Engraver attachments: types of wood and metal cutters for drills

Today there are dozens of different tools on sale designed for processing parts made of glass, ceramics, metals, etc. An excellent example is the engraver. The device is popular, reliable and does not require any effort to operate. The principle of operation is somewhat reminiscent of a standard drill or even a grinder, but the product is designed to work with small parts. And in order to diversify the work being carried out, the editors of the YaNashla website have prepared for you a rating of the best sets of attachments for engravers for 2022.

Arsenal of wood carver tools

The main tool for cutting wood, as mentioned above, is a burr. The implementation of such a procedure, during which a layer of the processed material of various depths is removed, is ensured by the rotation of the cutter, as well as its translational movement along the required trajectory. Accordingly, equipment is also required with which the tool used will be driven into rotation. Such equipment, indispensable for an engraver and any woodcarver, is a drill, often called a Dremel.

Dremel produces electric engravers for household and professional grades

The word “Dremel” comes from the name of the German company Dremel, which produces a large range of electrical equipment, in which drills and specialized engravers occupy a significant place. Drill kits from Dremel and other manufacturers already include everything you need to install the tool and get started.

You can also cut wood using cutters using a conventional electric drill or screwdriver, if you equip them with a flexible shaft and a special attachment on it, into which a burr is installed. This simple device is also suitable for an engraver who works with products made of metal and other materials.

Flexible shaft for drill

The quality and attractiveness of the work performed when cutting wood directly depends on the characteristics of the equipment used. Even the experience and knowledge of the person performing such work cannot positively affect the characteristics of the finished product in the absence of appropriate equipment and wood burrs.

Types of drills

The variety of devices offered on the market comes down to three main types:

• drills for technical purposes;
• micromotors, or engravers for wood carving;
• mini-drills, or compact drills with a flexible drive.

They differ in purpose, size, power, and performance.

The design of both a powerful woodcarving drill and a micromotor is based on two main components: a high-speed electric motor and a replaceable tool mounted in a chuck.

Drills for technical purposes

Devices of this type are equipped with a fairly powerful engine and allow you to solve a wide range of problems. Structurally, they are divided into two blocks:

• Actually a drill. An electric motor is housed in a cylindrical housing. A collet or quick-release chuck is attached to its shaft.
• A power supply unit that houses a mains voltage converter of a transformer or pulse type.
• Power pedal. Allows you to free your hands for more precise holding of the device.
• Connecting cables.

Wood drill for technical purposes

The advantage of such carving drills is the ability to perform various operations on wood:

• drilling;
• boring;
• grinding.

As a disadvantage, it should be noted that the speed is relatively low compared to a Dremel for wood carving.

The market offers models from both domestic and foreign manufacturers. Domestic ones are affordable, but they lack the ability to operate for a long time without overheating, especially under high loads. They are well suited for hobbies; for professional use with significant volumes of work, it is better to opt for imported equipment.

Micromotors

Wood carving drills or micromotors are particularly compact, low power and high speed (up to 30,000 rpm). The attachments are also fixed to the working shaft of the electric motor.

Micromotors

Limited power does not allow the devices to achieve high productivity, but the low weight and size do not tire the hand, and high speeds allow you to perform the most delicate and filigree carving details.

Mini drills or compact drills with flexible drive

This class of devices are the battleships of the world of drills. Structurally, they differ in that they allow the installation of an attachment with a flexible drive shaft in place of the cartridge. Thus, the heavy drive device with the motor remains lying on the table (or suspended), and in the hand of the master there remains only a collet (or quick-release) clamp with the tool installed in it.

Such systems have high power (up to 200 watts) and develop high speeds (up to 30 thousand rpm). They are equipped with a large number of different cutters and abrasive attachments and allow you to perform a wide range of operations.

Hammer mini drill

The kit may also include a telescopic rod for attaching the device in a place convenient for the master.

Features of the use of engraving cutters

The mechanized method of applying a linear or volumetric relief to the plane of a metal or non-metallic material has the maximum resemblance to manual engraving.
Surface treatment with a rotating tool makes it possible to quickly and accurately cut recesses when making decorative finishing elements or souvenir items. The engraving cutter leaves a glossy mark that adds sophistication to patterns and bas-reliefs, which are the result of the painstaking work of the master and the result of the use of innovative milling technologies. The consumable tool is designed for use on equipment with numerical control. By using a CNC engraver the following work is performed:

• for the production of cliches, ornaments and fine inscriptions;
• leveling the surface and trimming elements along the contour;
• relief processing of patterns and designs of varying complexity.

