Paintings by wood engraver. Wood engraving: features of technology. Laser wood engraver

Wood carvings, made by the hand of a master, attract attention with the filigree of the finish, the subtlety and elegance of the design, and the beauty of the material itself, which has been given a new long life.

The art of wood carving has a long and glorious history, from carved frames in the huts of the Russian hinterland to decorative masks from African villages. Each professional has his own technologies for carved wood processing in order to obtain a highly artistic product, as well as a set of tools for performing this delicate and painstaking work.

Hard, durable and heavy types of wood - boxwood, ironwood, hopshorn and many others - attract the attention of real professionals their original structure and beauty, although their processing requires great patience and skill.

Choosing a drill for wood carving

Exists large number units that facilitate the work of the cutter. Wood carving with a drill for beginners involves right choice tool. The success of learning and the rapid acquisition of the necessary skills depends on this. This work requires considerable perseverance, patience and care.

The most important criteria for determining the quality of the device are this is the spindle speed and the amount of torque. The speed can be from three to thirty thousand revolutions per minute. The cutter holder is made in a collet and more reliable key form. To ensure high quality work and the most comfortable and safe operation It is recommended to have two types of engravers. One should be relatively low speed but have high torque, and the second should be high speed for finishing and polishing parts.

The range of prices for wood carving drills is quite large, but a high price is not a guarantee good quality and reliability. Basically you need to focus on famous brands, which have established themselves in the world market as leading manufacturers. Powerful and reliable engines are produced, for example, by the American company Foredom S.R., which supplies its products with a wide range of components for attachments, holders and cutters for engraving. The Russian brand “Profile” fully meets the requirements for power, reliability and speed, which, combined with an affordable price, makes the device quite attractive.

Professional drills for wood carving are distinguished by a set of specialized attachments and cutters for performing particularly delicate and precise operations that require mastery skills and knowledge of specific technologies. Such machines are also called mini-drills. or by hand engraver.

You can make an engraver for wood carving yourself, at home. An electric motor from washing machine power up to 300 watts. You will need to buy a flexible shaft and a set of heads. In addition, it is necessary to have cutters, polishing and grinding attachments different sizes. It is good if it is possible to regulate the engine speed.

Types and purpose of cutters and attachments

A wide variety of dental instruments allows them to be successfully used in artistic carving. High strength and wear resistance will provide durable and quality application products.

Final finishing of products

To polish surfaces ready for final finishing, felt wheels are used, onto which a special paste is applied to achieve a mirror-like finish. Once the work is completed and the required quality has been achieved, soft varieties It is recommended to coat wood with a thin layer of transparent varnish. This will ensure that the model is insulated from moisture and will increase the durability of the product. After varnishing You can polish the surface again until a homogeneous mirror structure is obtained. Solid varieties do not require varnishing and allow you to enjoy the natural beauty of the material.

All photos from the article

For any type wooden product engraving can be applied, which is performed not only manually, but also on special machines. Using a cutter or laser gives a drawing of unsurpassed accuracy and any complexity. Engraving is used on promotional items, souvenirs, jewelry or personal items, expressing the commonality of company members or emphasizing individuality.

From grabstikhel to cutter

The art of modern engraving originates from ancient drawings scratched on cave walls and carved spinning wheels and frames. But modern process optimized so much that human participation is reduced only to brainstorming, leaving the painstaking cutting to the technology.

A modern wood engraving machine is designed to create:

• graphics;
• markings;
• photos;
• patterns and vignettes;
• reliefs and bas-reliefs.

Any wooden surface can be engraved - flat and round, the main thing is that the size of the working field is sufficient.

The image can decorate:

• furniture facade;
• doors, cornices;
• “gadgets” for the computer;
• dishes, cutting boards;
• boxes and other, sometimes, everyday objects.

Hand engraving

Technology is technology, but a real piece of work is done only with the direct participation of a person. The tool is then an extension of the hand, and each cut line is unique. Do-it-yourself wood engraving will take a lot of time and all your attention, but that’s the beauty of creativity.

