Thread: https://www.arbortech/power-carving

Watching, Tony; having been looking at Arbortech for quite a while, but have reservations:

• Safety?
• What else do you need? Bits, cutters, blades? ??

Hopefully, someone a lot more informed will come along and help us both.

the dear wifey was quietly buying various bits of Arbortech and hiding them. "I wanted to surprise you with a hobby you would love when you retired, but I got the itchies and tried them before you." she proudly says

we have 6 various angle grinders
mini carver
power chisel
turboplane
ball gouge
industrial wood carver
mini turbo kit

The chip deflector is more suited to the sanding attachment for dust extraction. Like all these things they work great if you are only using them one way but when sculpting you are moving in all directions.
Just like when you have a cutting disc on and you are trying to get out of the way of the sparks.

independant Ytube review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Scgksvyxw&feature=youtu.be

found another one but he rattled my cage before he got into testing so no report from him.

I am now thinking that any wood carving using Arboretech or similar needs to be done out in the open .....let then chippies be free or in a box type arrangement with an open side for working and a nice 150 bell mouth sucking away for what its worth. Unless anyone can convince me this is now on the back burner maybe sometime.

When using any of these machines, find a nice spot outside that you want to lay down a layer of mulch.
Will save a lot of clean up time in the shed.

Nearly forgot, dont do this on a day when mum has the washing on the line even if you are down wind it still gets into the wet clothing.

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

When using any of these machines, find a nice spot outside that you want to lay down a layer of mulch.
Will save a lot of clean up time in the shed.

Nearly forgot, dont do this on a day when mum has the washing on the line even if you are down wind it still gets into the wet clothing.

I have an area out near the back gate and wood pile where I do all my wood cutting with the chainsaws and I carry a portable clamp to this area whenever I want to use the arbortech tools (mostly the turbo plane). The whole area is covered in woodchip. It stops the weeds growing there and is soft underfoot. I have been told that I shouldn't be doing this because it might attract white ants. Used to get white ants in the woodpile occasionally, but haven't seen any at all since I drowned the whole area in a good white ant killer a few years ago.

When I get a big accumulation of woodchip, the wife takes it and spreads it on the footpaths between her raised beds in the vegie garden / shadehouse. All of my other woodchip / sawdust from the lathe / router / saws etc in the shed goes to a friend who has a large chook yard and sells eggs. Now that I have the new extractor set up, the 44 gallon drum under the cyclone is interchangeable and when I have a couple of drums full, they go on the trailer around to her chooks. Only thing I have to do is sweep up and bin separately any turnings when I have been working with epoxy resin. Don't think this would be good for the chooks and it just makes a mess if I don't bin it and get rid of it.

I learnt from experience never to use the arbortech tool inside the shed.

Reviving this thread if anyone is looking to buy. Just saw that Arbortech have a 25% off Black Friday sale (Ends in 2 days - 28th Nov 2023) . Their gear is pretty pricey so it's a significant saving if you've been meaning to buy from them.
E.g. TurboPlane down from $190 to $142 -

I have a short window to decide how much of a 'need' my want really is!