Woodburning Tips: Choosing a Woodburning Tool

Woodburning tools come in a wide range of prices and models. Here are some basic things to consider when choosing a new woodburner for your shop.

One Temperature Woodburner with Single Tip

The single tip, single temperature woodburner is by far the simplest of all woodburning tools and also the cheapest. This tool has one setting once it has been plugged in and heated: scorching hot. It also has a single, fixed tip that consists of a slim, tapered cone that ends in a blunt point. The first woodburning tool that I ever used was such a simple device that belonged to my grandfather, and I have since become comfortable enough with it that I seldom find a need for a more sophisticated piece of equipment. It is a pleasure to work with the older tools of woodworking, and I like to think that I can approximate the quality of lines and textures with this simple device that are made much easier using the newer woodburners of today. However, the affordability of a woodburner with interchangeable tips in today's market means that most new hobbiests really should consider a model with interchangeable tips to simplify matters.

One Temperature Woodburner with Interchangeable Brass Tips

The charm of working with antique tools definitely is not for everyone. For the budding craftsman who anticipates many happy hours working away at the bench with his or her new woodburner, I would recommend a single temperature woodburner with interchangeable brass tips as the ideal first tool to purchase. Such a tool comes with a half dozen tips that can be switched out of your woodburner, each of which greatly simplify creating different patterns, lines and shapes in your wood. Still, the single setting of a very hot temperature means that developing a light and intuitive touch.

Variable Temperature Woodburner with Interchangeable Wire Tips

A variable temperature woodburner is the next step up for a craftsman who has spent enough time and patient energy learning the basics of woodburning to know that his interest in the craft is high enough to justify the expensive of a more highly priced tool. A variable temperature woodburner comes equipped with an additional thermostat that sits apart from the woodburning pen and allows for the adjustment of the temperature of the tip. As a result, shading and controlling the depth of a burnt line become infinitely simpler. Unlike single temperature woodburners, variable temperature models frequently have somewhat flexible wire tips rather than sturdy brass ones.

Sources:
http://www.woodcarvingpatterns.com/projects/burn.htm
Great Book of Woodburning. Irish, Lora.
http://www.thewoodbox.com/data/woodburning/wbpeninfo.htm