Carving Burs

These are some of the burs I use most often in carving, cutting

   and inlaying materials into gourds.  I only sell burs I use myself!

New Dremel Flex Shaft Attachments added below!

Dremel #116

1/4 " head

Ball

1/8 inch shank

Use this one for relief carving, to inlay heishi and for stippling techniques. $5 each

Top view and side view of wheel burs

Left: 5mm wide x 1/32" thick

Right: 3mm wide x 1/32" thick

Fine Engraving Burs

3/32" shank

A handy set of 5 burs - the set includes three different sized ball cutters and two sizes of inverted cones. The set is packaged in a nice little plastic storage box. (The tiniest ball is great for carving your name on the bottom of your gourd!)

Set of all  5 burs in a handy plastic storage box

Set $7.50

Wheel

1/8 inch shank

Great for cutting fine lines.

(The smaller wheel can cut tighter curves.) $5 each

5mm

(left)

3mm(right)

1/8"

(left)

3/32"

(middle)

3/16"

(right)

6mm(left)

Dremel (right)

Inverted Cone

1/8 inch shank

I use this shape to cut sand ripples and faux basketry. *The Dremel bur is coarser than the smaller bur. $5 each

Structured tooth carbide burs are my favorite type of bur for fast roughing out and general carving. I wouldn't want to carve large areas without these.

(Because these have non-directional cutting teeth, they are a great choice for left handed carvers.)

$9.00 ea (Regular retail $14.99 ea) 

Special - Set of 3 burs

(cylinder, flame, and ball)  $25

Special - Set of 4 burs

(cylinder, flame, cone and ball)  $33

Cylinder

Flame

Ball

Cone

 

About Carving Burs:  Which type is right for you and your project?

Most burs that are included in a typical rotary tool kit are intended for general household use, and many are unsuitable for gourd carving.  The descriptions below will help you to choose the appropriate burs, you can also find more in depth descriptions on pages 29-31 of my "Gourds" book. 

Note:  I have been carving wood and gourds for over 25 years.  All of the burs shown below are pieces I have used and tested myself.

High Speed Steel Burs 

These burs are the mainstays of most gourd carvers.  They are inexpensive and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  This type of bur cuts with sharpened cutting flutes or "teeth".   They will cut aggressively and are perfect for most people that want to do general gourd carving, and their price makes them the best choice for beginners.  For most carvers, three basic shapes are adequate (although you may want to add a variety of sizes within those shapes.)  I recommend a wheel, a ball, and a either a cylinder or an inverted cone.  You can use other shapes as well, but if you are starting from scratch this is a good place to start.  These burs will dull after years of use or if misused, but usually a thorough cleaning will extend their life. (More on cleaning burs at the bottom of the page.)

Carbide Burs 

Carbide burs are more expensive than steel burs, but with ordinary care they will outlast a steel bur and should never need to be replaced. 

Some carbide burs look exactly like steel burs, but will stay sharper much longer. Personally, I don't buy this type as they are much more expensive and the high speed steel cutters last quite a long time.

Some burs have bits of tungsten carbide grit fused onto a steel based cutting surface.  This type of bur comes in various shapes and cutting grits, but is less aggressive and smoother cutting than a structured tooth bur.

Structured tooth cabide burs have sharp hair-like projections protruding from all sides of the bur.  They are great for left handed carvers as they are not directional and are not used with a mandrel.  They come in a variety of shapes and grits and are the most aggressive burs for fast carving.

Diamond Burs 

Diamond burs are not intended for carving through the gourd skin.  They are better suited for detail carving or sanding operations.  These burs are the least aggressive of all but are perfect for sanding or texturizing after the rough carving is finished.  Inexpensive kits with several burs will give you plenty of shapes to choose from.

High Speed Steel Burs

(Green items are included in Smoothing Set)

(Red items are included in Wheel Set)

60 grit  1/2" hollow tip drum             $12.50

80 grit  1/2" hollow tip drum      $12.50

80 grit 7/16" diameter thick disc bur      $12.50   

    

80 grit 1/8" pointed bur              $9.50

120 grit 1/8" pointed bur             $9.50

60 Grit 1 1/4"  Shaping Wheel           $15.50     Out of Stock

80 Grit 1" Cutting Wheel     $15.50     

Tungsten carbide burs are nice additions to round out a set of carving burs.  Shown above are a few shapes that I have personally selected.   They are less aggresive than the structured tooth carbides and work well for shaping and smoothing when a smoother texture is desired.

The thick disc shaped bur is also perfect for smoothing flat areas.  Use the bottom for smoothing and flattening larger areas, and use the sides for creating perpendicular  edges or borders. 

In addition to its typical use as a smoothing drum, the hollow tip bur has grit on the ends and is great for cutting decorative circles or plugs.  It is available in two grits, and unlike typical sanding drums, it will never wear out!

The small pointed bur can be drug to create lines, to undercut relief carving, and works great for cutting  channels for heishi inlay, or for drilling and shaping decorative holes.  The finest grit works well for filigree type hole piercing.

The 1 1/4" wide shaping wheel is used for "skinning" the gourd, shaping, and removing large areas.

Use the 1"  cutting wheel for cutting through the gourd.  Also, when drug sideways across the gourd surface it is very effective in rapidly removing large areas of material in gourd carving.

