What Defines A Wood Engraving Tool?
A wood engraving tool is defined by its ability to cut away material placing the design into the surface of the wood. This is important to recognize as it is a separate technique from relief carving. This engraving method is called a woodcut.
To explain this further, to engrave the letter A into wood, material is removed leaving a depression of the A in the surface.
A relief carving is when material is removed surrounding the letter and the A is left behind. This would create a raised letter from the surface.
While many of the wood carving tools used can perform both styles of carving, there are some which are better for engraving than others.
I will begin from the easiest tools which any beginner can use. Later I will detail more advanced tools commonly used by experts. These more advanced tools can be used by beginners, yet as with all things practice will be needed.
Easiest Tool For Engraving Wood – Dremel Vs Foredom 5200
Hands down a Dremel is the easiest tool at low cost to engrave wood. The problem with something like the Dremel is that most are bulky and unnatural for fine lines or letters.
Additionally the finish which the Dremel leaves behind is rather unsightly. It is a grinder which removes the wood for engraving. As it does not use a cutting edge a lot of sanding is needed.
In the world of cheaper powered engravers, the Dremel Stylo may be best for ergonomics and still maintaining any amount of staying power. There are smaller iterations for engraving by other companies such as the Folai.
What is the real difference between these options? The first thing many will notice is that the price of the Folai is far more affordable, yet this is with good reason.
The Folai is much like a pen thus fine letters or lines would seem to be easier to create. Yet it is powered by two batteries. Its motor is very weak and thus the lifespan is quite short.
While the Stylo may be less ergonomic it does have far more power as it must plug into a power source. This also allows for a consistent output to the grinding bit which does the material removal.
The Foredom 5200 is an altogether separate breed. You will pay a nice sum for this though. At the time of this writing it is near 500 dollars. So this is not as cheap as a dremel.
What you gain out of the 5200 though is ergonomics and enough power for fine engraving or carving. This tool is tailored more towards professional use yet it is easier to use than the Dremel.
In short the Foredom is the best of both worlds. Note that it is not really designed for clearing wider spaces. Yet for fine engraving it will get the job done.
Powered tools such as these offer someone who is new to wood engraving the ability to explore the art. While there is a wide range of options depending upon price, with these tools keep in mind you get what you pay for.
If you are serious about getting into wood engraving then I would suggest opting for the better tools like the Foredom. Look around and see what packages offer you the best deal for the money but focus on the tools power and specs.
Wood Burning Pen For Engraving
For old school guys like me I personally do not consider wood burning as part of engraving. Talk to a woodworker or artist and they will think you are speaking of Shou Sugi Ban.
Nevertheless today’s younger generation does associate wood burning as a form of engraving. The point to this tool is that it can add art to wood in a similar way as engraving.
I personally have little experience with wood burning of this nature. I use alternative tools. Yet with my limited experience I have always considered them to be glorified soldering irons.
Companies like Razertip can be found at Woodcraft that people commonly use. Honestly I have no idea what brand would be considered better or best in this department.
I bring this concept up for discussion due to knowing how easy these tools are to use. In my opinion they are much slower, but can get the job done.
I have seen more artists historically use these pen burning tools for adding accents or color to sculpture carving more than using them for engraving. Nevertheless it is a possible place for a beginner to start practicing basic concepts.
Hand Carving Tools For Wood Engraving
Here is where the real rubber meets the road. There are few other options in the market for wood engraving that are better than manual hand tools. Here I will discuss a few options that are great for beginners and experts alike.
Each of these will take time to learn. Also you must learn how to care for the tool itself and keep it in prime shape. Yet no other wood engraving tool can compare in what these offer.
The most common to find are as follows: Long bent, Short bent, Fishtail, Gouge, and Veiner. These are genuine wood carving tools.
Each offers its own profile and technique for engraving wood. These profiles can range from U shaped scoops to V cut patterns.
You may wish to look into Chip Carving knives. These work in compliment with engraving and carving. A shorter blade is used for a plunge cut yet its goal is to create decorative designs.
The advantage here is having complete and total control of the engraving process. It is slower than hand held powered options. Yet these hand tools leave a much cleaner finish.
Another advantage to these wood engraving tools is price. Western iterations can be had far cheaper than more expensive powered tools. There is one catch to all this though.
Ultimately if you are serious about wood engraving you will at some point have both powered and manual hand tools. In truth it is difficult to have one and not the other for your work.
Wood Chisels For Wood Engraving
Chisels are closely related to tools such as the long bent or other fine hand engravers. The difference is the size and cutting profile. Normally a chisel can be considered more as a broadsword and smaller tools like a gouge or veiner the scalpel.
