Mastercarver Combo Grinder and Woodburner
Product Description
Once in a while you come across something that makes you pause…
then you say WOW !
The Mastercarver Combo Grinder and Woodburner is one of those rare machines that will captivate you the first time you use it. You will want to tell others about it. This is a first class product.
Actually, it is two machines in one. One side is a single-port 130W variable heat woodburner. It is sold separately as the "Hawk" and you can read about it elsewhere on our website (click here to go to that description). Suffice it to say the woodburner takes any major brand of woodburning pen made, and is the only unit on the market with the reset/overload protection against burnout from defective pens.
Now on to the 0-50,000 rpm grinder/carving part. My first impressions began when I picked up the grinder unit. It is the well-known MicroPro™ handpiece. It just feels right, like the professional tool that it is. It is solidly built…however, with a smaller diameter than many other brands, it is much easier to hold. It is gently tapered, so you can hold it near the bit for fine control of your work. It is at the end of a very soft and flexible curled power cord, which stretches out with plenty of length but curls back when you are finished.
Next, I put in a 1/8" burr bit. No special tools, no buttons to press. Just twist the center ring (which is wide enough to easily grasp), insert the bit, twist it back, and you're done. By far the easiest bit changing system I've seen.
Time to turn it on. The Master Carver has a specially designed SoftStart circuit. Instead of a full pulse of power, the electricity ramps up (an almost imperceptible ½ second or so). This is not a small deal—there is no instantaneous torque on your hands, and the ramp up of the motor to full speed significantly enhances the life of this device. This is an advanced feature that I wish all power tools had.
The top speed is a blazing 50,000 rpm, the fastest I've seen in power grinders. Why does rpm matter? The faster a unit can turn, the smoother it will grind away the material, using angular velocity (instead of pressure) and a lighter touch. This unit is at least 10%-100% faster than other similar units, and moves through the wood or gourd very smoothly. I used a 100 grit diamond burr for most of my initial testing, as did others, and we all remarked on how smoothly the cuts were made.
There's more: it has a forward/reverse switch. I immediately found this to be handy depending on how I held the gourd and the unit and which way I was grinding. And a left-handed person gave it a try, and was obviously very impressed that she could have the bit turn the "correct" way for her.
Use the forward/off/reverse switch on the base unit. Another feature is that it accepts both 3/32" and 1/8" diameter bits; the collet change is very quick and easy (by now, I knew it would be).
The features of the woodburning part of this machine are well detailed under our description of the Hawk woodburning unit. As for the grinder part, here is a summary:
The MASTERCARVER® COMBO Grinder & Woodburner is something you will be excited to own. Compare quality, features, and price! Look on the Internet at reviews of this unit. If you can, visit us at a gourd show to try one out. This is an investment in a power tool that will last a lifetime.
then you say WOW !
The Mastercarver Combo Grinder and Woodburner is one of those rare machines that will captivate you the first time you use it. You will want to tell others about it. This is a first class product.
Actually, it is two machines in one. One side is a single-port 130W variable heat woodburner. It is sold separately as the "Hawk" and you can read about it elsewhere on our website (click here to go to that description). Suffice it to say the woodburner takes any major brand of woodburning pen made, and is the only unit on the market with the reset/overload protection against burnout from defective pens.
Now on to the 0-50,000 rpm grinder/carving part. My first impressions began when I picked up the grinder unit. It is the well-known MicroPro™ handpiece. It just feels right, like the professional tool that it is. It is solidly built…however, with a smaller diameter than many other brands, it is much easier to hold. It is gently tapered, so you can hold it near the bit for fine control of your work. It is at the end of a very soft and flexible curled power cord, which stretches out with plenty of length but curls back when you are finished.
Next, I put in a 1/8" burr bit. No special tools, no buttons to press. Just twist the center ring (which is wide enough to easily grasp), insert the bit, twist it back, and you're done. By far the easiest bit changing system I've seen.
Time to turn it on. The Master Carver has a specially designed SoftStart circuit. Instead of a full pulse of power, the electricity ramps up (an almost imperceptible ½ second or so). This is not a small deal—there is no instantaneous torque on your hands, and the ramp up of the motor to full speed significantly enhances the life of this device. This is an advanced feature that I wish all power tools had.
The top speed is a blazing 50,000 rpm, the fastest I've seen in power grinders. Why does rpm matter? The faster a unit can turn, the smoother it will grind away the material, using angular velocity (instead of pressure) and a lighter touch. This unit is at least 10%-100% faster than other similar units, and moves through the wood or gourd very smoothly. I used a 100 grit diamond burr for most of my initial testing, as did others, and we all remarked on how smoothly the cuts were made.
There's more: it has a forward/reverse switch. I immediately found this to be handy depending on how I held the gourd and the unit and which way I was grinding. And a left-handed person gave it a try, and was obviously very impressed that she could have the bit turn the "correct" way for her.
Use the forward/off/reverse switch on the base unit. Another feature is that it accepts both 3/32" and 1/8" diameter bits; the collet change is very quick and easy (by now, I knew it would be).
The features of the woodburning part of this machine are well detailed under our description of the Hawk woodburning unit. As for the grinder part, here is a summary:
- 0-50,000 variable rpm, with SoftStart circuitry
- Quick bit change without tools
- Very strong but slender hand unit
- Forward and reverse bit rotation
- Reset / fuse protection circuitry
- The Grinder and Woodburner base unit
- The MicroPro™ grinder handpiece
- A conversion cord to accept any professional woodburning pens
- Two collets (3/32 and 1/8)
- Professional metal stands for both woodburner pens
The MASTERCARVER® COMBO Grinder & Woodburner is something you will be excited to own. Compare quality, features, and price! Look on the Internet at reviews of this unit. If you can, visit us at a gourd show to try one out. This is an investment in a power tool that will last a lifetime.