Best Dremel Bits for Wood Carving
They say a rotary tool is only as good as its bits. Choose the Best Dremel right Bits for Wood Carving, and you’ll get good results. However, choose the wrong ones, and they may not even fit the tool.
In my experience, the best Dremel bits for wood carving have certain specifications that make them good at what they do.
Whether you’re looking for bits that carve or sand and polish wood. Knowing these specifications, as I’ve come to learn, is the key to finding the best options available.
For that, you’ll need a buying guide, one that tells you how to pick the right bits for the job.
I made this buying guide merely as a list of factors to consider before settling for a Dremel bit. However, if you pay attention to these essentials, you’ll find the right bits at the best prices.
Dremel Bits Buying Guide
The factors that I keep in mind while shopping for the best Dremel bits for wood carving are as follows:
Purpose
Dremel bits are suited for carving, cutting, engraving, grooving, and hollowing. Some bits do more than one job.
As a matter of fact, some Dremel bits are Jacks of all trades that I use for everything from cutting to carving and engraving.
At a glance, you can tell that each bit has a different shape and length. The reason behind this is to enable them to cut and carve various types of materials.
How do you find the best Dremel bits for wood carving?
The good news is that Dremel accessories, for the most part, are color-coded to match their specific purpose.
Rather than reading lengthy product descriptions to figure out what each of them does. I simply check accessories against their color code to know their specific usage:
• Teal-colored bits are for carving/engraving.
• Orange bits are for routing.
• Green bits are for grinding/sharpening.
• Red bits are for cutting.
• Yellow bits are for cleaning/polishing.
• Purple bits are for sanding.
• Brown bits are for collets and miscellaneous use.
Compatible Materials
Not all bits are good for carving wood—I learned this the hard way.
Some Dremel bits can indeed carve soft and hard kinds of wood. But I found many to be too stiff or too brittle for the material on my workbench.
If you’re working exclusively with wood, you only need a Dremel bit that works well with both soft and hardwoods. However, if you work with materials like plastic, aluminum, and ceramics like me. You’re better off with a Dremel bit that can work with materials other than wood.
Size
Most Dremel bits have a 3.2 mm (1/8-inch) shank so that they will fit your Dremel rotary tool without a hitch.
The problem is that there is a risk of buying the wrong bit size if you’re not careful. Though 1/8 inches is the most common size available. Dremel bits come in shank sizes such as 1/16 inches, 1/32 inches, and 3/32 inches.
Bit size decides whether the bit fits my power tool, and if I don’t get it right, I’ll have to deal with the hassle of returning it.
Double Cut 1/8-inch Rotary Burr Set
This tungsten steel carbide rotary burr set can last 200 times longer than a grinding wheel and ten times longer than high-speed steel. The 1/8-inch shanks have an average length of 35 mm and a cutting diameter of ¼ inches.
They feature a double-cut design, and that’s why I find them suitable for low-density materials like wood (they can also work with plastic and aluminum).
At the standard shank diameter of 1/8 inches, these Dremel bits fit most rotary tools with 3-jaw chucks. They’re easy to install and center with precision. Which is fantastic for my DIY woodworking projects like carving, polishing, and engraving.
The set contains ten different rotary burr bits, the shortest of which is 43.5 mm long. They come in a convenient storage case made of plastic for extra protection.
Dremel 689-01 Accessory Kit for Carving and Engraving
This 11-piece accessory kit from Dremel is specially curated for all carving and engraving purposes at just about a dollar per bit.
The bits are suitable for use with glass, metal, and wood. They come in a compact storage box that is reusable. I find it convenient to have one toolkit for all my etching, engraving, sharpening, and grinding needs.
The engraving accessories include 105 and 108 1/32-inch bits, a 5/64-inch diamond wheel point, and a 107 3/32-inch engraving bit. It also features a 1/16-inch grinding stone and a silicon carbide grinding stone.
This carving and engraving kit, in my humble opinion, is the best fit for Dremel rotary tools as it comes from the same manufacturer.
Not only does it perform well with soft and hard types of wood, but it is also good enough for carving metal and stone.
10-Piece 1/8-inch Tungsten-Carbide Rotary Burr Set
These tough bits can handle metals as tough as iron, steel, carbon steel, and stainless steel. They can handle non-metals like wood just as well and are a good option if you’re searching for Dremel bits for carving wood.
Their high-quality makeup makes them very hard and durable and gives them a high processing efficiency (ten times higher than a manual file tool). They also produce less pollution than a grinding wheel, something I really appreciate because I have kids that come into my workshop.
I use them for nearly all my applications, including grooving, beveling, chamfering, and reaming. This set contains ten pieces, which come in a carrying case for protection and convenient access.
Double-Cut Titanium Carbide 10-Piece Rotary Set
Tungsten carbide is rugged and durable, exactly what I needed when I started working with woods of different hardness.
This 10-piece set features various bits with a shank length of 35 mm and a diameter of 1/8 inches, so it fits my Dremel rotary tool without a hitch.
I prefer their double-cut design because it makes them more suitable for low-density materials. For me, that means I can handle delicate carving and engraving tasks. The standard shank diameter also makes them highly adaptable to different tools with a 3-jaw chuck.
Thanks to the material and excellent fabrication of these bits, I can comfortably expect them to last up to 200 times longer than a small grinding wheel—minus the dust and pollution too. In addition, they are ten times more durable than high-speed steel.