Recommend Rotary Flex Shaft

[Whiskeymike]

Looking to get my Dad a rotary flex shaft to attach to his dremel for wood carving. Anyone have any recommendations? Foot control would be great. He has a good dremel, but I'm not sure you can use a foot pedal with it, so maybe a Foredom is better? Or perhaps the dremel with motor, flex shaft, an pedal?

 

[PBCampbell]

Dremel only offers one flex shaft and it's not very long. Wrong tool for power carving as well I'd say as the duty cycle is pretty low. A Foredom is what you want, SR I think is the current model.

 

[neophyte]

Foredom flex shaft setups are considered to be professional or industrial quality tools fir frequent use. Dremel doesn't really have the same reputation. The Foredom setups are also highly customizeable.

Foredoom manufactures three different speed motors. The Foredom SR 1/6hp motors which operate at a maximum 18,000 rpm which is slightly less than the 23,000 rpm the Dremel Fortiflex flex shaft tool operates at, there Are also the TX 1/3 hp Foredom motors which operate at a maximum 15,000 rpm, and the TX series motors which have a lower 5,000 rpm speed for low speed high torque.

The Foredom motors are available in both a hanging configuration, as well as a bench mount swivel configuration. The speed control can be done either with a foot pedal, or Separate dial module, or with the dial control mounted in the swivel mount.

The flex shaft part of the Foredom tools is also available in keyed, slip joint, or heavy duty square drive options. The shafts for the Foredom tools are also available in extra long 66" lengths.

Foredom also makes a number if different handpieces to use with the different shafts, although some of the handpieces are shaft type specific.


It may be possible to use the Forefom shafts and accessories with the Dremrl Fortiflex motor, but I'm not certain. Once you add in the cost of the shafts and handpieces the cost would be similar to that of a Foredom kit. A basic Foredom kit can probably slso be found for a similar price of a Dremel Fortiflex kit. Foredom also offeres a huge variety of sets eith most of the options pre assembled. The only drawback is the cost.

Alternately, if your father already has a dremel tool, a dremel flex shaft kit adapter with the flex shaft and some bits is about $50 to $60 if you're unsure your father would like it, and there are aftermarket foot pedal speed controllers the Dremel could be plugged into.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01M...flex+shaft&dpPl=1&dpID=51XJNR+TRkL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VV4SDS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Foredom makes dedicated woodcarving kits for either chisel carving, or rotary carving.

http://www.foredom.net/woodcarvingkits.aspx

 

[notlob]

Unless you dad works for short periods of time on small items, I wouldn't recommed the dremel. I have a foredom with a foot pedal; it makes the dremel seem like a toy.

You may want to check out this Harbor freight unit, which I have never seen or used, but it's a fraction of the price of a foredom setup:

http://www.harborfreight.com/flexible-shaft-grinder-and-carver-40432.html

 

[Whiskeymike]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the education. Gonna go with the Foredom kit.