Which foredom ?

G

Gus Mullen

Joined
Dec 13, 2018
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4
I have read as many of the recent threads as I could on foredom.

So, my question is for stainless steel work on knives, and general shop work second. I am curious to which motor, which flex shaft and which burrs would be most desirable, but starting with stainless steel work. The rest of the burrs can progress along the path.

I was looking at the SR or TX motor, the 44T or 30T shaft, and the table top dial control. I just don’t know between these or if there is something better. These seem close , but maybe not, as I am here asking questions for better understanding. Thank you!
 
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I use some SR's at work but use them mostly on non ferrous small stuff.
The shafts wear out but never had a problem with the motors.
I use the foot controller.
 
I have the reverse function, it's usefull when using sanding drums.
I have it hanging on a curtainrail just behind me so I can move it to an other bench.
I'll have a look what type it us when I get the chance
 
TX with the heavy shaft is what you want for heavy work. TXH440 as I recall.
The regular TX unit is fine, but if you plan on doing lots of metal work the industrial unit is worth the extra cost.
 
Yes, get the unit with a foot control. The bench control is not really a good control by itself. The TX series uses a specific control, so don't try and use a regular SR type.
 
Ok, awesome, thank you guys, I will have to look at those controls. I called foredom and they had good recommendations on - motor, but I felt it was better to ask here from people with experience.

Can I ask why the foot control, over the hand control?
 
You can push the foot pedal while holding the work in one hand and the handpiece in the other. You can speed up, slow down, start, stop, etc.
To use a bench mount control (hand control) you have to turn the unit on at one preset speed and use it with no control or on/off capability. Trust me, this is a bad idea for metal work.
I do use a hand control along with a foot control for some slow speed uses. I set the hand control at the maximum speed I want and use the foot control to turn the motor on and off and control the speed up to the pre-set limit.
 
Upon further investigation, I see there are longer and shorter flex shaft lengths......I think saw a post from Stacy awhile back about them on another forum, I can’t find it now....Something to the effect, that longer might bind up easier? I can’t remember. So, I will go for the industrial tx, more $ up front, less down the road hopefully. But, is the flex shaft length, more desirable long or regular? Are there expensive problems if all is maintained well?
 
The longer industrial type shaft is fine, but the longer regular size shaft will kink easier if doing work that binds the burr. On jewelry, it doesn't matter, but on cutting and sculpting steel or large woodcarving, the breaking force of a large coarse burr can make the shaft twist into a loop. This is why I recommend the TX with the industrial shaft for knifework and large size woodcarvers.
 
I love my foredom. Use it for all sorts of things. Foot control is great for speed control, quick on/off etc. One thing to watch for is stepping on the foot switch when you are walking around the shop. If the end of your tool is somewhere you don't want it to be you scrape things or wrap things up in it.
 
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