Power or handCarving

Do any of you use the small hand held power grinder.....I like to think I am from the old school and use carving chisels/knives, but am tempted to buy a set of grinders to cut away the hard wood/work.......any thoughts?.
Thanks in advance. Roger.

Roger, Maybe I am not a purist but I see nothing sacred about using only hand tools to make sticks. Many of us are getting older and stiffer. I use power cutters and grinders, especially to remove larger amounts of wood when carving out handles from root balls on root canes. I say use whatever works best for you. I am sure others have other ideas.

Pellcity2003 wrote: Many of us are getting older and stiffer.

Tell me about it!.at 58 and years on building sites around the world (Canada & Saudi Arabia) my hands show sighns of wear & tear=arthritus.

I used to think that it was "cheating" to use power tools. If you take that idea to its logical conclusion then nobody would have progressed past stone tools! I don't see anything wrong with using up to date tools and to be honest I couldn't make sticks fast enough to make a living if I stuck to hand tools.
That doesn't mean I always use them - I often use just knife and chisels as it's quite nice not to have the noise and dust of the powered carver! I always carve by hand at shows anyway because I never take any power tools with me.

Keith.

thestickman wrote:I used to think that it was "cheating" to use power tools. If you take that idea to its logical conclusion then nobody would have progressed past stone tools! I don't see anything wrong with using up to date tools

Keith.....Any type you can recommend...brand etc.

I get mine from Axminster Power Tools in the UK

Go to http://axminster.co.uk and search under "power carving"

Keith

Hi Guys

Viktur her.

Its a long time since Ive used chisels on a full time basis. Since I first bought a Dremel I never looked back and now have a Foredom which is used daily. It beats all the hard work with chisels etc. These power tools are fast and efficient and I dont think it matters how you get the end result as long as you achieve you goal.
The only down side I can see is buying cutters for the likes of the Foredom and then finding the expensive cutter doesnt do the job as well as you had hoped. Its a costly journey.
But its suprising how things develope, first Dremel then Foredom and now a small hand held Trend Router motor which is rather like a die grinder but cheaper, and this is where the powered respirator comes in because the Trend really kicks some dust out.
I have never considered using power tools for carving as cheating in any way and its a shame if anyone has ever tried to label another as a cheat because of the use of power tools. This just shows a intolerance to change, and thats no way to progress.
Keep grinding away guys, but dont forget to wear dem der masks.

Cheers medears.

Viktur.