Woodworker's Journal March/April 1995

SHOP TEST

While researching my article on power carvers [for a previous issue], I enlisted the aid of master carver (Bill)Schnute to help me test the various electric carving tools featured in the review... He, like many professional carvers, has switched to air-powered tools to practice his craft.

Bill cited a variety of reasons for making the switch to air power. In a nutshell, air tools run at higher speeds and torque, with less vibration than you get from most electric tools. This translates into more carving power and smoother cuts. Also, air driven handpieces tend to be more durable because they have fewer moving parts, and the air hoses they connect to are more flexible than the sheathed flex-shafts used with electric carvers. The handpieces on the air tools also tend to be slimmer and better balanced... Recently Penn State Industries started marketing... air driven handpieces targeted at woodcarvers...

THE PSI TURBO-CARVER.
This pencil-styled hand-piece weighs just 4 ounces, yet it provides plenty of speed and power for fast, smooth detail carving in all types of wood. The tool operates at speeds of up to 56,000 rpm at a maximum air pressure of 90 psi, while consuming only 2 cfm of air at top speed. With this low air consumption, you won't need a large air compressor to run it ; most 1-hp compressors should do nicely.

The tool comes with 1/8" and 3/32" collets to fit a variety of burrs and bits. It also has an integral, highly flexible air hose (called a "whip") that accepts 1/4" NPT fittings and a twist-type variable speed control on the back of the handpiece. The variable speed capability comes in handy if you work with other materials such as metals or plastics.

Several things impressed us when we put the Turbo-Carver through its paces. One was a conspicuous lack of vibration throughout its speed range, which we attributed to the dual ball bearings at the front end. (Most industrial grinders have only one bearing in front and one in the back.) The extra bearing, we felt, eliminated side play (runout) and end play in the shaft. This ensures a true-running bit that stays in the cut during carving, as well as very little or no "buzzing" (vibration) in the handpiece. This feature also bodes well for the tool's life expectancy, since carving exerts a great deal of side thrust on the front end of the tool shaft. We were also hard put to bog the tool down, even when making deep cuts in hardwoods...

We also liked the permanently attached collet over-guard. This enables you to grip the handpiece closer to the bit for added control...

The Turbo-Carver performed every bit as well as its $250-plus industrial-grade counterparts. "for the price, you can't beat it," Bill concludes.