For self made At home, you must have the following tools:

• a set of gravers - thin steel rods with ends of different shapes;

An engraver, also called a mini-drill, dremel, straight grinder or drill, is a multifunctional tool. With its help, not only engraving is applied, but also drilling, grinding and performing other operations for processing various materials, for example, wood, metal, glass, stone. The device is widely used both in everyday life and in various industries industry, in jewelry, when creating advertising and souvenir products. All variety functionality equipment is due to the fact that there are different attachments for the engraver.

Attachments for frequently performed types of work are supplied complete with the tool. Milling cutters for more specific operations must be purchased separately. In order to work correctly and efficiently with a Dremel, while achieving high quality processing of parts, you need to know existing varieties equipment, as well as for what work each type is used.

There are a large number of varieties of equipment for working with a mini drill. The wide range on the market allows you to select attachments for wood and many other materials that engraving equipment can work with. Also, individual craftsmen make them themselves.

Structurally, the attachments (burs) consist of two parts;

• tail, clamped in the tool chuck (diameter from 0.8 to 8 mm);
• worker who processes materials.

Equipment is classified according to two main criteria:

• by the type of material from which they are made;
• by area of ​​use (purpose).

By type of material processed

According to the material, cutters for engravers are of the following types.

There are also combination burs that have a steel shank and a carbide working part. Their area of ​​application corresponds to the material of the head.

Carbide equipment is of high quality, durable and is one of the most expensive consumables for Dremels. The shape of the tips determines the features of its application. With the help of such peak burs, it is good to process bone, plastic, and make tracing (indicate the contours of the picture). Diamond bits They are also distinguished by their quality, even if the kit they are included in is classified as cheap consumables.

On the market you can find a set of burrs, all the elements of which marked with any color– it indicates the level of sharpening. Those marked black are the most productive burs, while the sharpness of green or blue ones is worse. Labeled yellow nozzles are optimal choice when performing finishing processing of workpieces.

By purpose

You can use an engraver with attachments not only for engraving, but also for performing other work operations. The breakdown of consumables used in the operation of straight grinders is presented in the table below.

Consumables from each group can be used when processing various materials. At the same time milling equipment used mainly by professionals.

Dremels, which have a flexible shaft installed, are equipped with any types of consumables that fit the diameter of the tool chuck.

Review of the most popular attachments for working on wood and metal

Wood is one of the most commonly processed materials for engraving, along with glass, metal, and stone. Dremels are often used for carving wood, drilling miniature holes in it, and applying images to surfaces. of this material, grinding, and creating small grooves or tongues. Therefore, popular types of attachments for woodworking are:

• wood cutters;
• drills;
• cutting circles;
• polishing, grinding wheels and cylinders;
• spherical and cone-shaped burs;
• diamond and carbide bits of various shapes;
• felt balls.

There are also specific types of wood cutters, but they are used very rarely even by specialists. Purchase consumables to process wood of different species using straight grinding machine, recommended as a set. Thus, everything that may be needed when performing work manipulations will be collected immediately in one case.

Review of professional attachments for engravers

Professional tools constitute a separate (high-quality and expensive) category of equipment that can withstand significant operating loads without negative consequences. Such devices are usually equipped with appropriate consumables.

Professionals carefully process the smallest details of workpieces. That's why they need such a wide variety of consumables to get the job done.

Experts who engrave various materials professionally recommend purchasing sets of attachments from well-known brands, such as "Dremel" or "Dexter". The significant cost of the products of these companies is fully justified by the fact that their products are reliable, high quality and durable. The use of burrs for wood, metal and other materials produced by these companies increases the accuracy of workpiece processing.

Often, specialists have several sets of equipment designed to process different materials and perform various operations. Also, the individual elements included in their composition have their own design features. Typically such sets include:

• cutters for metal, wood and other materials, of various designs;
• drills;
• felt, diamond, and abrasive cutters;
• wire brushes for cleaning surfaces;
• engraving rods;
• cutting discs.

The kits also include a straight edge cutter.

Straight edge cutter Topfix

Replacement equipment of the Dremel and Dexter brands can be used not only by workshop specialists, but also by home craftsmen who want to improve in the art of engraving.

According to professionals, one such tool can last as long as 10 low-quality attachments from an unknown manufacturer.

Some engraving artists recommend products "Zubr" company, lower quality than Dremel or Dexter, but cheaper. The set can include up to 180 units of consumables of popular varieties. But products from Zubr, in general, fall into the semi-professional and household categories.