Tungsten Carbide Burs

Carbide Bur Sets

(A small savings over purchasing the burs individually.)

Structured Tooth Carbide Burs

Bur Cleaning Info and Tips

There are different reasons why burs leave burn marks or don't cut well.  If you know your bur is relatively new and not likely to be dull, then the cause is often a dirty or clogged bur.

The easiest way to clean all types of burs is to get a small jar (baby food size is fine) and fill it with enough acetone to cover the bur cutting heads.  Let the burs soak for a while, the acetone won't hurt them.  This will loosen the resins that are clogging the cutting surfaces.  After the burs are removed from the acetone, simply scrub them off with a toothbrush shaped brass brush.  This should eliminate the majority of the debris.  You can resubmerge and repeat if necessary.

Carbide burs are much tougher and in a pinch they can even be flamed with a small propane torch to burn off the residue.  Use caution when using this method; flame the bur while it is chucked into your tool, don't attempt to hold it with pliers (or your fingers!!!).  Do NOT try this on steel burs.  They will lose their temper and will not hold a sharp edge.  If you are cleaning a mandrel mounted carbide bur, you must remove the small fiber washer before using the torch cleaning method.

Brass Cleaning Brush  $1

Diamond burs are best suited for sanding and texturing the softer inner gourd.  These are not suitable for cutting through the tough outer gourd skin, but they cut smoothly when doing fine carving or detail work on the inner pulp, and are great for smoothing cut edges.  Both sets have 1/8" shanks.

Set of 20 assorted smaller shapes in a plastic storage box.    $7.50  

Set of 6 assorted larger shapes in a plastic storage box.      $5     

Left:  Small Round Bur Holder with clear plastic cover conveniently stores and organizes 48 accessories. Holder has 24 holes for 3/32" shank burs and 24 holes for 1/8" shank burs.   $3.25  

Right :  Budget Bur Stand will hold 30 1/8" shank burs.  Great for tabletop use.

$2

NEW - Not Shown  Budget Bur Stand for 3/32" burs.

Same as above, but for the smaller shank burs.

$2

*Looking for Rifflers, Hole Saws and other tools and accessories?  To make each page load faster, they are found on the "Tools" page.

Arizona Gourds is an authorized Foredom Tool Distributor.   Please use the Foredom link button to view available tool sets including bench and hanging models and the new Gourd Carvers Kit.

Please email me if you have questions about your order, or prefer to not use the shopping cart feature.  The shopping cart is designed for optimal operation when used with Windows Explorer.

Rotary Tool Sanders and Accessories

1/2" x 1/2" Drum Sander

1/8" shank

Comes with a coarse sanding band.  Great for smoothing sand ripples, grinding Inlace resin and many other uses.$3

Replacement sanding bands - fine grit

6 for $2.50

The Keyless Chuck (Dremel 4486) will eliminate the need for wrenches and collets! It will accept all accessory bits with 1/32" to 1/8" shanks. They work with Dremel models 275, 285, 395, 398, 750, 770, and 780. Also use with Dremel attachments and flexible shafts 212, 225, 575, and 961.

They may also work on other models and brands, but it is not guaranteed.

  $9

Sanding mandrel and discs

This small sanding attachment works great with your rotary tool, and is an inexpensive alternative for sanding small carved areas, grinding Inlace resin or other small sanding operations.  The mandrel has a 1/8" shaft with a mounting head for  3/4" adhesive backed sanding discs.  The mandrel comes with a sampler pack of 5 assorted grit discs including 60, 80, 120 and 220.   Run these at low speeds.

Mandrel and 5 assorted discs - $5   (exact mandrel and discs may vary slightly from picture)                  

24 Assorted Replacement  Discs - $3.50

Carbide Wheel Set - 2 piece set $30 

60 Grit 1 1/4" Shaping Wheel

80 Grit 1" Cutting Wheel

Out of Stock

Diamond Burs

Note: When used in a Dremel, large or heavy headed carbide burs will work better at lower speeds.   They can be run at full speed in a Foredom tool and in some micromotor tools.  Practice with them to deterimine the ideal speed for your own tool.   Always insert these burs completely up to the shoulder depth (the thick area of the mandrel) when mounting into the collet or chuck.  Do not run the mandrel mounted burs in reverse.

Carbide Smoothing Set - 3 piece set  $33  

80 grit  1/2" hollow tip drum

80 grit 7/16" diameter thick disc bur 

80 grit Pointed Bur

New! - Dremel 225 Flexshaft Attachment

Add a Flex-Shaft Attachment to your Dremel tool for more comfort and ease when carving.   The 36" flexible shaft attaches easily and the 1/2" slim grip ergonomic handpiece is comfortable to hold during long carving sessions. It features an integrated shaft lock button for easy accessory changes.  Can be used with a keyless chuck (right) for faster bur changes!

For use on models 275, 285, 395, 398, 780 and 800.  Includes a square collet drive nut. Simply remove all collets and the black plastic endpiece from the end of the Dremel.  Screw on the square collet drive nut, then insert the flexshaft and screw it directly onto the end of the Dremel tool. Bulk Packing

Dremel Flex Shaft Attachment  - $26