Wood carving is a fairly popular activity. There are many enterprises and small firms specializing in engraving and making all kinds of patterns on wood. Schoolchildren are also interested in this. You don’t need to look far for an example. What can we say, you open one of the many thematic forums on the Internet and see how fathers proudly tell that their sons are cutting out something with interest. They often ask for advice from professionals, which machine or tool is better to choose? Well, let's try to help.
There are more than enough types of tools and machines for figure cutting. There are both traditional and ultra-modern: manual, semi-automatic and automatic. There is not enough space to talk about everyone. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to the main types of electrical equipment. Firstly, it is universal. Secondly, it has a very wide range in terms of difficulty of mastering: from the simplest to the highly accurate. Thirdly, a wide price level can satisfy any requirements.
Cutting with a jigsaw
the most popular tool today . Professionals and home craftsmen value it, first of all, for its universalism. Having low weight and small dimensions, it copes well with shaped, transverse and longitudinal cutting of sheet wood. Can make curved and straight cuts, rectangular holes and round holes of various diameters.
There are household and professional jigsaws. Home models are low-power, but for domestic use their resources and functionality are quite sufficient. They can cut wooden pieces up to 70 mm thick. The total time of use is no more than 20 hours per month. They are produced mainly in Poland and China, but there is also a compromise Hungarian version - the inexpensive, functional BOSCH PST 700 E Compact .
The requirements for professional models are more serious. Therefore, these instruments are usually produced by brand companies in Japan, Sweden and Germany. They are highly productive and can withstand heavy loads, cutting wood up to 135 mm thick.
Saw blades or jigsaw files differ in size, teeth, color, tail shape and, of course, the material from which they are made. When working with wood, blades made of HCS (carbon steel) are used.
Cutting with an electric chisel
This power tool has become indispensable for every wood carver. Essentially, it combines an ordinary hand chisel and a mini-machine for processing wood. In a professional environment, it is also called a pneumatic or mechanized scraper .
An electric chisel works on the principle of a jackhammer. Nozzles are attached to the electric handle with a motor. They come in three types: straight, semicircular and angular.
The tool is used for processing soft and hard wood, as well as wood growths (burls, burls). An electric chisel allows you to remove a large amount of material without much physical effort, so it is excellent for roughing. At the same time, there are also very compact models. For example, a tool from Proxxon fits in your hand and can be used to work with small objects. But even tree trunks are processed with large models to create real sculptures.
Slotted thread
One of the most visually impressive is the slotted carving. It is great for interior and exterior decoration of houses. Decorating a piece of furniture, window frames or decorative cornices with it means attracting everyone’s attention and admiration to them. For many, this type of carving is associated specifically with Russian culture and applied art.
It is generally accepted that cutting through patterns on a large scale and developing this art began mainly with the advent of thin and wide wooden panels on an industrial scale. After all, before this, such blanks had to be cut out by hand with great difficulty.
Before cutting through the pattern, you need to make a design on the surface. You can come up with it yourself, or you can use a ready-made diagram from the Internet.
To make a slot, the board is drilled in several places from the inside out with a special drill or chisel. A jigsaw file is inserted into the resulting hole, which is used to make a slot according to the drawn diagram.
If the pattern element is small, then special files with small teeth are used for the same purpose. The remaining elements can be further decorated with patterns for decorative purposes.
After completing the drawing, the product is processed with sandpaper and a file.
In order to protect and make it more decorative, the wood can be additionally varnished.
The slotting technique is the type of carving that beginners in this business are advised to start with. Of course, complex ornate patterns won’t work out at first, but this is a great way to practice and make something truly beautiful!
If a novice master wants to learn the craft of wood carving, he should be patient and learn all the nuances. But only with the help of constant training and making products of varying degrees of complexity can you achieve impressive success!
Cutting on a CNC milling and engraving machine
If the devices described above can be classified as both household and professional categories, then CNC milling machines definitely belong to the latter. This is high quality equipment with very wide functionality.
Despite the high cost of such equipment, it is in great demand among woodworking enterprises, furniture makers and advertising and production companies. The machines can process any wood (hard and soft wood), chipboard (chipboard), MDF (MDF), etc. They are used in the manufacture of furniture, signs, complex engraving and 3D carving.
