Dremel - which one to get

bertn said:
Whatever you buy, Don't buy a mastercraft (mastercrap..)
CT one. My first and last m-crap tool..
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+1 - I had one and it wouldn't hold speed, even just running in my hand. No power when it touched any work surface. New dremel works as well as my dad's - just chews right in.
 
VancouverS4 said:
As I get more comfortable with this hobby I would like to get into some polishing, under cutting etc.

A Dremel (or Dremel like) tool seems to be a great piece to have. Which model does everyone recommend and which accessories.

Thanks in advance.
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Listen to BCRiders post - take all his advice. Listen to every post that said you need a flex shaft, you NEED the flex shaft.

I picked one up with shaft, corded on sale for like $100 ... so sit tight and wait for a sale.

That being said.. I'm in the same opinion as everyone else here, love it but very rarely use it. I would say in over a year it has less than 3 hours total running time.

- I only use it for gross material removal when no other tool will do
- the only polishing I do with it are with cotton wheels for hard to get at places.

Also your speeds and feeds absolutely apply to dremels as well ;)
 
BCRider said:
A rotary tool like a Dremel or clone can be a really handy thing. But in the hands of those that buy into that advert they used to have that a Dremel is the tool to replace them all it can become the source of mayhem and destruction in less time than it takes to say "...oops...."
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Amen to all of that! The recommendation for small slip stones and a good file is dead on. I have a set of Spyderco ceramic files which are excellent for controlled polishing. And a #2 pillar file from Brownell's. Also useful for some things is 1200 & 2000 grit W&D paper and a suitably flat backing like a small piece of steel or aluminum flatbar, or in some cases, spray-gluing it to a piece of 3/8" glass plate and drawing the workpiece over it.
 
josquin said:
Amen to all of that! The recommendation for small slip stones and a good file is dead on. I have a set of Spyderco ceramic files which are excellent for controlled polishing. And a #2 pillar file from Brownell's. Also useful for some things is 1200 & 2000 grit W&D paper and a suitably flat backing like a small piece of steel or aluminum flatbar, or in some cases, spray-gluing it to a piece of 3/8" glass plate and drawing the workpiece over it.
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you can also get stuff like this:

https://www.borideabrasives.com/PublicStore/product/All-Purpose-Gunsmithing-Kit,207,424.aspx

they carry quite an array of different types of abrasives ... :)
 
when learning to use a handpiece the easiest way is to use the fist grip, not the pencil grip. an overhand firm grip with your thumb on the piece you are working on will give you control. variable speed foot control is ideal. as with any power tool, if you screw up, you will do it quicker and to a greater degree. hand tools still have their place. please don't buba a firearm, we want everyone to be safe. firearms last generations.
 
The last few dremel and knock-offs I bought in a local pawn shop for about $.10 on the dollar. Often with lots of accessories. China is the best place for accessories pricewise. Ebay is your friend. lolol
 
When I was carving 'orthopaedic' target grips for precision target shooting I had three Foredom and two 262 Dremel tools in use. The Dremels would break or twist drive springs regularly, the Foredoms never. Only the Foredoms have quick interchange handpieces,the chucking systems are also superior. And for those who don't like the carbide burrs, realize that you have to run them a higher speeds and with a lighter touch. Trying to hog out material is not the best technique.

j
 
BCRider said:
A rotary tool like a Dremel or clone can be a really handy thing. But in the hands of those that buy into that advert they used to have that a Dremel is the tool to replace them all it can become the source of mayhem and destruction in less time than it takes to say "...oops....". For something like "polishing" in particular. It can save a lot of hand work but at the same time it can turn clean sharp lines into dull wavy lines in the blink of an eye. It can also turn nice flat or cylindrical surfaces into oddities that reflect light like a "house of mirrors" distorted bendy mirror. And when applied to action work?.... well, it is often not the proper tool and that sort of "polishing" is better done with jigs and proper slip stones to enable the proper sort of control for such work. I'll bet many a trigger has been made unsafe through the use of a Dremel.

In short go easy with them. They are great for some things. But not as many as you may think. Good hand tools like small slip stones and good files for working metal are far better for doing many things with proper control. You'll need BOTH sides of the power vs hand tools to do the jobs correctly.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my Dremel. But I also respect the ease with which it can ruin a part. When I do use it I do so with care and sensitivity. And generally only when I don't have a hand tool that can do that job. I suspect that maybe 5% of my gun tinkering uses the Dremel or clone. But it would be much harder to perform that 5% if I didn't have just that sort of tool.