Typically, a milling attachment for an engraver is included with the purchased tool. But with constant use, it wears out over time. Also, cutters may be needed for specific operations - then you need to buy new burs in order to continue working with the Dremel.

The ideal option is to purchase products recommended by the engraver manufacturer. In such cases, the warranty from the companies for the device in use is retained. But it happens that original consumables cannot be obtained for some reason, or they will be very expensive if not large volume upcoming work operations. Then you will need to purchase analogues or even use homemade ones. In this case, the main rules of choice are as follows.

1. You should focus on a Dremel chuck that fits shank diameter: most often it is 2.4 or 3.2 mm.
2. You need to purchase attachments for metal and other materials depending on the type of work you plan to perform.
3. To engrave, you can use inexpensive sets, for example, Chinese or Russian production.
4. For constant, long-term work with a mini-drill (especially with hard materials), it is recommended to purchase high-quality, professional sets, and for occasional engraving, household ones are sufficient.

When learning various Dremel operations, inexpensive products are suitable. Over time, they should be abandoned in favor of better quality equipment.

Homemade attachments for the engraver

You can buy attachments for the engraver not only factory-made, but also make them yourself. Workshop specialists and home craftsmen have come up with many options that are suitable for performing various operations with different materials.

To make your own polishing, grinding, milling, drilling consumables for a Dremel, as well as cutting devices, use the following materials and parts:

• plywood;
• sandpaper;
• remnants of abrasive wheels of different thicknesses from an angle grinder (grinder);
• felt;
• felt;
• various fabrics and rubber;
• steel wire;
• a wheel from a cheap lighter;
• old burs and drills (they are sharpened);
• electric razor knives;
• hacksaw blades;
• metal caps, for example, from beer bottles;
• champagne corks;
• an ordinary dowel (its head has teeth) and others.

The photos below show some ready-to-go practical application homemade devices to a milling type engraving device.

Additionally used with homemade products special (for example, diamond) pastes. At the same time, specialists achieve the result of finishing processing of workpieces of different densities, comparable in quality to the use of factory analogue burs.

Homemade engraver attachments are suitable for performing a variety of jobs in domestic conditions. They will also save you money cash through the use of available, cheap materials and parts from improvised or broken (unnecessary, old) mechanisms.

A wide variety of different attachments allows you to perform a wide range of tasks using a Dremel various works with different materials. It is better to select consumables that comply with the recommendations of equipment manufacturers. Professional kits- This is a guarantee of product quality, but they are expensive. To save money, you can make the necessary devices yourself. Just keep in mind that in this case the warranty service for the mini-drill is lost, and during operation the load on the tool may increase.

Engraving is artistic look high-precision milling, used for applying an ornament, pattern, design, text to the surface of the product. A hand-held electric wood engraver is designed for armor or line carvings with a depth of 2 - 0.5 mm. There are laser engravers, which are multifunctional 3D printers.

Some manufacturers position hand engravers, like a mini drill, which accurately reflects the design features. The main characteristics of the power tool are:

• spindle speed – 35,000 – 15,000 every minute
• power – 300 – 35 W

Thus, drills are much more powerful than drills; angle grinders have lower speeds. Therefore, the use of accessories from these tools is strictly prohibited. Wood carving with an engraver is carried out using equipment specially made for this purpose, designed for certain cutting speeds.

The pattern for line carving is applied to the surface of the workpiece, the wood is cut with cutters and drills to the required depth.

Armor wood carving with an engraver is multi-stage - first you need to select a background, apply markings, then create a relief at the lower level.

By equipping the engraving kit with a flexible shaft, carving wood and other materials becomes much more convenient. In addition to this device, manufacturers produce the following types of equipment:

• ergonomic handle – the mini drill itself does not have a handle, so it is very difficult to draw with the tool
• collets – sold as a set (4 – 2 pcs. complete with one coupling)
• milling attachment - analogous to the holder of a miniature hand router
• tripod – necessary when working with a flexible shaft, usually universal sliding modifications for tools from any manufacturer
• angular attachment - allows you to change the angle of rotation by 90 degrees; unlike the flexible shaft, it has a rigid structure

With a minimum configuration (flexible shaft + tripod) for a wood engraver, the price is minimal; with an increase in the number of devices and equipment, the cost of a hand-held power tool increases significantly.