Engravers are used when working with steel, metal alloys, different types of wood and types of polymer materials. Compared to conventional types of consumables, engraving tools have a simpler design and are created without a spiral groove to remove chips during operation. When processing a material with a hard structure, an engraving cutter with specific values ​​of the angular sharpening of the end and cutting plane is used. Depending on the purpose, the equipment is made from raw, heat-treated or hardened steel, and special fine-grained compounds are used to process particularly hard metal surfaces.

What are engraver attachments?

Working attachments or tools used to work with an engraver are presented in a wide variety on the modern market. Their design includes two main elements:

• a shank with which the tool is fixed in the chuck of the equipment used;
• the working part, which performs the main functions, interacting with the material being processed.

The working part of these nozzles is designed for processing metal surfaces

The choice of working attachments for an engraver is influenced by the following factors: characteristics of the material being processed and the list of technological tasks that need to be performed. Those home craftsmen and specialists who work with an engraving machine on a regular basis try to immediately purchase a set of attachments for the engraver, which includes tools of various sizes and purposes. Depending on the needs and financial capabilities of a particular engraving artist, this may be a more modest set, including several dozen necessary tools, or a professional set, which includes attachments for performing various works on metal, wood and other materials.

Types of attachments for engravers

Equipment for an engraver can have simply a huge number of distinctive features. Drill burs and other types of equipment can be classified according to the following criteria:

1. Type of material being processed.
2. Purpose of the drill and the engraver attachment used.
3. Areas of use.

An example is diamond cutters for engravers, which can be used to process the end surface and obtain a surface of complex shape.

Diamond cutters

The use of hard spraying can significantly extend the service life of the cutting edge, as well as provide higher cutting conditions. A mini drill bit for a drill is used to produce blind or through holes with a minimum diameter. The main classification can be called the purpose for which technological task the engraver attachment is purchased. By providing diversity in this indicator, the scope of application of the engraver is significantly expanded.

By type of material processed

When choosing the most suitable set, attention is paid to what materials it is intended to work with. The classification of tools in this case is as follows:

1. Most of the options are designed for working with wood. As an example, the wood engraving cutter has become widespread. It can be used to obtain various patterns. If necessary, ensures high processing accuracy.
2. An engraver with appropriate attachments for working with metal is used. In this case, when making a cutting edge, more wear-resistant and hard alloys are tried on. When choosing tooling, it is important to pay attention to what kind of alloy will be processed. An example is the ratio of the hardness of aluminum and hardened steel.
3. Glass equipment is purchased quite often. This type of material is difficult to process. That is why the cutting part is often made of wear-resistant alloys or diamond chips.
4. There are attachments for engravers that are designed for working with stone. The diamond cutter for stone has become quite widespread. The high hardness of the processed surface determines that special requirements are placed on the cutting edge.

Nozzles for working on glass

The purpose of the type of material being processed largely determines the cost of the equipment. The most affordable offer is considered to be wood cutters, which have become very widespread. There are also often versions designed for working with metals.

By purpose

A tool for engraving on metal or wood can be intended for a variety of operations. Based on this feature, the following execution options are distinguished:

1. For engraving work. Very often it is necessary to apply some kind of drawing or inscription on the surface. If the work is carried out in a home workshop, then an engraver can be considered a more suitable tool. There is an engraving cutter for metal or wood, artificial or natural stone, glass and other materials. Diamond burs (cutters) are often sold as a set, since complex designs and inscriptions may require attachments with different cutting edge geometries.
2. Tools whose attachments are a combination of a solid metal rod and an abrasive tip. In some cases, it is necessary to improve the quality of the roughness of recesses or other complex surfaces. In such cases, this type of equipment is used. Its purpose is to rough and finish the surface, it all depends on the grain size of the abrasive material used.
3. For grinding and polishing work. On sale you can find a huge range of engraver grinding attachments. Various materials can be used in their manufacture. An example is classic abrasive or felt.

Sanding attachments

When choosing, it is worth considering that there are a variety of pastes for engraving and other engraver attachments intended for grinding surfaces. Their use can significantly increase the efficiency of the operation. The selection of paste is carried out in accordance with the specific tool used for processing and what material the part was made from. Before using any paste, you should pay attention to the instructions for use.

