Which Dremel?

i bought the b&q one (mains powered) for £30 about 2 years ago. comes with loads of bits but more useful is the vertical stand and flexi extension job.

i barely ever use the tool without either.

first one lasted about a week but the second hasn't missed a beat.
 
rider":1q8u7o6i said:
dyna-ti":1q8u7o6i said:
rider":1q8u7o6i said:
incorrigible":1q8u7o6i said:
Be sure to get the 3-foot-long Flex Shaft extension as well. That way, you can choose to hold it either like a pencil or a like handlebar grip, depending on the level of control you want. To me, gripping the Dremel by itself without the extension is like holding a baseball; not nearly as much control as when the extension is used.

I was doing some cutting recently. I used it without flex-shaft and could not get used to it. I am simply used to use Dremel with flex-shaft.
As for bits I also done mistake of buying some cheap stuff.
As excercise in changing bits it was good,otherwise not.Grinding wheels disintegrating,grit not holding on sanding wheels etc.

How is the handset for vibration? i was thinking of getting one as the main unit does cause a bit of numbness in the fingertips if youre using it for extended periods

I used flex-shaft before for prolonged periods of time (say 10 hours) and if I take care not to bend it too much (you do notice when it is bend too much it starts to make funny noises and vibrations too) then it was all fine. Not so much me! Dremel could go all night long, but me not so flawlessly... :oops:
If the flex shaft is bent too much while being used, it begins to slip when you press the spinning attachment (cutter wheel, cutter bit, grinder bit, whatever) in to the piece that you're working on. Solution is to minimize any bends in the flex shaft while you're working. You can hang the Dremel from above, or lay it out on a table. If you repeatedly neglect to straighten it out while you're working, the slipping gets worse each time until eventually the shaft will wear out, and then even light pressure on the workpiece will prevent the shaft from spinning, and whatever bit you are using will be motionless against the workpiece, no matter what the motor's RPMs are. In 20 years I've been thru about 3 Dremels and about 4 or 5 flex shafts, and threw them away when they became useless, but it was only when I called Dremel because I was about to throw another one out (that I had only owned for a short while) that I was informed that the tool has a lifetime warranty and they would repair it for simply the cost of postage. Same for the flex shafts, and IIRC they would just ship you a replacement cable for the shaft that would solve the slippage problem. I told the nice lady on the phone that I had been a huge fan of Dremel for about 20 years, and that it was a fantastic product, and I said I'd even wear a Dremel T-shirt and baseball cap if they sold them. She said they didn't sell T-shirts, but that she could give me one for free. I have it in storage somewhere, so I'll have to go find it.

One minor drawback of the Dremel IMHO is that there is no ON//OFF switch on the pencil grip of the flex shaft.

One thing you definitely want to be sure of is to wear goggles or safety glasses while using the cutter wheels. If you change the orientation of the cutter wheels even the slightest amount while you're working, they break and the centripetal force makes them fly apart at tremendous speed. I've not found a use for the little red ceramic cutter wheels, as they tend to break apart if you simply look at them askance, but the larger fiberglass cutter wheels are one of the best things about the Dremel. The fiberglass wheels can break also, but not as easily as the ceramic ones. In addition to wearing eye protection (and it may be obvious or even common sense to some people), make sure that you're not in the plane of the spinning tool so that if a wheel does break apart, the shrapnel doesn't hit you directly (although it sure can ricochet in any direction at that speed, so be sure to wear eye protection anyway).
 
I have Black and Decker dremel clone - don't know off hand the model - had it for well over 10 years and going strong despite some abuse - worst time it had was when I was reshaping ports on rover V8 heads - it got so hot I could not hold it yet it still soldiered on after letting it cool down.

very useful bit of kit - fit a cutting disc and you can trim brake and gear cable outers without any crushing or damage to them. also useful for removing olives from brake hoses - make a cut boths side of the olive then insert screwdriver to split the olive. ... and fianally useful for making slots in rounded off posidrive or hex bolts so a flat bladed screw driver can be used. ooooh, so many many uses. ;)
 
02gf74":3i7h664o said:
... and fianally useful for making slots in rounded off posidrive or hex bolts so a flat bladed screw driver can be used.
I am toying with the idea of getting a 3000 model too, with the reason above being one application it will be used for straight away. I also like the idea of being able to make small items such as little boxes and stuff as a hobby for when it is teeming with rain and bike riding isnt really an option.