Experts recommend that novice craftsmen buy a wood engraver in a minimum or medium configuration in order to determine during work which attachments and devices are most often required. Instead of an expensive set of drills, cutters, diamond drill bits from leading brands, it is easier to order 5 - 3 Chinese sets from Ali Express for the same money.

The tool life does not differ significantly, the difference in money is significant. The only inconvenience is the long waiting time for the order (5 - 3 weeks, depending on the region of the Russian Federation). For example, a branded set from Dremel (catalog number 7105, two cutters with a diamond-coated ball tip) cost 800 rubles; on a Chinese resource, a set of 30 attachments costs 200 rubles.

The flexible shaft is a multifunctional device:

• allows you to clean the pipelines of home communications when installed on a more powerful electric drill (there are 5 m modifications)
• when equipped with this device, the brush cutter can be used to mow weeds/ornamental grass in hard-to-reach places
• By connecting a flexible shaft to a vibrator, the developer will be able to efficiently compact concrete solutions when pouring into formwork

The flexible shaft is a full-fledged tool when equipped with an electric drive. For example, this attachment is often included with a sharpening machine.

The ergonomic handle allows you to make ornaments of any complexity, configuration:

• wooden crafts – cutting boards, paintings
• surfaces of newly manufactured or already in use structures - bathhouse doors, furniture facades,
• elements of power structures - porch, bench, platbands, shutters, picket fence, canopy columns, terraces, verandas

The handle weighs 0.5 - 0.3 kg, which is much more convenient to use than the weight of the power tool itself (2.5 - 1 kg), which at this moment is placed on a tripod.

Accessories for wood drills

In 99% of cases, attachments for the engraver are already included with the hand drill. However, during operation, each user purchases additional equipment depending on his own needs. The following attachments are most in demand by home craftsmen:

• classic cutters for engravers – fixed in the chuck using collets of different diameters and adapters
• drills with a ball-shaped tip - due to the possibility of working with this equipment, the power tool was called a drill, of which it is an analogue
• brushes – roughing or finishing of workpieces
• drills – making through/blind holes
• rollers – polishing, grinding, surface finishing
• discs – abrasive, serrated blades for cutting thin materials

A wood carving drill is often equipped with collet key chucks, which have a design flaw - a point clamp. As a result, under heavy loads (hard wood, large depth of drilling, milling, inclined placement of equipment), the shank rotates in the chuck. Engravers, unlike manual milling cutters, use ultra-thin cutters, which reduces the quality of processing of hard materials (metals, alloys). When working on wood, the beating of the equipment is not so critical; visually, the “rattling” caused by poor alignment of the cutter/drill is practically not noticeable.

How to work as a manual grower

The technology for applying a relief image to a wooden facade or plywood is as follows:

• making a stencil - an image or pattern is applied to a sheet of paper
• transfer to the workpiece - manually using copying
• rough processing - needle cutters or drills with spherical tips 1.2 - 1 mm are used, which draw the outline of the picture
• lining - equipment with tips of a larger diameter of 1.4 mm is used locally
• applying the base - paint of a neutral color is rubbed into the engraving
• finishing decoration - the surface is sprinkled with bronze powder, the excess is removed with a napkin

The use of stencils greatly simplifies the technical process - the operator just needs to place a letter/part of a design on the board, remove the wood to the desired depth, move the stencil or use another ornament in the next place. For beginners, it is recommended to use a flexible shaft or a special handle to improve image accuracy. Professionals have enough practice to apply a complex design with a heavier tool with equipment inserted into it.

Laser engraver design

Unlike drills with a rotating shaft, a spindle and a flexible shaft tip, a 3D wood engraver has a specific design, which is why it is called a volumetric printer among specialists. The tool has the appearance of a tabletop or floor-standing machine; a drawing, pattern, text on parts and workpieces is created by burning the material with a laser beam.

When working with wood, the risk of damage to the organs of vision (reflected light from a metal surface can burn the cornea of ​​the eye) and breathing (metal and glass shavings are dangerous to the lungs) is sharply reduced.