When considering the classification, we will also pay attention to the fact that there are working attachments for professional engravers. They are intended to be a multi-functional tool that can be used to perform a wide variety of operations. The most common set of such equipment is represented by the following combination:

1. Cutters that have different shapes and sizes.
2. Cones made of abrasive, felt or diamond coating.
3. Drills that can be used to transform a conventional engraving machine into an efficient drill for precise drilling work.
4. Wire nozzles, which can be used to clean the surface.
5. Cutting discs designed to remove part of a product.

Ready set of nozzles

If desired, the set can be assembled by purchasing all the attachments separately. However, some versions are extremely rare on sale, which makes it difficult to purchase them separately. Let's take cutting discs as an example.

Classification of nozzles

There are a large number of varieties of equipment for working with a mini drill. The wide range on the market allows you to select attachments for wood and many other materials that engraving equipment can work with. Also, individual craftsmen make them themselves.

Structurally, the attachments (burs) consist of two parts;

• tail, clamped in the tool chuck (diameter from 0.8 to 8 mm);
• worker who 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 processed

Based on the material, engraver cutters are of the following types.

1. Made of hard alloys (carbide) with small and large working parts. There are different types of notches on them. Designed for initial or intermediate processing of workpieces of different hardness.

2. Diamond-coated steel, used for basic work operations with various materials.

3. Disc holders that can be equipped with felt, cutting, or rubber wheels, depending on the properties of the workpiece and the nature of the work performed.

4. Rubber with the addition of corundum, used in processing metal workpieces.
5. Abrasive, which are used to perform work on stone, metal, glass, and ceramics.

6. Felt, intended for polishing wooden surfaces.

There are also combination burs that have a steel shank and a carbide working part. Their area of ​​application corresponds to the material of the head.

Carbide equipment is of high quality, durable and is one of the most 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, and make tracing (indicate the contours of the picture). Diamond attachments are also of high quality, even if the kit they are included in is classified as cheap consumables.

On the market you can find a set of burrs, all the elements of which are marked with some color - it indicates the level of sharpening. Those marked black are the most productive burs, while the sharpness of green or blue ones is worse. The yellow-marked attachments are the best choice when finishing workpieces.

By purpose

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

Consumables from each group can be used when processing various materials. At the same time, milling equipment is used mainly by professionals.

Dremels, which have a flexible shaft installed, are equipped with any types of consumables that fit the diameter of the tool chuck.

Varieties

A unique feature of engraver attachments is that they differ from each other in a number of ways. Most of the accessories intended for installation in a grinding machine are classified according to three main criteria:

• What material is planned to be processed;
• The purpose of the tool itself and its maximum power;
• What area is the work planned to be performed for?

An excellent example would be diamond cutters that are installed in an engraver's chuck. The advantage of this option is high-quality processing of the end surface, which allows you to achieve a unique shape. In addition, thanks to this coating, the service life of the cutting edge increases. A person will also be able to carry out more complex cuttings of various metals.

There are attachments made like a mini drill. They are suitable for producing holes of a specific length. And these are not all attachments, there are many more of them, it all depends on the goals of the person himself and the material of manufacture. It is important to understand that for each task you should select specific equipment, then no problems will arise.

Types by type of material processed

When purchasing high-quality equipment, we must not forget about what products and materials the work will be carried out with. To make it easier to find the right tool, it is important to remember the classification, this will help you choose the right attachment:

• The first thing you should know is that most elements are made for woodworking. An example is a wood engraving cutter. The peculiarity of this design is that a person can obtain patterns of any complexity. In addition, the device is able to guarantee high accuracy when carrying out various works.
• To perform metal work, you need to purchase the appropriate products. On the positive side, models made of hard alloy have proven themselves. This solution guarantees resistance to wear and constant impact. In addition, we must not forget that the choice of nozzle for metal also depends on the alloy that will be processed. If you plan to work with steel, then aluminum products will be useless. Because the hardness of materials varies.
• Also, some users actively purchase elements for working with glass. The main feature of the material is that it is considered difficult to process. Therefore, each nozzle has a special diamond coating. It also increases wear resistance.
• The latest popular variety is the stone cutting attachment. A special diamond cutter has become widespread. Due to its high hardness, the product copes well with material processing. But special requirements must be met for the edge, otherwise a person will receive a poor product that will be of little use for working on stone.

