Review on 🌳 ARBORTECH Ball Gouge – 30mm Spherical Shaped Wood Gouge Power Carving Attachment for Angle Grinder – BAL.FG.2000 by Justin Newport

After 35 years of woodworking, I came to carving late. I only came across grinders and their accessories later. I didn't think I had a carving skill at a level that wouldn't disappoint and I didn't have time to learn it. Powerful carving seemed too crude and somehow not the "fine wood carving" I'm trying to do. I've cut a few compartments for drawer fronts, cabriole legs, and simple bas-reliefs in the past, but aside from the band saw used to roughen the cabriole legs, everything I've cut has been done by hand, with chisels and others Hand tool that removes wood with a hammer blow. A few years ago I was asked to carve wood into a cabinet door panel which resulted in other wood carvings, a squirrel and more recently marlin and sea turtles. Carving is a tedious task, at least for me, and after what I felt had been spending too much time removing material, I started thinking about mechanical carving, which led me to purchase a Bosch grinder, soon followed by a Mini -Arbortech grinder and some other accessories including a hollowed out ball. I fell in love with grinders almost immediately because they can do anything with a piece of wood in such a short amount of time. The little wood pellets that grinders produce make a huge difference - grinders make a huge mess, period - and I'd rather have the shavings swept off my Dolbles (at least they don't get in my pockets and hair), but that's the price, you pay for the quick removal of the material. The ball chisel produces its fair share of debris, but it can remove material many times faster than a chisel and is far more versatile. When you get to the bottom of the learning curve with a ball dugout, you'll find that you have more control over stock removal - which is essentially the threading - than you can with a regular dugout, regardless of the sharpness of the chisels. edge. Which brings me to the only (potential) downside: how long does the edge stay sharp? At just over $100 for a round cut, it would be a disappointment if the edge dulls quickly and I need to sharpen or replace it. We'll see, but for now I'm quite happy with the hollowed out sphere.