Joe, let me educate you a little bit...lol, the carvewright uses mostly 2 tools, the carving tool and the 1/8" tool. These are carbide end mills, in the machine shop industry we don't say bit because a bit is usually a drill (bit). The carving tool has (if I remember correctly) has a 7 degree angle with a 1/16" nose radius. I have 2 styles that I use, 3 flute and 4 flute. Both these tools have a 1/4" shank (the end that goes in the tool holder) The 1/8" tool also has a 1/4" shank. I mostly use 4 flute with this one (1/8").
Most of my work is 3/4" thick so with my 2 tools I use a tool that has about 1" of cutting length. As far as the 7 degree angle tool goes it really isn't that important that it is exactly 7 degrees, but the nose radius has to be there, that is what does the profile path.
I find most places charge a lot for these tools, I got lucky and I made a lithopane for the boss who orders tools at a shop where I use to work free of charge, in return he got me a 12 pack of carving end mills that had a different angle, so I showed him my original tool and he order another 12 pack with the 7 degree angle, both work just fine and I ended up with 24 new tools. Sweet.... I've got an order in for some 4 flute 1/8" end mills 1" long, we're going to lunch this week.. Hope this helps you understand our tools, oh and one more thing, heating up the screw on your older style holder, I would use a torch not a hair dryer.
CarverJerry
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