IMPORTANT UPDATE: INFORMATION ON THE TOOLS
So, Foredom doesn't seem to be fully equipped to assist with deciding about tools for workshops, but my visit to their headquarters helped enough. I've decided on my own purchase and I'll give you the rundown below.
First let me say that I have a pretty nice budget for upgrading my workshop. I got a business loan and, while I don't have as much as I'd like for my machining tools, I'm spending a decent amount on the equipment to make my own glass working tools. This should save me much money in the long run, and we all know how great it is to be the hand that built what we use. In total I spent more than $1000 on Foredom tools and ancillaries, but you could easily do with half that and be happy.
I'm not a rep for Foredom, they didn't pay me or give me tools, all they did was show me what they've got. Nobody has paid me in any way to give this info, I'm just offering my opinion! It really is just that, my humble, simple opinion. If you're looking at flex shafts or just trying to find a new tool, read this and see if it can help. Ask any questions you have, I'll try to help in any way I can. Keep in mind, I'm no super machinist, just a dude who does stuff. Sort of like a cross between The Dude (Big Lebowski) and a really low-skill Geppetto (Pinnochio). So, if you're more experienced than me, use the information you've already got floating in your brain parts!
WHICH MODEL?
Foredom sells the LT, TX, and SR motors. The SR is the base model with 1/3 HP, the TX is 1/6 and the LX is a high torque, low speed model. The SR has forward and reverse options, which is nice when using bonded wheels and other bits that aren't directional because grit from the wheels and material won't be thrown at you. You can't use twist drills or most metal burrs in reverse because they are only made to go in forward. For the machinist folks, I'll say you can handle the occasional mess of grit spraying on your shirt, don't get the SR. It's really nice, but the extra power of the TX is probably more up your alley. At least, that's what I did for myself. I figure, I'm better off running on the lower end of the tool, than sometimes wishing I had a higher speed. Also - the TX is a permanent magnet motor that is advertised to hold its torque at all speeds. This semi-guarantee does not go with the SR. Another reason I wanted the the TX was that I plan on using my flex shaft for some glass engraving, and the higher speeds should be better for that work. At some point I will want the LX, and maybe another TX, because having excessive amounts of tools is necessary to survival.
WHICH SHAFT?
Foredom has a standard key shaft, a heavy duty shaft, and a few other less necessary items. My big dilemma was whether to get the standard or heavy duty, since handpieces aren't interchangeable between the two. Before telling you my decision, know this: You can always go ahead and change your mind after purchasing. Foredom sells new shafting to replace broken parts, and they also sell pieces to change standard to heavy duty, or the other way around.
The heavy duty shafting is a little more expensive, there are limited handpieces that work with it (though most attachments and burrs still go in and on those handpieces), and it isn't nearly as flexible as the standard key. Because of all of this, and the fact that I could eventually go to heavy duty, I bought the standard key. If I find that my shafts break when I'm working, I'll swap out and get the heavy duty.
ALWAYS BUY A MAINTENANCE KIT WITH YOUR FLEX SHAFT. They come with grease for the shaft, an extra shaft, and a few other goodies. You'll be happy to have spent the $20 when your shaft breaks and you have to wait a week and a half for a new one.
MOUNTING?
This is a two point problem. First, do you get a hanging motor or a bench motor? Well, like the shafting, you can always change later on. I love that about these Foredom tools! I always have too much on my bench and I tend to knock things over, so I didn't get the bench mount. It seemed like asking for trouble.
So you went with the hanging motor, what do you hang it on? That's a silly question since we're all such crafty little individuals! You can purchase a simple bench or wall mounted motor hanger made by Foredom - this is just a pole with a hook and a mounting plate. They also sell a storage-pole thing with some great moving arms for holding burrs, an LED overhead light, handpieces, etc. The latter is pretty expensive and the former just seemed like a funny thing to buy when I can easily make some sort of hook or hook-on-a-pole thing. So, you do what you want, but I'm building my hanger. We'll see how it goes and I'll post photos when it's done!
SPEED CONTROL?
I like in-the-moment control, so I absolutely went with foot-pedal control for my Flex Shaft. I even bought the cast-iron base, because plastic sucks and I go for the metal whenever I can afford to. It was a little more expensive, but that's better than cracking or melting the thing because a hammer or hot piece of glass falls on it. Foredom also sells a dial control that maintains a regular speed, which some of you might find useful. No matter what you choose, make sure you're getting the one that matches your flex shaft - the TX and LX use a different control than the SR.
HANDPIECES?
