Electric engraver for a beginner and a master: which one to choose for further work. Electric engraver for a beginner and a master: which one to choose for further work Electric engraver what they can do

An engraver, otherwise called a mini drill, dremel, straight grinder or drill, is a multifunctional tool. With its help, not only engraving is applied, but also drilling, grinding and performing other operations on the processing of various materials, such as wood, metal, glass, stone. The device is widely used both in everyday life and in various industries, in jewelry, when creating advertising and souvenir products. All the variety of functionality of the equipment is due to the fact that there are various nozzles for the engraver.

Nozzles for frequently performed types of work are supplied with the tool. Milling cutters for more specific operations need to be purchased separately. In order to work correctly and productively with a dremel, while achieving high quality parts, you need to know the existing types of equipment, as well as for what work each type is used.

There are a large number of varieties of equipment for working with a mini-drill. A wide range on the market allows you to choose nozzles for wood and many other materials that engraving equipment can work with. Also, individual masters make them on their own.

Structurally nozzles (burs) consist of two parts;

• tail, clamped in the tool chuck (diameter from 0.8 to 8 mm);
• worker, which processes materials.

Equipment is classified according to two main criteria:

• by the type of material from which they are made;
• by area of ​​use (purpose).

By type of material being processed

According to the material of the cutter for the engraver, there are the following types.

There are also combined burs, in which the shank is steel, and the working part is carbide. The scope of their application corresponds to the material of the head.

Carbide tooling is of high quality, durable and belongs to a number of expensive consumables for dremels. The shape of the tips determines the features of its application. With the help of such peak burs, it is good to process bone, plastic, to do tracing (indicate the contours of the picture). Diamond tips also differ in quality, even if the kit they are included in belongs to the category of cheap consumables.

On the market you can find a set of burrs, all elements of which marked with any color- it indicates the level of sharpening. Those marked in black are the most productive burs, while the sharpness of green or blue is already worse. Yellow-marked tips are the best choice for finishing workpieces.

By appointment

You can use an engraver with nozzles not only for engraving, but also for performing other work operations. The division of consumables used in the operation of straight grinders is presented in the table below.

Consumables from each group can be used in the processing of various materials. Wherein tooling for milling mainly used by professionals.

Dremels that have a flexible shaft are equipped with any kind of consumables that fit the diameter of the tool chuck.

Diamond burs for engraving

Diamond burs rightfully hold the title of the most popular nozzles for engravers. They are included in professional equipment these tools. The tool is durable and long lasting if used properly.

The bur itself is made from tool steel. Its surface is coated with dust from small technical diamonds. It is they who cope with such durable materials as glass, ceramics. Diamond burs can process semi-precious stones, natural and artificial. They handle metals and alloys with ease.

Burs of this type are not used for roughing, their purpose is to finish curly recesses and holes. Nozzles are most often sold in sets. There may be 10-20 pieces, different in shape. For the production of delicate work, craftsmen can find a professional-grade diamond bur and buy it in one copy.

Engraver set of diamond bits

In order for the tool to serve for a long time, it must be operated according to a whole set of rules. Manufacturers usually give clear guidelines on what can and cannot be done with their diamond burs.

Nozzles with abrasive

As the name implies, this class of tool is designed for grinding or rough removal of a thin layer of material. Usually, a set of abrasives is supplied with engravers. There can be from 3 to 6 pieces, shank size 2.3 mm, with different shapes of the working part.

Abrasive nozzles allow:

• roughly grind parts of parts (without polishing);
• process holes, including for boring purposes;
• perform engraving work.

Tools of this type are quite rough. The results of their work are difficult to control. Therefore, they are most often used in everyday life, home workshops for operations without stringent quality requirements. High-level professionals rarely use this type of tool.

In the structure, except for the steel rod - rubber compound to which various abrasive particles are added. It can be aluminum oxide or diamond chips. Abrasive nozzles are used for work on metal, ceramics, glass, and other materials.

Some manufacturers add dyes to the body of the tool, indicating the optimal scope. For example, a red product is made with the addition aluminum oxide. It works well on metal surfaces.

The application area depends on the color of the nozzle

Nozzles of green color are intended for an engraving of a stone, ceramics. It is acceptable when working with glass. As part of the body of such a nozzle silicon carbide. Like other general class products, painted ones are offered in different shapes and sizes.