It should be understood that the final cost of the product often depends on the type of material processed. Wood cutters are considered one of the cheapest options, since they are widely used, and the material itself is not very hard, with the exception of some species. In second place are products for processing metal structures.

Division by purpose

Depending on the attachment, various operations on wood or metal can be carried out. That is, in many ways it is the equipment that determines what work will be performed. Three popular varieties are often used:

• For engraving. This is perhaps the most common reason for purchasing an engraver. The principle of operation is simple: using a special nozzle, an inscription is applied to the outer part of the material. An engraver is a suitable tool for working at home or in your own small workshop. There are also attachments that are so hard that they can engrave on stone or even glass. Diamond burs are found in the form of a small set, because in order to draw a complex image, one element is not enough. After all, the geometry of the inscription or image is taken into account.
• To create a beautiful and neat appearance for the material, you will need a nozzle with a metal rod and an abrasive tip. It is sold in almost all sets, so you won’t have any problems finding it. In addition, due to its popularity, it can often be found separately from the kit. The advantages of the design are the ability to carry out various processing. It is only important to take into account the grain size of the tip.
• To perform accurate grinding or polishing work, you will need appropriate equipment, the tip of which is made of special materials. The main advantage of this design is that finding a similar option is not difficult. Since it is sold in a wide range in almost every specialty store.

But it is important to understand that there are attachments not only for home engravers, but also for professional ones. The latter are designed to perform operations of varying complexity. They also differ in cost and material of manufacture. The most common options:

• A cutter having different shapes and lengths;
• Products with a good hard coating of diamond chips or special abrasive;
• Some mini drills can be used for complex drilling work, and their accuracy will be many times better than that of conventional ones;
• Professionals use wire products to clean the surface; this is the most effective way to quickly remove dirt;
• The last common accessory is cutting discs. They have small dimensions and are used to eliminate unnecessary parts.

If a person has the time and desire, then he can assemble a high-quality set on his own. To do this, you just need to find manufacturers of attachments and read reviews of the product. The advantage of this solution is that the user will be able to find rare burs that are not widely available, this will make the set unique.

Main recommendations for choosing

To find a reliable nozzle, one brand may not be enough; it is important to pay attention to the material of manufacture and scope of application. We must not forget about the frequency of use of the tool itself. But this is not the only thing; you should also remember the following criteria:

• What work will need to be done using the selected attachment. After all, an engraver can be used to perform various tasks, from creating drawings to sanding. Therefore, when purchasing boron, you should pay attention to its capabilities. This will allow you to purchase a functional option. You can buy universal models, but they will not always be useful when performing complex types of work. Therefore, it is better to give preference to special tools.
• The next thing you need to pay attention to is the technical characteristics and features of each workpiece. We must not forget about the type of material that was used during manufacturing.
• The last point is the estimated dimensions of the workpiece. If you use a tool that is too small, it may not be very convenient to process the material. And if it’s big, then you can cut off something extra. It is better to select models according to the principle of the golden mean.

It should be remembered that when purchasing a set, some manufacturers include a minimum of useful materials. Others, on the contrary, differ in that they come with several dozen attachments, which differ in strength, purpose, coating, etc.

Types and purpose of cutters and attachments

Drill attachments come in the following types:

• Abrasive attachments: cutting discs, cones, reverse cones and other rotating bodies. Designed for grinding thread parts.
• Wire brushes for roughing material.
• Steel cutters of different shapes. To perform basic operations - cutting out contours and sampling the background.
• Serrated blades. For processing thin relief details.
• Drill. For drilling through or blind holes.
• Balls for polishing and grinding thread parts.
• Felt circles. Serve for final polishing.

The cutters are made of high-strength and wear-resistant tool steel. Abrasive attachments are made mainly based on corundum. Abrasive attachments coated with diamond chips are particularly wear-resistant and precise.

Wood carving cutters

The collet clamp allows you to accurately secure and center the replacement tool. However, with strong lateral loads, its tightening must be checked periodically. The quick-release clamp does not have this drawback, but only tool shanks specially designed for it are suitable for it.

Diamond burs for engraving

Diamond burs rightfully hold the title of the most popular attachments for engravers. They are included in the professional packages of these instruments. The tool is strong and durable if used correctly.

