Saburr Tooth Power Wood Carving Tools

                                                     By Jim Hingst 

Power carving with Saburr Tooth® rotary carving burrs is a great way to rough out a woodcarving. Designed for use with flexible shaft and rotary carving tools, this type of carving bit or burr features needle sharp carbide points that aggressively rip through a great amount of wood in very little time. The downside of using this type or similar carving bits is that they leave the surface of the wood rough.

Saburr Tooth® bits are expensive, but certainly worth the investment. These carving tools are available in many different shank diameters,  head shapes, sizes and grits. Prices for these carving bits can typically range from $15 to $30, depending on the size and shape of the bit. At these prices an investment in tools can add up very quickly. For that reason, I suggest that you only order the tools that you really need.  

The size of bit that you select will depend on the size of the project that you are carving. For large scale projects you will need large carving bits. Smaller carvings require smaller bits. Saburr Tooth® burrs are available in shank sizes of ¼”, 3/32” and 1/8”.  The head diameters of the larger burrs include a range from ¼”, ½”, ¾” and 1”. The head length of the large Saburr Tooth® bits can measure from  ¾”, 1-¼” to 1-¾”

Head shapes include these profiles: Sphere, Cylinder, Ball Nose, Flame, Taper and Rotosaw.  Saburr Tooth® burrs are available in the following grits: Extra-Coarse, Coarse, Medium and Fine.

GRIT	SABURR TOOTH® COLOR CODE
Extra-Coarse	Orange
Coarse	Green
Medium	Red
Fine	Yellow

Each carving bit profile is designed for specific applications.

BURR SHAPE	APPLICATION
Sphere	Quickly hollow out an area; use for concave cuts
Cylinder	Hog out flat areas of the carving
Ball Nose	The shape of this burr combines a cylinder profile with a tip that is a hemisphere; use for concave cuts
Flame	Pear-shaped burr capable of producing “V” by using the tip of the bit and “U” shaped cuts by cutting with the side of the bit
Taper	Use for undercutting and roughing out otherwise inaccessible areas
Rotosaw	Great for undercuts; also use to cut grooves

The Saburr Tooth® bits are favorites of mine because they save me time when carving. If you care for them, they will last a long time. Here are some tips for protecting your rotary burrs:

Store your bits in a Plano plastic fishing lure container with adjustable compartments. This prevents one bit from bumping into another, damaging the carbide points. Do not store the bits in a wooden holder. If you live in a humid area, the wood will absorb moisture promoting rust on the shank. 

To store your carving bits you can make your own plastic holders. This photo shows two simple bit holders made by drilling holes into ¾” acrylic. This is a good way to organize your tools.  

The carbide teeth of the Saburr Tooth® burrs often get clogged with wood debris. Brush your teeth with a brass wire brush to give them a good cleaning.

When carving, do not apply pressure on the bit. This generates excessive heat. Let the tool do its cutting job.

If you have not used the Saburr Tooth® rotary carving bits, it may be time to buy a few and give them a spin. I have a fair collection. Some of the shapes that are my favorites are the Sphere, Cylinder, Ball Nose and Taper.  Give them a try. It is the only way that you will know if they will satisfy your needs.

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About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 485 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

2016 Hingst Garden

© 2016 Jim Hingst