Nozzles for grinding and polishing

Usually the polishing pad is made of felt. By itself, it is not a working tool. It's just a device to which grinding paste. However, nozzles play an important role. Offered in different shapes and sizes, they allow for optimal machining of curved surfaces.

The choice of paste depends on the tasks facing the operator. Distinguish between grinding and polishing. The type of paste you choose depends on the target processing material, it can be wood, metal, glass, plastics, and so on.

1. Metals, even those of high hardness, are best to work with paraffin-containing pastes. An extremely fine fraction of a special abrasive powder is added to them.
2. Sweep work well on glass based on diamond dust capable of bringing the surface to an ideal state.
3. Wood is also worked with pastes with diamond dust. The best choice would be a mixture that contains abrasive fractions 3/2, 5/3.

Diamond polishing paste

Scope of application polishing nozzles is very wide. They are used by home craftsmen working with the simplest tool. Widely used in the jewelry industry. They work in dental clinics and enterprises manufacturing dentures.

Overview of professional attachments for the engraver

A professional tool is a separate (high-quality and expensive) category of equipment that can withstand significant operational loads without negative consequences. Such devices are usually equipped with appropriate consumables.

Professionals process the smallest details of workpieces with high quality. Therefore, they require such a wide variety of consumables when doing work.

Professionals who engrave various materials professionally recommend purchasing sets of nozzles from well-known brands, such as Dremel or Dexter. The significant cost of products of these companies is fully justified by the fact that their products are distinguished by reliability, high quality and durability. The use of burrs for wood, metal and other materials produced by these companies increases the accuracy of workpiece processing.

Often, specialists have several sets of equipment designed to process different materials and perform various operations. Also, the individual elements that make up their composition have their own design features. Usually these sets include:

• milling cutters for metal, wood and other materials of various designs;
• drill;
• felt, diamond, as well as abrasive cutters;
• wire brushes for cleaning surfaces;
• engraving rods;
• cutting discs.

Also in the set comes across a straight edge cutter.

Edge cutter Topfix

Replacement equipment brands "Dremel" and "Dexter" can be used not only by workshop specialists, but also by home craftsmen who want to improve in the art of engraving.

According to professionals, one such tool can last as long as 10 low-quality nozzles of unknown production.

Some engravers recommend products firm "Zubr", lower quality than Dremel or Dexter, but cheaper. The set can include up to 180 consumables of popular varieties. But products from Zubr, in general, belong to the semi-professional and household categories.

Usually, a milling head for an engraver is included with the purchased tool. But with constant use, it wears out over time. Also, cutters may be needed for specific operations - then you need to buy new burs in order to continue working with a dremel.

The ideal option is to purchase products recommended by the engraver manufacturer. In such cases, the warranty from the firms for the operated device is preserved. But it happens that the original consumables cannot be obtained for some reason, or they will be very expensive with a small amount of upcoming work operations. Then you will need to purchase analogues or even use homemade products. In this case, the main selection rules are as follows.

1. You should focus on a suitable dremel cartridge shanks diameter: most often it is 2.4 or 3.2 mm.
2. It is necessary to purchase nozzles for metal and other materials for the type of work that is planned to be performed.
3. To engrave, you can use cheap kits, for example, Chinese or Russian production.
4. With constant, long-term work with a mini-drill (especially with hard materials), it is recommended to purchase high-quality, professional sets, and for occasional engraving, household ones are enough.

Inexpensive products are suitable during training in various operations with a dremel. Over time, they should be abandoned in favor of better equipment.

Homemade nozzles for the engraver

You can buy attachments for the engraver not only factory-made, but also make them yourself. Workshop specialists and home craftsmen have come up with many options that are suitable for performing various operations with different materials.

To independently make polishing, grinding, milling, drilling consumables for dremel, as well as cutting devices, use the following materials and parts:

• plywood;
• sandpaper;
• remnants of abrasive wheels of different thicknesses from an angle grinder (grinder);
• felt;
• felt;
• various fabrics and rubber;
• steel wire;
• a wheel from a cheap lighter;
• old burs and drills (they are sharpened);
• knives from an electric razor;
• hacksaw blades;
• metal caps, for example, from beer bottles;
• champagne corks;
• an ordinary dowel (teeth are made on its cap) and others.