There are way, way too many different handpieces from Foredom alone, not to mention the companies that make compatible parts. The H.30 handpiece is a really nice all-purpose tool with a chuck still holder that goes up to 1/4". I bought two of these. I don't care about the quick change handpieces, and I especially dislike all the extra plastic knobs and buttons on them. If you're going to constantly be changing out your burrs and you'll get sick of loosing and tightening the chuck, I would suggest looking at the H.18 handpiece - it has a mostly metal body with an easy to use lever, and it goes up to 3/32. It does use collets, though, so you have to be sure your burrs and bits match the collet your using.
One piece of advice I've gotten from several sources is that you should always have extra handpieces. I purchased two of the H.30 so I would always have a backup. However, if you go into different handpieces, you'll likely end up with different ones for every application. The nice thing is that the handpieces go on and off of the shafting really quickly, so there's no hassle if you like using a few.
ATTACHMENTS?
Foredom sells some cool attachments for their flex shafts. They have a right-angle attachment that simply rotates the direction of your burr so that it is running perpendicular to the handpiece, a mini belt sander, an angle grinder, and a power filer. From what I've read, you should be really careful about using these attachments at super high speeds as you can burn out the innards. If you tend to have a lead foot and you'll use these attachments often, buy a dial control to keep your tools safe.
I like the idea of the filer, but I didn't want to be restricted in what files I could use and it only accepts certain shank sizes. So,I purchased the angle grinder and belt sander attachments. When I visited Foredom I didn't see the angle grinder in action, I should have asked to. However, they showed me how the belts from the sander worked and they were fantastic on the hunks of steel that I brought to test. For my one-or-two-off hand tool making applications, this tool is great. The belts aren't super big, they're cheap to replace, and I can always have the thing around when I'm working on the tools. The belts work on wood, metal, and plastics. It would be smart to buy two or three packs of extra belts and always have them around for any job you might find. You can get a set of fifteen belts (five each of three grits) for ten dollars.
As for the angle grinder, it seemed like a great compliment to the other tools I was adding to my shop. A small angle grinder should be nice when I'm doing work that may not be great to bring to a bench grinder. Foredom has a metal working wheel kit that seems nice, and they also had a stone working kit that should be usable on my glass. This attachment is something I'll have to really inspect and give more information on later, when I know enough to tell you how useful it might be.
It is worth noting that I bought the grinder and sander with handpieces. You can buy them without, but I didn't want to deal with removing and reattaching the tools every time I wanted a different one. I highly recommend you do the same. For those playing the home game, that means I have a single flex shaft and four handpieces. Sounds crazy, but I guess it makes some sort of sense.
BURRS, TOOLS?
Burrs and the like can be a real pain to pick out, it all depends on your particular tastes, your work material, and your application. Many of you might already have preferences, but I have mostly just used whatever's lying around. I want to be more careful from now on since my future applications will be more demanding and work tends to be better when you pick out the correct tool. Because I plan on working with some titanium shortly, I bought an assortment of tungsten carbide burrs from the same place that sold me the Foredom tool. (I'll add info on that below.) I also bought several brass and steel brushes for cleaning up rusty old metal and a set of diamond abrasive wheels for carving glass. Those diamond wheels will be great for metal too. The brush wheels were no-brand from the store, but the diamond wheels were an assortment of different shapes and sizes made by Summa. As I find preferences to specific bits, I'll let you folks know. Oh, and I almost forgot! I bought the Foredom polishing and abrasive kit.
You probably notice the theme - kits and assortments. I'm not yet sure of what the best or favorite parts will be, so I bought as many assortments as I thought would be useful. They're not stupid expensive, and it could be nice when I need that one bit I've never even though of using for some obscure little job.
The other bits I bought were made by a company called Cratex. They're some sort of soft material with embedded abrasives. They come in bullet points, tubes, wheels, and one or two other shapes. The nice thing is that, as the bit wears down, it remains just as useful. Instead of only having surface grit, there is grit in the material all the way through. These are mostly for polishing. I'm really excited to try these out, they seem pretty nice.
WHERE TO BUY?
There is a jewelry material supplier called Otto Frei. They had the best prices on Foredom tools that I could find anywhere, even Foredom's rep said to buy from them. DO NOT BUY DIRECT FROM FOREDOM!!!!!! They have much higher prices than any of their suppliers!!!!! If you happen to find a better price, let us all know!
Almost everything on this page was purchased from Otto Frei and they sell tons of other burrs and bits for a huge variety of uses. Those Cratex bits I bought from Midway America, a gun supply company. They have an 80 piece kit for sixty dollars, it's the biggest kit of Cratex bits with the best variety for the best price. (Amazon sells it for $100+) Once I decide which shapes and grits are my favorite, I may find them cheaper elsewhere, but I don't know if I can.
Alrighty ladies and gentlefish, I hope this helps in some small way. I'll post an update in a few weeks when I know more about everything. Talk then!