So, with these tools, what do you guys actually make with them? I know polishing cranks and such is something that can be done, but what other applications do you use them for? Please help me justify buying one, apparently "because I want to cut metal and make sparks!" isnt a suitable reason...
 
Whatleymeister":2kh5p449 said:
02gf74":2kh5p449 said:
... and fianally useful for making slots in rounded off posidrive or hex bolts so a flat bladed screw driver can be used.
I am toying with the idea of getting a 3000 model too, with the reason above being one application it will be used for straight away. I also like the idea of being able to make small items such as little boxes and stuff as a hobby for when it is teeming with rain and bike riding isnt really an option.

So, with these tools, what do you guys actually make with them? I know polishing cranks and such is something that can be done, but what other applications do you use them for? Please help me justify buying one, apparently "because I want to cut metal and make sparks!" isnt a suitable reason...
Hobbies are a good reason. Buy a bunch of diecast car models, some paint stripper, a heaping supply of metal epoxy, some aluminum scrap, some metal files, sandpaper, superglue, and a Dremel. Disassemble the diecast cars and strip the paint, and then use your Dremel cutter wheel to cut them up and also to crosshatch anywhere you want epoxy to stick, jam the parts together in whatever fashion pleases you, epoxy them together, and then file and sand until you get the shape you want. It also helps if you have a plan before you start. Oh yeah, if you hold the cutter wheel against the diecast metal for too long, it begins to melt, but you can prevent that from happening by periodically cooling off the diecast part with water or even a wet rag. For really small diecast parts, hold them with pliers so you don't burn your hand as the part heats up, and then occasionally dunk the part in cold water to cool it back down.

When the dust settles, and if you have the luxury of time, put a cool paint job on it, otherwise just primer it like I did and it will still get noticed.
 

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Thats pretty sweet buddy! Liking the Swoop a lot :cool:

keep the suggestions coming folks, good to see some of us have other hobbies than here!! ;)
 
Whatleymeister":8am07p0l said:
Thats pretty sweet buddy! Liking the Swoop a lot :cool:

keep the suggestions coming folks, good to see some of us have other hobbies than here!! ;)
Thanks Whatleymeister. Auto design/customization is my only other hobby besides MTBs, so I guess that makes me pretty much a 2-dimensional guy. :oops:

Wait, does beer count as a hobby? :LOL:

I guarantee you won't regret buying a Dremel with the flex shaft. Once you get one, you'll find possibilities and projects you didn't even know existed beforehand. The Dremel's versatility lies in the myriad assortment of bits available for it (cutters, grinders, polishers, sanding discs, etc.). I just used mine a few days ago to grind a couple of holes into a stuck seatpost so I could insert a jack handle for torque. I'll bet that job would have been damn near impossible if I had tried to do it with a conventional handheld drill.

I'm sure I could have also done the job with a drill press and a vice to secure the frame if they were both mounted to a workbench, but the Dremel (IMHO) is so much easier and faster to pick up and use compared to the process of positioning a bicycle frame underneath a drill press.
 
Beer totally counts for a hobby! Bud light doesnt though, kill it with fire!

I am not much cop at designing stuff, but I am happy to take a couple of rusters and have a bodge! Trouble with that sort of project is, while I like building stuff, I dont like having ornaments as they get dusty and I cant be bothered to clean them! (Lazy I know, but I like a minimalist approach to a home).

I have a vee brake arm with a stuck bolt that I will cut out, I also have an old vintage AA badge which I will use the polishing tool on to get it all shiny again before I shift it on the bay. I am sure that it will become one of those things though that will be like 'oh, I know, the Dremel will have an attachment for that!'. I do want to get the pillar drill attachment and vice for it though, should help with keeping things in place.

I quite fancy having a pop at some small/scrapwood projects, like little boxes etc, something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OCGc2Zk10

(waits patiently for Warpedboy2/Marcus to come up with some ideas on the woodwork front... :cool:)

Incidentally, I am not trying to hijack this thread, the OP has already said he is wanding round the house looking for things to do, this might give him some ideas before random objects are ground, cut and polished!

EDIT: the one I have ordered comes with the flex shaft. This looks fun too - http://www.instructables.com/id/Terra-C ... tio-Light/
 

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