Tools

Dremel Tool Holder

This is my Dremel tool in a fixture I use to rough out the channel at the edge, and to cut the purfling groove.

The first purfling groove I cut by hand was a disaster in slow motion. This tool enables me to do the job much quicker, but disaster is just an instant away.

The bit in the tool is a ball around 3/8" in diameter, coated with welded on tungsten carbide that I got from Woodcraft. I like to cut the channel early so it can serve as a place for my gouge to stop. I don't cut it all the way down, so I can clean it up later.

The bottom is shaped so that I can maneuver around the C bout and the points. Notice the channel between the two lobes of the bottom.

This was a quick and dirty job and I was going to make a second, better one after a "proof of concept" run. It worked so well that I never bothered making the second one.

If I make another I will space the bolts a bit further apart, and put a bigger gap between the lobes..

There is a tiny bit on the bench just under the Dremel tool. That is the bit I used to cut the purfling. It is in the Stew/Mac catalog and is a downcut bit used for routing out designs to be inlaid with mother of pearl or abalone. Works great for purfling too.

This is a profile view in case you want to make one. The only adjustment is the gap from the point to the bit done by loosening the wing nuts on the carriage bolts, and the depth of cut is set by how deep you insert the bit. The top plate is slotted for the bolts.

Cutting the purfling you have to go around counterclockwise. The direction of rotation pulls the bit into the work. Going the other way can cause the bit to try to wander out of the work.

The carbide ball has a tendency to pull this way and that depending on where the wood is deepest when you use it. I generally have the arching started before I cut the channel, so I just have to hang on and go slow.


	Dremel Tool Holder
			This is my Dremel tool in a fixture I use to rough out the channel at the edge, and to cut the purfling groove. The first purfling groove I cut by hand was a disaster in slow motion. This tool enables me to do the job much quicker, but disaster is just an instant away. The bit in the tool is a ball around 3/8" in diameter, coated with welded on tungsten carbide that I got from Woodcraft. I like to cut the channel early so it can serve as a place for my gouge to stop. I don't cut it all the way down, so I can clean it up later.
			The bottom is shaped so that I can maneuver around the C bout and the points. Notice the channel between the two lobes of the bottom. This was a quick and dirty job and I was going to make a second, better one after a "proof of concept" run. It worked so well that I never bothered making the second one. If I make another I will space the bolts a bit further apart, and put a bigger gap between the lobes.. There is a tiny bit on the bench just under the Dremel tool. That is the bit I used to cut the purfling. It is in the Stew/Mac catalog and is a downcut bit used for routing out designs to be inlaid with mother of pearl or abalone. Works great for purfling too.
			This is a profile view in case you want to make one. The only adjustment is the gap from the point to the bit done by loosening the wing nuts on the carriage bolts, and the depth of cut is set by how deep you insert the bit. The top plate is slotted for the bolts. Cutting the purfling you have to go around counterclockwise. The direction of rotation pulls the bit into the work. Going the other way can cause the bit to try to wander out of the work. The carbide ball has a tendency to pull this way and that depending on where the wood is deepest when you use it. I generally have the arching started before I cut the channel, so I just have to hang on and go slow.