One of the best models in the range of CNC milling and engraving machines is Beaver 1212 AT3 . Designed for high-quality milling and engraving of surfaces of parts and workpieces on a plane (2D software) and in 3-dimensional space (3D milling). It can be used to cut wood of any species, as well as composite materials (chipboard, fiberboard, MDF, plywood, etc.).
CNC plasma cutting
Plasma machines are the latest generation of CNC milling and engraving technology. Equipment of this type is intended for plasma arc cutting and milling of wood.
The machine looks like this: a supporting frame, including connecting elements and two drawers for water. Cutting is carried out with a milling spindle to a thickness of up to 16 mm. The maximum operating speed is 2.5 m per minute.
The units have a very stable design, allowing processing to be carried out with high precision. One of the best models of this type is the German machine High-Z PlasCUT-1350 . In addition to working with wood, he excels at cutting, milling and engraving metal, plastic and other materials.
Circular Saw
The electric circular saw is a universal tool; it allows you to work with wood, laminate, and metal. Replaceable saw blades allow you to work with almost any material. The main disadvantage of the tool is the risk of injury and high cost.
Pros:
- ability to perform any type of cut. The exception is figured cutting;
- the weight in the structure is distributed evenly, this reduces physical stress during work and increases work efficiency;
- the design of the tool ensures precision work.
An important parameter when choosing a circular saw is comfort during use. Before purchasing, you need to hold it in your hands for a couple of minutes and, if possible, make a cut.
When purchasing, it is important to pay attention to the complexity of setting cutting parameters.
It is important to choose tools from well-known companies that have specialized service centers.
The most popular models are:
- Makita HS 7601
The device has a power of 1200 W and a rotation speed of 5200 rpm. Suitable for working with wood, plastic, plasterboard, metal. Has a low noise level. It is possible to connect a construction vacuum cleaner. The downsides are the lack of a dive indicator and the soft rip fence.
Price from 7,000 to 10,500 rubles.
- Hammer CRP 1500 D
Power 1500 W. Equipped with a laser, has a mode lock button. Can be connected to a vacuum cleaner. Powered by battery. Suitable for cutting wood. If you have a specialized disc, it is suitable for metal and plastic. It can be used outdoors for cutting down trees. The disadvantages are the large mass and inconvenient fixation of the depth of cut.
Price 5,000 – 6,000 rubles.
- DeWalt DWE560/
Power 1350 W. Rotation speed 5500 rpm. Has a low noise level. Allows you to make the most accurate cuts. It is possible to connect to a vacuum cleaner. The downside is a weak rip fence.
Price 7300 – 10800 rubles.
Laser cutting
Today this is the fastest and most economical way to cut wood material. It is carried out with a gas CO2 laser, that is, without mechanical contact with the workpiece. This allows cutting along the most complex contours and with the smallest detail. It is impossible to achieve such precision with any other tools or machines. And the use of computer programs makes it possible to turn work into the most waste-free production possible.
Any wood material can be cut by laser. Even the veneer is only 0.6 mm thick. In general, technology opens up very great opportunities, allowing you to cut out original stories. The work of decorators and furniture makers cannot do without this installation.
True, the principle of operation requires high qualifications. Wood is a flammable material and therefore requires constant cooling. To do this, the machine blows into the cutting zone, which is controlled by the operator. In this way, maximum purity of processing is achieved (no carbon deposits are formed) and at the same time heat treatment of the part is carried out (it looks more contrasting and lasts longer).
Different types of wood are cut with a certain beam power and blowing force. And, if the workpiece is knotty, then this complicates the process even more. “Aerobatics” requires cutting plywood, because... glue layers burn hotter than wood. Yueming CMA series machine is perfect .
Instrument care
To ensure that the power tool is always in working order and in good working order, it is necessary to care for it and perform the following actions:
- Regularly sharpen and change removable working parts.
- The tool is stored in a protective container in a dry place - this will prevent rust from appearing on the elements.
- Regularly inspect the instrument to ensure its integrity.
- It is important to regularly lubricate the tool mechanisms with specialized oil.
- If necessary, seal the device with sealing paste.
- Cleaning internal cavities from dirt.
Wood carving is impossible without the use of hand tools; read about what you may need in your work in the article: “Basic tools for wood carving.”
Waterjet cutting
The unique technology “TECHTRAN” , developed by Soviet scientists for the defense industry, and only relatively recently became available to the general public.
The principle of operation is to cut any sheet materials with an ultra-fine jet of water. Mixed with abrasive, it is fed under very high pressure to the cutting head, where it turns into the finest hair. The jet output speed allows you to cut even metal, not to mention wood.
