Dremel ?

[sue denim]

I have been asked to 'engrave' some signatures into maple wood bowl. I am not an experienced Dremel user. Is this the best way to engrave and if so which type of cutter? .

The maple is quite hard.

Thanks in advance

 

[Bodrighy]

You can use a dremel but there are so many different types of tips for the thing it is hard to advise apart from practice on scrap first as it can be very skittish and you end up with abstract art if you aren't careful.

Pete

 

[Ed Bray]

Would a small set of carving chisels not be better? A bit of practise on some scrap wood should get you reasonably proficient. As the maple is hard you can just take small cuts until you get it how you want it. The big issue will be sharpening (I know I've mentioned it again) the chisels to a appropriate level of sharpness.

 

[John. B]

Hello Sue,
I know you are in the south of France, But if I were you I would try to find someone who has a CO2 laser to do the engraving.
carving lettering that looks good is a skill that is not learnt in a couple of days, with a Dremel or chisels.
Try googling Laser engraving services in your locality, It'll save you a headache, have a perfect result and will probably cost less than investing in a set of carving
or pyro tools.
I make pens and Golf trophies, and any engraving that is needed is always done with a laser.
I am fortunate that I have an engraver that is in reasonable driving distance, so if you can find one reasonably close to you I would seek them out.
Good luck!
john. B

 

[Paul Hannaby]

I do either carved lettering, which takes a lot of time, or inset a silver disc with machine engraved lettering. The silver disc option works out much cheaper than the hand carved lettering but is much smaller. It depends what you are trying to achieve.

Another option might be to find someone with a CNC router facility. They might be able to cut the letters into the wood for you.

Unless you are very good, the freehand dremel method will look like a drunken scrawl!