The photographs below show some home-made devices ready for practical use for a milling type engraving device.

Additionally, with homemade use special (e.g. diamond) pastes. At the same time, specialists achieve the result of finishing processing of workpieces of different densities, comparable in quality to the use of factory analogues of burs.

Homemade engraver attachments are suitable for a variety of jobs. in domestic conditions. They will also save money through the use of affordable, cheap materials and parts from improvised or broken (unnecessary, old) mechanisms.

A wide variety of different attachments allows you to perform a wide range of different jobs with different materials with a dremel. It is better to select consumables that comply with the recommendations of equipment manufacturers. Professional kits- this is a guarantee of product quality, but they are expensive. To save money, you can make the necessary fixtures yourself. It should only be borne in mind that in this case the warranty service for the mini-drill is lost, and during operation the load on the tool may increase.

An engraver is a multi-functional tool powered by electric current and designed for precise processing of wood, metal, glass and other materials. On the modern market there are many types of such tools differing in their design, purpose and dimensions. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of one or another type of engravers and provides criteria for choosing a product.

What is an engraver

The principle of operation of the engraver is based on the energy of rotation of the shaft connected to the drive part of the electric motor. Different manufacturers may have different appearance of the part, but the components are almost identical. The engraver consists of the following elements:

1. Housing-handle, the main part in which the entire drive part and the electric motor are located. In household products, the handle is made of plastic, but in the industrial version there is a metal case with a rubber coating for convenience.
2. An electric motor of various power, depending on the purpose of the device, it can be 6,12,24 or 220 volts. All work of the product is based on the rotation of the power unit, powered by electric current; if the engine fails, the use of the tool will not be possible.
3. On the body of the part there are controls in the form of a current switch and a voltage regulator. With their help, the device is turned on and off, as well as setting the number of revolutions of the drive shaft.
4. The drive shaft is located at the end of the engraver and is attached to the power unit.
5. Spindle with collar. A nozzle is attached to this element, which is fixed with a crimp collar and securely fixed on the drive shaft. During the rotation of the motor rod, the actuator acts on the tip of the nozzle and sets the moving part of the tip in motion.
6. A collet chuck is located inside the tip, which holds the nozzle on the engraver and ensures stable rotation of the rod.

Depending on the purpose of the device, there are many nozzles for a particular job, differing in the material of manufacture, diameter and speed of rotation.

Application areas of the engraver and its types

Trimming different materials

Wood cutting

Detail grinding

The engraver is a multi-tool, it can be used for the following works:

• For carving and milling metal, wood, glass or concrete. To perform such tasks, nozzles with abrasive coating or special sharpening are installed, which allow processing even the hardest material.
• Sanding stone, plastic, glass or wood. Most often, this work is carried out in hard-to-reach places or on small parts where it is not possible to use a large tool.
• Not infrequently, the engraver is used for cleaning and polishing various surfaces, such as glass, plexiglass, metal, and ceramics. To perform these works, nozzles with hard or soft wire and polishing felt are used.
• Recently, it has become popular to use an engraver as a polishing machine for processing jewelry. Such actions give the jewelry a pristine shine and remove scratches or cracks in the metal.
• It is also possible to use an engraver to work ceramic tiles and granite in order to bring them to the required size.

Depending on the purpose and power, the specified device is divided into several types:

1. With built-in battery. This tool is considered household and is not suitable for industrial use. Charging is carried out from a common network using a special charger. The capacity of the battery may be different, it affects the operating time and the speed of rotation of the product. The main advantage of such a product is its mobility and independence from the presence of an electrical network, but there is also a significant drawback, the battery has a limited resource in use.
2. Working from a network of 220 Volts. This is already a semi-industrial version of the tool, which has more power, and, therefore, can be used continuously for a long time.
3. Engravers also differ in the drive mechanism, which are flexible or on a rigid hitch. The principle of operation is the same for both, the difference lies in the movable part of the shaft, which can be bent 90 degrees relative to the body of the device.

Also, many manufacturers produce engravers in a set with a variety of nozzles for processing various materials. Such universal tools in the kit are very popular among both domestic users and qualified professionals.