Nowadays, a CNC system has been introduced into the technology, which makes it possible not only to cut, but to program the processing of material according to any sketch. Cutting accuracy – 0.1 mm. At a speed of up to 100 m/hour, the cut of wooden material is cold, the part does not heat up and does not deform. The cut edges are clean and do not need any finishing.
Vladislav Permin, specially for Equipnet.ru
Artistic (figured) wood milling
The OF 1010 EB vertical router (see Fig. 1 below) is perfect for artistic processing of wooden surfaces. In this case, the tool is guided freely without any stops. Lines are cut out of a wooden surface either according to your own sketch or using ready-made templates. How accurately you will be able to convey the drawing and not blur it depends mainly on your skill. Your movements when driving the router should not only be very easy and confident, but also extremely accurate. Wood with pronounced rings requires particularly precise guidance of the router, as the cutter tends to follow the ring pattern of late (summer) wood. To obtain a more contrasting pattern, the workpieces were treated with a dark stain before milling.
The following cutters can be used for milling:
- Font cutter (Fig. 2)
- V-groove cutter (Fig. 3)
- Grooving cutter (Fig. 4)
- Small diameter slot cutter (Fig. 5)
To remove dust from the work area and ensure a good view, use a dust extractor with a Ø 27 suction hose (Fig. 6). A multifunctional table with clamps is perfect for securing workpieces (Fig. 7)
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| rice. 2 | rice. 3 | rice. 4 | rice. 5 | |
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Several examples of artistic milling (engraving) using a vertical router Festool OF 1010 (Festul OF 1010):
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Procedure
In this example, a type cutter is used. These cutters are available in HW or HS versions. | |
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When making the first pass, set the routing depth to a relatively shallow depth (exact data cannot be given as it depends on the type of wood). It is first necessary to carry out test milling several times on a workpiece made of the same type of wood and determine experimentally what milling depth is optimal. | |
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| This is what the finished image might look like. | |
| Milling using a finished template is also possible in another way, in which a copy of the template is glued to the workpiece. | |
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| When copying a flower from a template, you should work very carefully. The point is not only to cut out the outline, but also to convey the three-dimensionality of the image. | |
| The enlarged photo shows that when milling the flower, the milling depth changed. | |
| Using a fillet cutter, you can obtain surfaces of quality comparable to the quality of processing with a fillet cutter. | |
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| EXPERIMENT: The surface was processed with a fillet cutter, then covered with red stain and then re-cut in places with a cutter. Due to this, a three-dimensional effect is created. | |
| The picture shows a fragment of a bas-relief for a children's room. In this case, engraving was done with a type cutter and, to highlight individual figures, processing was done with a small fillet cutter. | |
| The volumetric effect is also achieved by removing wood with a cutter around the contour. | |
| In this example, a spiral groove cutter was used to outline the contour. |
Tools and equipment:
This practical example uses the following tools, equipment and consumables, using the link you can see the description, availability, prices, place an order/purchase:
| Vertical router Festool ОF 1010 EBQ, available configuration/delivery options: 574175 Vertical router FESTOOL OF 1010 EBQ have 574335 Router FESTOOL OF 1010 EBQ-Plus, in T-Loc container or 574375 Vertical router FESTOOL OF 1010 EBQ-Set, set in T-Loc container with guide rail available 574383 Router FESTOOL OF 1010 EBQ-Plus + Box-OF-S 8/10x HW, in T-Loc container, set with router cassette, with 10 cutters or 574384 Router FESTOOL OF 1010 EBQ-Set + Box-OF-S 8/10x HW, set in T-Loc container with e.g. guide rail, with cassette for router bits, with 10 router bits The following cutters can be used for artistic milling: Font cutter
V-groove cutter
Gutter cutter
Small diameter slot cutter
A multifunctional table with clamps (accessories) is perfect for securing workpieces:
To remove dust and ensure a good view, use a dust extractor with a suction hose with a diameter of 27 mm: 456746 Festool antistatic suction hose with plug it D 27×3.5m-AS Dust extraction options : 584017 Festool dust extractor with system. |
If you have your own examples of artistic milling (engraving) with Festul vertical routers, send photos and comments to them by email, we will be happy to post them here. The article was prepared based on materials from the manufacturer Festool. Back to All Articles.
