DREMEL?

It appears that the infinitive verb "to Dremel" is now among our lexicon. It is no longer a noun to describe a tool. I love it!!

My favorite tool is the Dremel with a 80 grit sanding drum. I typically can remove an ounce or more of wood )stuff) before covering.

I burned down two Dremels in 40 years -- UNSAT.

They wanted $70 to $98 for a Dermel-Dremel or a DeWalt-Dremel or a Black & Decker-Dremel at Home Depot.

I found a Nikota-Dremel at Production Tool Supply for $25.99.

It dremels out my airplane stuff just fine. Way faster than xactoing everything.

I've got one of the first Dremel tools with the Bakelite case, I have to kinda kick start it to get it going. It's got that nice burnt electrical smell about it.

I bought a Foredom "Wood Carvers" model flex tool that has a "Factory" transmission bolted on the back so you can screw the flex shaft on direct drive or screw it on the back and go to "Granny Gear". Since I bought it I don't set the wood on FIRE as much as I used to.

>I've got one of the first Dremel tools with the Bakelite
>case, I have to kinda kick start it to get it going. It's
>got that nice burnt electrical smell about it.
>
>I bought a Foredom "Wood Carvers" model flex tool that has a
>"Factory" transmission bolted on the back so you can screw
>the flex shaft on direct drive or screw it on the back and
>go to "Granny Gear". Since I bought it I don't set the wood
>on FIRE as much as I used to.
>
>
>Regards,
> John Jolley
> :+

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Where's the fun in that????

>>I've got one of the first Dremel tools with the Bakelite
>>case, I have to kinda kick start it to get it going. It's
>>got that nice burnt electrical smell about it.
>>
>>I bought a Foredom "Wood Carvers" model flex tool that has a
>>"Factory" transmission bolted on the back so you can screw
>>the flex shaft on direct drive or screw it on the back and
>>go to "Granny Gear". Since I bought it I don't set the wood
>>on FIRE as much as I used to.
>>
>>
>>Regards,
>> John Jolley
>>
>
>Ron B.
>F4Fguy
>
>Where's the fun in that????
>
>Ron B.

Well, I bleed more when it kicks back in "Granny Gear"...It just skips along the skin at a lower RPM gouging as it goes. Foredom quit making that model for some strange reason.

Another great verb: "Xactoing". (Look that up in your Funk and Wagnels).

FC

Here are the bits that I seem to use the most:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=33268&category=1,130,43409&ccurrency=1&SID=
Expensive, but they last a long time.
Pat MacKenzie

LAST EDITED ON Nov-16-04 AT 08:57 PM (CST)
 
www.leevalley.com
www.smallparts.com
www.micro-mark.com
www.microfasteners.com

Many would include:

www.harbourfreight.com
www.mcmaster.com
www.superiorbalsa.com
http://www.lonestar-models.com/

All are pretty nice to deal with. Each has some unique products.

Look at my post above. Why are some links in BLUE and some in PURPLE?

>Look at my post above. Why are some links in BLUE and some
>in PURPLE?

Because some you clicked on in the past and some you didn't. I haven't clicked on any and mine are all blue. Click on all of them and they will all go purple. (Now I could change the color and make it go yellow or red or some such if you prefer that.)

You mean that your most-used item ISN'T the cut-off wheel?

It does so many things that almost no other tool/accessory can do. That's why I bought my first Dremel. That one accessory has saved me the cost of the entire tool many times over.

I got my first Dremel by picking up a burned-out one for nothing and sending it in to Dremel to be repaired. Policy (in those days at least) was to replace any hulks like mine with a new one. Still using it 25 years later.

I do believe they still do it that way for a flat rate if it isnt a current model. Alot less $ than buying a full price new one.

In my youth I was guilty of shattering some of those wheels by trying to cut music wire with the Dremel in one hand and the wire in the other.
...Now I shatter them with the wire held by a vise.

I purchased a small set of diamond bits at "The Liquidator" store and I use them in my TWO dremels. Fantastic. Couldn't build a plane without Dremel.I sometimes wish the motor would turn the opposite way so the shavings went away from me instead of all over me.

Use your left hand.

The Dremel cut-off wheels are also very handy. But they sometimes shatter and fling pieces. I ALWAYS wear safety glasses and keep my ugly face away from the line of fire (just like I do when running engines).

I now epoxy two cut-off wheels together. This reduces the tendancy to shatter. Just about my only use of epoxy in my shop.

They now make a thicker cutoff wheel that is less prone to shattering.
I have three Dremel tools now, and have burned out two over the years. That's a good tip someone gave -- if you send your burned-out Dremel in for repair, they will either fix it or replace it for a cheap price.
--jt

>The Dremel cut-off wheels are also very handy. But they
>sometimes shatter and fling pieces. I ALWAYS wear safety
>glasses and keep my ugly face away from the line of fire
>(just like I do when running engines).
>
>I now epoxy two cut-off wheels together. This reduces the
>tendancy to shatter. Just about my only use of epoxy in my
>shop.
>
>Floyd

John Thompson

Floyd,

They also make some fabric based cutoff wheels that can break (though I've never broke one), but don't shatter. Last a very long time and come in various diameters from very small to about two inches.

Dremel tools can be re-wired to run with reverse rotation. Don't ask how I learned this. You won't get dust in your face, but your sanding drum and cutting disks will loosen on their arbors. The rotary burrs won't cut so well either. Life is full of compromises. . .
Derek Moran

I have on old 110 volt model, but recently, I bought a 2 speed rechargable model from Walmart for $19.95! While it isn't as powerful or fast as the 110 volt machine, it is so convenient, that it is the one I use most. Also, I just double up the cut off discs, which makes them much more durable.