Criterias of choice

When choosing the type of engraver, you need to pay attention to several technical indicators. First of all, it is worth deciding on the tasks that will be solved using the engraver. For example, if the tool is used for grinding and polishing at home, then there is no need to purchase an expensive tool with a whole set of nozzles, it will be enough to buy a household appliance with several additional elements.

It is also important to consider access to the electrical network at the workplace, as it is not always possible to use current as a power source. In such cases, it will be advisable to use an engraver with a built-in storage battery, but it is worth paying attention that the capacity and power of the battery corresponded to feasible tasks.

The technical characteristics of each tool indicate the number of revolutions of the rod per minute and the weight of the product as a whole. These parameters must be taken into account, since it will be problematic to work with an engraver with a large weight for a long time and a device with low shaft speeds can overheat during prolonged use, which will lead to breakage.

Selection of nozzles for performing work with an engraver

After determining the tasks that will be solved using the engraver, you need to choose the type of nozzle suitable for the work.

For sanding soft material, such as wood or plastic, medium or light stone attachments are used. Such a device will level the surface during rotation, and will not wear off. To level the product in hard-to-reach places, corners or the inner surface, nozzles come in various shapes and thicknesses.

Carving and milling is carried out with a sharpened steel tip. Such an element is made in the form of a cone-shaped cutter with a helical thread, which, when rotated, removes part of the material being processed to the required size. Such nozzles need periodic sharpening and lubrication, otherwise they may be exposed to rust and corrosion.

Cleaning and polishing of various surfaces is carried out with a tip with a hard wire, which is fixed from the center of the nozzle to its edges. When the drive rotates, the steel thread cuts into the surface to be treated and cleans it of plaque, old paint or rust. For different materials there is a nozzle with different levels of hardness, the softer the surface, the more flexible the wire on the tip will be.

Home or professional craftsmen today use a variety of electrical and manual equipment. It is not always possible to process small objects or parts with ordinary tools, then hand engravers come to the rescue, which are also called mini drills or dremels(from the brand name).

Today you will learn about the features of the operation of electric engravers and the rules for their use.

general information

Engravers (also drills in a different way) by their principle of operation are in many ways reminiscent of a simple electric drill, but compared to it, due to the presence of a flexible shaft and compactness, they have more features.

Device energy source- This:

1. Accumulator battery;
2. Household network;
3. Compressed compressor air;
4. Low voltage power supply.

Nozzles for an electric engraver are small and have an active cutting surface. Thanks to this, it is possible to produce figures, small details or models with perfect clarity.

This tool can be used not only for household needs, but also in professional areas, for example:

1. During construction at the finishing stage;
2. in various industries;
3. In the manufacture of non-standard advertising materials;
4. in the jewelry industry;
5. In dentistry; When repairing cars.

With the help of a grinder the following actions are performed:

1. The surface is polished to a shine;
2. With the help of a cutter, grooves and grooves are made;
3. Extra parts are cut off;
4. Small holes are drilled;
5. The surface layer is cleaned;
6. The cutting edge of the tool is sharpened.

Construction and use

Some brands of engravers can be used for a long time and do not need to be turned off periodically. They will not overheat, they will work quietly, have a large resource, and the rotation of the nozzles is carried out as accurately as possible and beats are not allowed. But this applies only to premium and expensive models.

There is also a "household" series, which is intended for homework. For home craftsmen, such options are best suited; in this case, it makes no sense to spend money on expensive engravers.

But whatever the tool, it should sit easily in your hand and allow you to do all the work with one hand as accurately as possible. Those who use such a device at home often buy mainly two engravers right away: one is more powerful, and the second is more accurate.

Electric engravers with "barrel" design have a powerful motor with a loop on the body for fixing, they are also equipped with a foot control and a long flexible shaft. The torque is high, such devices are used if it is necessary to apply great effort at low speeds. The holder is lightweight, but the flexible shaft can be a bit restrictive.

There are "classic" designs with an oblong "pot-bellied" body, inside which the motor is located. They differ according to the following criteria:

1. Dimensions;
2. Material for the production of the case (it can be plastic or polyamide);
3. Head (polymer or die-cast aluminium).

Additionally, rubber inserts, an extension holder, and an LCD display may be present on the case. In addition, knobs and switches can be placed differently.

Classification of mini drills

Depending on the design features and electrical supply methods manual engravers are of the following types:

The most common type of equipment is the flexible shaft engraver.