A laser wood engraver is a CNC machine for cutting, applying patterns, and designs onto various materials. There are several types of equipment depending on the coherent radiation module:

Very often, when performing a relief image on wooden surface, masters, in order to make their task easier, use special drills with various attachments. This equipment can be used as a dental bur or special hand engravers for a certain type of material (glass, wood, metal). Wood carving using a conventional engraver, especially for beginners, requires certain skills and presents some difficulties.

The very first problem that you will have to face is choosing a drill from the huge variety of options presented on the modern market.

Learn wood carving with an engraver for beginners with your own hands

How to choose the right drill?

Despite the great variety of drills on the market, choose the right one, knowing the necessary technical specifications, not that difficult. The main selection criteria are engine power, which determines the number of revolutions of the drill per minute, and torque.

When choosing a drill, you will always have to make a choice between the ability to withstand heavy loads and the ability to work long time at high speeds, because not a single car, unfortunately, combines these two important qualities. It is for this reason the best option becomes the purchase of two drills with different technical characteristics.

The most the best option for wood carving will be:

1. Powerful drill with reinforced tip.
2. Compact micromotor capable of operating at high speeds.

If you really like to save money and also get along with technical equipment, then you can assemble the first drill yourself: to do this, you need to take a motor from a washing machine or any other motor of sufficient power and, using a belt drive, connect it to the sleeve from the drill. All this action requires dexterity and some skills, besides, the sleeve and tip itself will still have to be purchased.

Russian production produces quite powerful sleeveless drills “Profile” with a pedal - This model is very reliable and allows you to perform incredibly wide range technical operations: drilling, grinding and much more, despite the low speed.

For years, the drill machine from Foredom SR from the USA has gained its authority in the market (you can see this device in the photo below). Very reliable in operation, even under high loads. All spare parts can be purchased at almost any store that sells tools for jewelers. The choice of attachments is very large and varied: from power collet attachments to convenient quick-release attachments.

Micromotors These are unique mini drills - they are more compact and do without a flexible shaft. Their motor is mounted directly behind the tip. Such machines are very convenient to use for the most fine workmanship, it is for these purposes that they are very convenient.

Among the Russian ones, the DPM 25-2 drill with a specialized medical handpiece should be highlighted. It fits very comfortably in the hand, the burs can be changed easily and quickly, and the price for a machine with such characteristics is not at all high. But it should still be noted that the medical handpiece is not designed for heavy loads, and therefore, if used too often, it can quickly fail. The micromotor cannot be repaired, since the carbon brushes, which wear out over time, cannot be replaced. Thus, from time to time you will have to change the engine or purchase a new drill entirely. Otherwise, this is a very good, budget and convenient option. You can also look for good analogues from Korea.

The following drills are attractive for their functionality and reliability, but in Russia Marathon or Strong drills are quite expensive. They have very high speeds and power - up to 30,000 rpm and a power of 65W. For a micromotor, these figures are very respectable. The best masters They work with exactly these drills.

It should be noted that the above micromotors are only suitable for small burs and small bur cutters. By using large cutters on them, you will significantly reduce the resource of the tool and its service life. It is for this reason that it is necessary to have at least two types of drills in your arsenal.

Usually the drill is equipped with a flexible shaft. It is convenient to use when performing small details in carving. However, when using a flexible shaft, the drill loses half its power.

So, carving is best done on wood species with a monolithic structure: linden, beech, alder, pear. Pine, ash and oak are less suitable for this purpose.

The first step is to transfer the sketch to the board and shade the background that you will remove.

The picture should be traced around the office with a small drill with a round star-shaped section. After which the entire background is hammered with the same drill, albeit of a larger diameter, to complete the job faster.

In order to select a large amount of background, it is convenient to use the limiter attachment that comes with the drill.

The cutting depth must first be adjusted and practiced on an extra piece of wood.

After the background is completely cut through, it is sanded with sandpaper.

After this, the details are cut out in the drawing itself.

After completing the work, you should sand the entire picture and cover it with stain, then go over it with sandpaper so that the stain remains only in those places where the background is lower.

Video on the topic of the article

In the video lessons below you will see a couple of examples of how craftsmen work with wood engravers, as well as reviews of drills from some manufacturers.