Bit Do I Need to Use?

Round Carbide Bit Example

Roughing Bits: Diamond Bits:

Roughing Bit Example Diamond Bit Example

Common Bit Shapes

Round Carbide Bit Example

Cone Shaped Bit: Cylinder Bit:

Bonus Tip #3: Diamond bits are

When choosing a bit, ask yourself these questions:

These answers will give you a good foundation starting place.

Which Wood Do I Need to Use When

While there are many woods to choose

The most common go-to wood is

Basswood is a soft wood that is easy to

Use common sense and take your time when carving.

For this part we need:

The exercises we are about to do in this final part of the guide

Draw a triangle, circle, and square.

Draw A Triangle Draw A Circle

It’s time to start carving!

Turn on your rotary tool between 16,000 - 25,000 RPMs.

Bonus Tip #4: I highly discourage

Tracing Outer Edge

For optimal performance with this burr, your hand should be

Go back over your initial cut by moving to the right in order to

If you feel the handpiece wants to “run away,” that is completely

After all the shapes are

Wait... We aren't done. Watch this video by clicking on

Power Carving Video Click Here

Now do yourself a favor; get out there and start carving!

Would you like to step-up your creativity?

-Discover strategies and

-eBook & Streaming Video Guide

Get the Project Idea Guide HERE

To view the tools I recommend visit my

Wood Carving Tools & Accessories

Get the Project Idea Guide HERE

Copywrite © 2021 Cornelius Creations

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

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