Such a tool is a kind of drill, since it uses torque. As with a drill, an electric drive is used here, which is needed to create torque, as well as to ensure high speed of movement of the nozzles. But compared to a drill, a drill has more options.

A flexible shaft is an integral part of not only an engraver, but also a drill or a screwdriver. It has high torsional stiffness and low bending stiffness. It includes a core on which the wire is wound in several layers. And the presence of a special shell helps to retain lubricant and protects the core from mechanical damage. This allows the flexible shaft to bend in the desired direction. At one end it has a special cartridge for the working nozzle. A flexible shaft allows you to transfer torque from the engine to the part.

Equipment attachments

Depending on the work being done, electric engravers need to be equipped different nozzles of different materials:

Notable Manufacturers

Most well-known brands drills are as follows:

Most of the listed brands have a range of no more than three models, but the Proxon and Dremel brands are key in this industry and have a huge range and additional accessories.

Regardless of the chosen model, the quality of work and workflow will be much higher thanks to the flexible shaft and other devices:

1. Different corner attachments for working in hard-to-reach areas;
2. Tables and stands for milling;
3. Telescopic tripods and vise;
4. Holders;
5. Stands for nozzles.

The choice of power tools

Before buying this tool, you need to consider the following points:

Operating rules

When using an electric engraver you have to follow some rules operation:

Machining engravers are reliable and versatile devices. With their help, you can perform various types of work related to the processing of products based on metals and other materials. The duration of the use of such tools directly depends on how correctly they will be handled.

Most men love to tinker with iron and wood, drilling, knocking, screwing and screwing, doing useful chores around the house or in the garage. Even one nailed shelf or twisted socket fills us with self-esteem and calm self-confidence. But it’s not always possible to keep a set of tools at home that is sufficient for a variety of household chores. You have to borrow either a screwdriver, or a grinder, or a grinder. And so it was until the engraver appeared - a universal tool that allows you to carry out a lot of precise work on grinding, drilling, engraving and cutting, and taking up almost no space.

What is an engraver?

An engraver, or mini-drill as it is sometimes called, looks like a huge fountain pen connected to the mains. If we open the case, we will see that it consists of a motor, a spindle, a gearbox, and an impeller that cools the motor itself. There are holes on the body to remove hot air, as well as a place to hold (on some models a removable handle is provided), an on-off button, a button that blocks the engine, a nut for fixing various attachments, and a cord for connecting to the mains. Most often, the engraver is equipped with an additional ring for hanging on a special tripod. For some models, detachable ones are available for working in hard-to-reach places, for example, in a car or under a sink - such devices are equipped with a Dremel engraver and other expensive mini-drills.

How does he work

The device works due to the fact that the engine spins the shaft (from 3-4 to 35-40 thousand revolutions - Dremel engraver and similar), thus rotating the nozzles attached to it. It is the wide range of nozzles used that forms the versatility of this tool - it turns from a drill into a grinder, and then into a grinder. And it all fits in one small box.

Of course, in terms of power, the engraver is significantly inferior to its "big brothers", and drilling walls with it, as well as cutting metal sheets, is hardly appropriate, but such a task is not for him. Plumbing work, home repairs, minor preventive maintenance and car repairs, engraving, finishing of metal and wood products - the engraver copes with all this perfectly.

How to choose an engraver?

First of all, you need to determine the range of tasks that this tool should solve. Would you like to polish your homemade gold once a month? Or from morning till night to work with him in the workshop? Depending on this, you should choose your assistant:

