Eye cutter

Special tools for surface design

Unlike conventional routers, eye routers are not designed to remove material. Rather, their specialty lies in burning fine shapes into the wood. They can be used, for example, to burn round shapes into the wood, creating deceptively real eyes on wood sculptures - hence the name eye router.

How the eye router works

The eye routers are fixed in a collet and operated at high speeds (min. 20,000 rpm) on the Dremel or straight grinder. By applying light pressure, the cutter generates frictional heat on the piece of wood, which causes it to begin to char. Before any application, it is advisable to test the process for best results. Depending on the type of wood, moisture content and pressure applied, the application time may vary.

Possible applications of eye routers

Although eye routers got their name because of their ability to create eye sections, this is by no means their only application. For example, when the burr is set at a 45° angle, fine burn lines can be created. This opens up creative possibilities, for example, for decorating a bowl or shaping the surface of a carved figure.