Dremel Input?

[ghostrider]

I am thinking about getting one. Never used one before, but think it would be nice for texturing SS. Any suggestions, or should I just go for the 400XPR system? Also, what accessory tool should I consider for cutting the SS?
Also, any good suggestions for sources?

[STR]

Personally I love my foredom. First off it is foot controlled, and second variable speed which is great, but best of all they last forever and a day.

Mine has been with me for over 10 years and works everyday. I would say that it is a toss up between it and my band saw and drill press as to which is the most worked tool in my shop.

With the drill press attachment you can use the foredom as a precison drill press for anything up to 3/16 in size. For years it was the only drill press I had and did all my folder work.


Only draw back is really the handpiece is the old style chuck with key like the older drills. At least mine is. They may make a quick chuck now for it I don't know. All I do know is that I couldn't get by without mine.

I got mine many moons ago from Jantz supply in Oklahoma. But many suppliers sell it.

You might also consider talking to your dentist about how to obtain a high speed dental air driven handpiece, reastat/foot control, and all the attatchments. You can hook up fiber optics and water spray with them also if you want.

At 500,000 rpms they cut even hardened steel with precision. Trust me.

I use one of those for many tasks also. But I have a background in the field too so that is why basically.

[JD Spydo]

I use my Dremel tool for a lot of important chores. I only have one complaint about my Dremel tool. I wish they had a better "chuck" than what they have. I just know in my gut that will be what breaks before anything else does. I wish they would bring out a professional version of it.

I have just been in the beginning stages of learning knife sharpening with my Dremel tool. The possibilities are endless. :spyder:

[ghostrider]

[quote="JD Spydo"]I have just been in the beginning stages of learning knife sharpening with my Dremel tool. The possibilities are endless. ]
You must tell me more about this. I had never thought of using a Dremel tool to sharpen. Is this for mainly rebeveling? How do you usually do it?

[hanswurst]

hi Ghostrider,
if you are thinking about a dremmel, try to stay away from the cordless ones as you will have to change batteries alot. The cordless ones also seem less powerful.
for my project I bought a $30 accessory kit at Home Depot, that comes with grinding, sanding, polishing, engraving, cutting and drilling attachments as well as a circle cutting tool (great for cutting drywall for recessed lights). all in all 220 pieces.
marco

[ghostrider]

Thanks hanswurst, can you tell me what you used to mod your Pelican?

[hanswurst]

the first pic is of the kit I mentioned earlier (doggie nose not included)
the second one is of the tools I actually used. left to right: grinding stone- used it to remove about a 1/4 inch of handle material by the blade and to shape the fingerchoil.
-wire brush - used it to finish the handle
-wire attachment- used it to de-bur the edges of the traction grooves
-cutting wheel- used to cut the traction grooves

marco

[rastus]

Life without a Dremel would be, well, not much fun.
From re-serrating my old, worn Endura, to polishing feed ramps, to helping a friend make his dentures fit better, to cutting master locks off of peoples gates when they loose their keys, to making key copys work that didn't, to cutting rounded bolts to make them grippable, to......
How can anyone live without a Dremel? :eek:
---Tom :D

[WORKER#9]

Yes The Dremel Is Indespensable, I Have Abused My Dremel For 10 Years And It Still Keeps Going. Truly One Of The Best Tools Ever.

[Irish Lager]

well all this talk about knife mods is getting me excited. guess i should look into a dremel for some light mods ive been looking to do. ill have to go price one out.
GS

[gordonk]

I would agree with the re-chargeable one. Also, if you buy the extra attachments, it won't fit :mad: I literally wore my re-chargeable one out andrather than buy a better Dremel, I bought one of the "clone" ones. My usual use for it is cutting pins for my handle and shaping handles, drilling stitching holes for my leatherwork and some steel finishing/polishing things. My wife uses the buffers for her fingernails :) One thing I did find with the clones ones, is that they don't have as much torque at the slower speeds as the Dremel Pro series, but then for the extra that would be the least you would expect :) Couple things that I've found that may be of help:

I found that cut-off wheels from Dremel are quite expensive - I tend to go thru a lot of those depending on what I do- I found that Black and Decker also has some for their tool and the wheels are at least 30% cheaper if not more. Interestingly, I've found some of the Craftsmen/Sears bits are a lot less as well. I use my "dremel" a lot when I'm finishing up handles and one of the things I found at a jewellry supply house was some super fine sanding bands that fit on those small drums. These are close to 600/800 grit or maybe finer, but I got a bag of 100 for $9.95 CDN. They are nice for getting out the final scratches off the tang before final finish polishing - you go thru them like crazy, but then, they don't cost a lot. A little different than paying Dremel's price of 4 or 5 for $3.99 CDN or whatever, and even then, it's only about 200 grit :) Defnitely handy to have around.

Hope this helps - gord

[HoB]

Hanswurst, is the dog nose included in the Dremel kit? :D (edit: sorry, can't read, just looked at the picture. Didn't see that you specifically meantioned that the doggie nose is NOT included ...., too bad, its a cute nose :) ).

Looks like a very cute nose to me, what kind of dog is it? Looks almost like a Catahoula leopard.

More to the point I use a hole saw instead of a dremel. Its a bit unwieldy at times and it has no speed control, but it has about 5x the power. I prefer it for router type and cut-off applications. The bit essentially never slows down. It takes dremel attachments.

[d.g.g]

I use my Dremel for honing the edge of the blade when sharpening. It strips the burr off very quickly.