1. Power. As a rule, it ranges from 30 to 300 watts. The higher the power, the greater the range of materials you can work with. The resource of the engine, the time of work with the engraver at one time - all this depends on the power parameter. As a rule, household engravers are rarely more powerful than 100-150 W (these include an engraver, and professional ones, in turn, are 175-200 W (an engraver
2. The weight. If there is no need for a powerful, ultra-productive engraver, then you should not buy models weighing more than a kilogram, because working with such a tool will become very difficult and tedious. Lightweight and productive mini-drills include, first of all, the Dremel engraver.
3. Ergonomics. The engraver should not only work well, but also lie comfortably in the hand - otherwise you will spend half of your working time on gymnastics for the fingers. The same goes for weight distribution - the closer the center of gravity is to your fingers, the easier it will be for you to work.
4. Noise, vibration, heat. Everything is quite simple here - the more expensive the device, the less problems it creates. In elite models, these problems are solved with a good margin of safety - this is also why they have such a high price tag. Cheap models regularly suffer from overheating, they are inherent in the manufacturer's defect, but there is little noise from them - they are rather weak. But mid-price engravers can get warm, and vibrate and make noise - they have enough power, and manufacturers turn a blind eye to minor inconveniences.
5. Equipment. Almost every engraver is equipped with a set of nozzles. Its completeness depends on many factors, but in most cases, experienced users buy additional nozzles - either as a set or individually. Even with the most careful use, nozzles are consumables, and from time to time they will have to be bought in addition.

Which company to buy an engraver?

There are a number of manufacturers on the market that produce engravers - Hammer, Makita, Hitachi, Sturm. The most popular and widespread is the Dremel engraver. The company's tools have become so famous that it is used as the name for all such devices - "engraver" and "Dremel" can be heard with equal frequency.

In any case, it is worth choosing an engraver after carefully reading the opinions of consumers about a particular model. And the Dremel engraver deserves only positive reviews: tens of thousands of users put the highest marks on the line of these tools. And, of course, you should not focus on Chinese counterparts - it’s better not to save on hand-held power tools.

An electric engraver, or drill, is a compact tool designed for engraving and fine processing of various materials. This equipment is produced by both nominal European manufacturers and little-known Chinese brands. In this regard, the range presented on the market differs in price and quality. Engravers come in various sizes and capacities, so you can choose the optimal equipment for performing the amount of work of interest.

What is an engraver capable of?

Hand engravers are compact equipment that is used for precise processing. In this regard, it will not be possible to apply it to the implementation of global tasks.

Engravers are equipped with various nozzles, which makes it possible to use them for the following types of work:

• Grinding.
• Milling.
• Engraving.
• Cutting.
• drilling.
• Polishing.

The device is compatible with small nozzles, so its use for construction or large-scale tasks is unacceptable. If you load the engraver, say, for drilling thick-walled steel, then the device will simply burn out. The electric motor installed in it is not designed for heavy loads, therefore it can stop at high resistance of the material being processed.

Principle of operation

According to the principle of operation, engravers are similar to a conventional drill, grinder or screwdriver. They have a lightweight body in which an electric motor is installed. A collet is fixed on its shaft, with the help of which the processing nozzles are fixed. The motor can transmit power with or without a gearbox. The tool has an adjustable engine speed. Some models can rotate in both directions.

The vast majority of engravers on sale provide rotation of nozzles, but there is a separate category of percussion devices. Such a tool does not drill the surface of the material, but beats it with a sharp tip of the nozzle. Such equipment is highly specialized. It is designed exclusively for engraving on hard surfaces. Since the spindle does not rotate, it will not be possible to cut, polish or grind workpieces with such equipment.

Varieties of engravers

According to the method of execution, manual engravers can be divided into several types:

• Regular network.
• Rechargeable.
• Suspended.

Ordinary network engravers

A conventional network engraver is a device that is taken in the hand like a ballpoint pen. The tool is connected to the mains. A flexible shaft can be included with such an engraver. It is fixed in the main collet of the tool, and has a miniature chuck at its tip. Thus, you can lay the drill on the table, and hold only the tip of the flexible shaft in your hand, providing fine processing. This reduces the burden on the hands if a large amount of work is performed.

Often, a tool in a low price segment comes with a flexible shaft, which quickly fails. With periodic bending, it breaks or jams. As a result, the electric motor inside the engraver body stops. If it is not turned off in time, the tool may burn out. In this regard, even if you choose a cheap tool, you should avoid using the flexible shafts that come with the kit. The best solution would be to buy a separate shaft produced by a personalized brand.

Electric engravers are available in various sizes. On sale you can even find miniature devices that have low power. They are very light and compact, but their performance is only sufficient for precise machining of soft materials. Such equipment is chosen for simulation.

Mobile cordless drills

Cordless engravers are more expensive than corded engravers, but practically do not differ from them. Their only feature is that they have their own power source, so if the battery is charged, you can work anywhere without being tied to a power outlet. To recharge the battery, the kit comes with both a conventional charger and an adapter for installation in the car's cigarette lighter.