If you are looking for flat small lines consider a Sweep Gouge over using a chisel. Yet with many designs that you will use within art, wider spaces are better cleared by a chisel.
If you opt for wood engraving tools like the bent, gouge, or veiner, then a choice selection of chisels goes along with the group. Again this is one which is hard to live without if one begins exploring engraving wood.
Cnc – Numeric Controlled Wood Engraving
While this has traditionally been seen as a more commercial application, more hobby shops have Cnc mills today than ever before. Know this tool is very expensive to build right the first time.
As you read this, consider this tool as a potential wish list to work towards in the coming years. Nevertheless there is no better engraving tool for fast production than numeric control.
The benefits to a Cnc is more than speed. It gives accuracy which nothing else can match. The design process of what will be engraved is converted into bursts of signals.
This electrical pulse of signals is kind of like Morse code to the motors. The motors move according to these pulses to maneuver the cutting head across the surface of the wood.
The disadvantage to a Cnc though goes beyond the cost of the equipment. The finish which the cutting bits leave behind are not as clean as chisels or fine hand tools.
Cnc applications are definitely for expert use and not beginners. Nevertheless if one falls in love with engraving you will grow into its application in the years to come.
How Much Will You Spend For Wood Engraving Tools?
If all you wish to play with is a Dremel then a few hundred dollars will get you all that you need. Aside from the Dremel you will need a few bits, stencils, and sanding tools.
To get clean engraving with powered tools that appear more professional, it is hard to not spend less than 500 to 600 dollars. Here the Foredom 5200 is only one option of several packages and brands as I have already mentioned.
If it were me I would opt for the Foredom and do without the Dremel. Additionally I would purchase a handful of chisels and finer tools like gouges or a veiner.
Better hand engraving tools such as those carried by Woodcraft will range between 30 to 50 dollars a piece on average. I strongly suggest to not purchase these in assorted kits.
Begin to acquire these by need according to the project. This will save you money allowing you to have on hand what you will actually use rather than most sitting in the toolbox.
You will spend a few hundred dollars on these hand engraving tools rather quickly. Yet once you have the first couple projects behind you then spending will slow.
What you acquire after this will be more specialty focused for specific cuts.
Helpful Secondary Tools For Wood Engraving
Clamps help save you a multitude of headaches. You will need both hands free for wood engraving. A wood vise would definitely be a nice thing to have for some applications, yet it is not always necessary.
A wood carving board can be used as the anchor piece which the board you are engraving into is clamped to.
I have at times screwed my carving board into my workbench to create an extended apron. This in turn allows ease of clamping my future art to the board.
No money needs to be spent here if you have a few clamps laying around the shop. Aside from this, good lighting and sandpaper is all you really need.
Safety Using Wood Engraving Tools
For powered options use all necessary safety equipment. Goggles and a qualified wood dust mask is a requirement, not an option.
With fine engraving by manual tools I commonly do not use eye protection. Also a mask is rarely needed for fine work. Anytime sanding is performed definitely mask up.
The greatest danger with manual tools is protecting your hands and fingers. The second greatest problem is protecting the tip or edge of your cutting blade. Here a carving board can help save your tool on a slip.
Always remain within the scope of work which the tool is designed to be used for. This becomes critically true with the hand tools. No one wants an accidental break or slip to cause harm.
Going beyond the mechanical specifications for power tools would likely only harm the tool. Here the loss of money is no where near as bad as an injury to your hands.
How Easy Are These Tools To Use?
Each of the tools I have mentioned are quite easy to use with the exception of numeric control, or commonly called Cnc mills. Aside from this one exception, responsible youth can participate in wood engraving art.
Powered options are easier to learn first. Manual tools are still easy to learn but will take some time. Yet both of these do have an odd relationship.
The catch to both comes back to depth of cut. Mechanical motors begin to take on more load as they are asked to remove more material. Depending on the tool this can burn them out or cause damage.
Likewise with manual tools like a sweep gouge, the depth of cut matters. Problems which can arise if one goes too deep are many.
Among those problems is dulling the blade quickly, warping the handle, breaking the shaft, and distorting the cutting edge of the blade.
In short, cutting too deep on the first pass is always a bad thing to do no matter which tool you use. There is no exception to this rule.
A Cnc spindle can chew through wood material like it is nothing. Yet even here there are potential problems. Speeds and feeds is the common mantra for those who own these machines.
While a spindle can provide the ultimate power source, friction of cutting by speed and its feed rate produces heat. This in turn not only can destroy a bit, but also burn the wood.
I mention this to reinforce the importance of patience and light passes when engraving. If the ultimate engraving tool still must be controlled by this limitation, it is absolutely critical for smaller wood engraving tools.