Foredom-Panavise carrier

[mklotz]

This is the one I have...

http://www.amazon.com/Foredom-Indust...Foredom+K.2272

It's 1/6 HP and 18 KRPM max. The motor case is cast iron - very sturdy and no plastic in sight. It comes with a foot pedal to control speed. You may find, as I did, that the pedal is hard to manage while concentrating on what you're doing with the tool. I use a router speed controller which allows me to set and forget the speed. It also has a switch to select full or variable speed. By controlling the tool's on/off setting with the router control, it always turns on with exactly the same speed I set earlier whereas, with the pedal, one has to "hunt" the speed one was using.

The #30 handpiece is what is typically supplied. It has a 5/32" Jacobs chuck. Foredom makes a bewildering variety of specialized handpieces but, for the kind of work most do, the #30 is more than adequate. Handpieces literally snap on/off the flexible shaft so swapping them is a two second job.

There are basically two options for mounting the motor. It can be placed in a swiveling holder that sits on the bench or it can be hung from a carrier attached the front edge of the bench. I can't imagine using the former option because it would mean that the flexible shaft would be lashing around the bench top when the tool was used. If your bench looks like mine, you can appreciate what a disaster that would be.

I use the latter option. Rather than buying the wimpy-looking hanger offered by Foredom, I repurposed a 1" pipe clamp. I drilled and tapped the end to take two sturdy eye-bolts cut down to make hooks. One supports the motor and one the speed controller. Magnets stuck to the pipe hold accessories. The whole thing is rock-steady.