On sale there are even engravers that run on conventional AA batteries. Of course, their productivity is very low, but such tools have found their application. They are bought for polishing jewelry and other fine and very light work. Such Chinese engravers are the cheapest, and in most cases useless, as they can only perform the most basic tasks.

Hanging engravers

The suspended type of engravers deserves special attention. They have a square or short cylindrical body that can be hung from a wall or countertop. A flexible shaft emerges from it, similar to that used on conventional network devices. A pedal is installed between the body and the wire for connecting to the socket. It fits under the feet of the operator. When working with such a tool, you need to press the pedal with your foot, after which the power will go to the electric motor that rotates the nozzle installed in the collet on the shaft.

The hanging engraver is convenient because the flexible shaft is made of high quality, it is light and fits comfortably in the hand. In the event that the work is completed, you just need to release the pedal with your foot. This reduces the operating noise. If you need to take a break of a few seconds to review the results, you can easily turn off the tool, thereby stopping the noise.

Criteria for choosing an engraver

The engraver is quite a popular tool, so it is not surprising that dozens of brands are engaged in its production. In this regard, there are many models on the market, which complicates the choice. If you want to purchase such a tool, you should be guided by the following criteria:

• Power.
• Number of turns.
• Noise level.
• Collet size.

The first criterion is power. It depends on it how productive the tool will be. If the engine is too weak, then any nozzle in contact with the material being processed will reduce its speed, after which the shaft will completely stop. As a result, performing even the simplest tasks will take a lot of time, instead of spending a few seconds on it.

For home use, it is worth choosing equipment with an engine power in the range of 120-170 watts. A tool with these characteristics will not only be able to perform quick engraving, but if necessary, it will allow you to drill a small hole in the metal or cut some workpiece. If an engraver is needed for a hobby, in particular for processing miniature wooden parts, modeling, then you can get by with a 35-50 W tool, although it is rather weak. The more powerful the tool, the better, but this increases the cost of the equipment.

As for the number of revolutions, for comfortable operation, devices with an engine rotation of more than 20 thousand revolutions are usually chosen. A name brand tool, even with a 170 W motor, often produces up to 32 thousand revolutions, so an indicator of 20 thousand is rather modest. The simplest hobby engravers can produce 6-8 thousand revolutions. Most of the tools on the market are continuously adjustable, which allows you to adjust the rotation of the motor from a safe minimum to a maximum.

The tool that will be held in the hands should weigh between 500-750 grams. If it is possible to purchase a powerful, but at the same time light engraver, then it is worth giving preference to it. A drill that is too heavy quickly tires the hands, so if you need to work for a long time, it will not work. If you plan to use a flexible shaft, then the criterion of weight is not critical.

When working in a residential area, low-noise devices should be preferred. In addition to the noise that the electric motor creates during rotation, the sound of the nozzle rubbing on the surface of the material being processed is also added. If both sound sources are loud, then in this case it will be unpleasant for other residents to be in the apartment or house. Even a noisy tool is a good choice for workshop work if the operator plans to wear ear protection.

The last but one of the most important criteria is the size of the collet. The names of its parameters depend on which nozzles can be clamped in the tool. The most common option are collets with a diameter of 3.2 mm. They are most often used both in everyday life and in professional processing. It is ideal if the tool comes with several collets that can be installed on the spindle coming out of the motor. In addition to the 3.2 mm diameter, 2.4 mm, 1.6 mm and 0.8 mm collets are also common.

Complete set of engravers

Engravers are sold in a certain configuration. The cheapest tool is offered simply in a cardboard box, and has nothing but the engraver itself. Sometimes the basic set can be expanded, which is found in a more expensive range. In this case, the package may include:

• Flexible shaft.
• Corner adapter.
• Hanging stand.
• Storage case.
• Box with nozzles.
• Spare graphite brushes for the engine.
• Templates with letters for engraving.
• Collets of various diameters.

Most often in the kit you can find just an engraver with several nozzles and collets. As for the corner adapter, stand and flexible shaft, they are less common. A plastic storage case is included with equipment of a higher price segment. It is worth noting that those nozzles that can be found as standard leave much to be desired in terms of wear resistance. They wear out quickly, so you need to buy new ones soon.