Review of professional attachments for engravers

Professional tools constitute a separate (high-quality and expensive) category of equipment that can withstand significant operating loads without negative consequences. It is customary to equip such devices with appropriate consumables.

Professionals carefully process the smallest details of workpieces. That's why they need such a wide variety of consumables to get the job done.

Experts who professionally engrave various materials recommend purchasing sets of attachments from well-known brands, such as Dremel or Dexter. The significant cost of the products of these companies is fully justified by the fact that their products are reliable, high quality and durable. 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 them have their own design features. Typically these sets include:

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

The kits also include a straight edge cutter.

Straight edge cutter Topfix

Replacement equipment of the Dremel and Dexter brands 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 attachments from an unknown manufacturer.

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

Rating of budget options

DEKO DH100 (100 items) in a case

An attractive set that has 100 pieces made from quality raw materials. Purpose: engraving, sharpening, cutting and grinding. Therefore, a person will not be limited in work. The manufacturer took into account the mistakes of previous models and released a truly reliable product that can handle wood, stone, ceramic tiles, plastic, etc.

The equipment is interesting, and everything is supplied in a beautiful case, so there will be no problems with storage. The set also includes a holder and paste, which increases the convenience and efficiency of operations.

The average cost is 600 rubles.

DEKO DH100 (100 items) in a case

Advantages:

• High quality manufacturing;
• Reliability;
• Efficiency;
• Engraving and cutting;
• 100 different pieces;
• Affordable price.

Flaws:

• Not found.

STAYER 29905-H134

A convenient kit containing almost all popular elements. Thanks to this, a person will be able to carry out operations on metal, wood and even stone. The kit also includes a special case containing wheels, cutters and holders.

The set is suitable for people who engrave and process small materials in a home workshop. The total number of items in the set is 134 pieces, which is a high figure.

The average cost is 380 rubles.

STAYER 29905-H134

Advantages:

• The set contains products for metal processing;
• 134 pieces;
• High-quality equipment;
• Efficiency;
• Reliability.

Flaws:

• They will break quickly from active use.

Kolner KMGS 100

An effective product from a popular manufacturer, which features a convenient case and especially durable attachments. There are no unnecessary devices included in the kit, only the necessary ones. Therefore, a person can carry out cutting, grinding, and polishing of small parts without any problems. The elements work well on metal, wood, ceramics and glass. The main thing is to choose the right equipment. Shank diameter – 3.2 mm.

The case contains about 100 items. Moreover, they are all different, the only thing that unites them is the base, which is made of the same material, but the tips have different coatings, which allows some products to cope with various materials, and others only with wood.

Sold at a price: from 800 rubles.

Kolner KMGS 100

Advantages:

• The kit includes a convenient shaft with a screw;
• High quality manufacturing;
• Reliability;
• Long service life;
• Convenient polishing wheel.

Flaws:

• Not found.

Hammer 219-011

Set consisting of 13 pieces. Used for grinding products made of metal, glass, stone or ceramics. For transportation, the kit includes a high-quality case. The spraying is good and makes it possible to easily eliminate various irregularities, this will make the surface smooth and shiny. And to increase efficiency, you should purchase a special paste.

The average cost is 200 rubles.

Hammer 219-011

Advantages:

• Manufacturing;
• Life time;
• Reliability;
• Convenient use;
• Colored attachments for remembering their purpose;
• Quality.

Flaws:

• Not found.

Recommendations for choosing nozzles

Typically, a milling attachment 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 the Dremel.

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

1. You should focus on the diameter of the shanks that is suitable for the Dremel chuck: most often it is 2.4 or 3.2 mm.
2. You need to purchase attachments for metal and other materials depending on the type of work you plan to perform.
3. To engrave, you can also use inexpensive kits, for example, made in China or Russia.
4. For 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 sufficient.

When learning various Dremel operations, inexpensive products are suitable. Over time, they should be abandoned in favor of better quality equipment.

Homemade attachments for engraving machines and drills

For simple engraving work in a home workshop, you can make a cutter, cutting disc, grinding and polishing wheels yourself. As a simple cutter to equip an engraver or drill, you can use a grooved wheel from a regular lighter or a dowel, on the head of which working teeth are cut. Making a working attachment for grinding or polishing is also quite simple: for this you can use a wooden drum with a shank, sandpaper glued to the side surface of it.

Many homemade attachments for an engraving machine (if they are used to perform not too complex work) perform well, and the cost of their production is minimal.