Because I don't use my rotary tool a lot and when I do I want the handpiece to be quite easy to use I prefer a corded model of these tools. I also plug it into a foot operated speed control. I'm too busy at the tool itself supporting it from running away to run the speed control at the same time. By moving the speed function to my foot I can also alter the speed while working the tool. For my money a foot control is the only way to go.

If you're going to mostly to stock work I'd go for more of a Foredom style. Either the proper Foredom or a clone. The lower speed and greater torque will work well at wood working applications and wood working size cutters.
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You put it in perspective well, there's a fair bit of practice involved in becoming proficient with the tool. Also the quality of the stones and cutters is very important. The cheap stones wear out faster than the material you are trying to remove or polish, and they blow apart easily as well. Good quality stones last longer and do a much nicer job.
When I'm doing work on triggers, and bolts, I still use files and emery paper, its a lot more forgiving.
 
If you have an air compressor, these are great; we use them at work for tool and die stuff:
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silverfoxdj said:
Do you need a minimum air flow to use it? I see 90 PSI on the handle is that the minimum
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Yes. These things are air hogs. Not usually going to run one for any length of time on a little indoor shop type air compressor.

But, couple one to a decent air source, and stock up on small carbide burrs, and you have a tool that can do things nothing else will.

I used to ask the Dentist for any old burrs that were no longer used, or mixed together. They were a godsend for carving out broken of pieces of screws or broken taps.

Dremel tools are a hobby tool. If you are expecting to use a tool for work, buy a work tool.
 
90 psi is the pressure, that is what most stuff runs at. don't mean anything.
What you have to find is the flow ;cfm I have had air sanders, saws and those take about 20cfm
I was using a industrial 5 HP dual stage compressor that was rated at something like that @175 lbs.
A small die grinder would work on a smaller compressor, just have to start , stop more .
If you can pick your compressor up with one hand, forget that. If it has a couple wheels, should be fine.
When I had the shop, everything was air operated, other than the tables saw and the drill press.
 
marshall said:
90 psi is the pressure, that is what most stuff runs at. don't mean anything.
What you have to find is the flow ;cfm I have had air sanders, saws and those take about 20cfm
I was using a industrial 5 HP dual stage compressor that was rated at something like that @175 lbs.
A small die grinder would work on a smaller compressor, just have to start , stop more .
If you can pick your compressor up with one hand, forget that. If it has a couple wheels, should be fine.
When I had the shop, everything was air operated, other than the tables saw and the drill press.
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Nope, but at 54 thousand rip-ems, those pencil grinders are great if the air supply can keep them going. Spending more time waiting than working, really sucks arse. Checking the CFM requirements on any air tool you might want, and then pretty much realize they are a lot like the horsepower ratings on shop vacs and so on, in that they are often WILDLY out of line with reality, never in your actual favor.

Dental tools use less air, but are harder to tool up for unless you can scrounge the stuff up (as in, not paying full retail for the cutters).

The only times I found the high speed pencil units worth having around, was for either of the two situations I mentioned earlier, small broken screws or small broken taps. The rest of the time, there were better tools available.

For most hobby guys a Dremel is going to be fine, if you need heavier, continued cutting to move material, a Foredom and a couple different hand pieces will keep you running a lot better as a general purpose tool, by a long shot, over the pencil unit, for sure.

Loved all the air tools when working, but we had a screw compressor and guys to call if the air quit. Not really the affordable option for most. I still have some air tools, but only the ones that are easy enough to run on an affordable air system, my drills and air rivet gun.
 
silverfoxdj said:
Do you need a minimum air flow to use it? I see 90 PSI on the handle is that the minimum
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A small pancake type compressor would be fine. 90 PSI is max, flow is small; the air line on the tool itself is 1/8" ID. These are cheap but work really well (princess auto); we also have a bunch of Japanese ones that sell here for 3-400 dollars. They have a lot more torque, but if you don't know what you are doing, that extra torque can dig you into one very big hole. LOL. The silver coloured knurled section on the tool gives you infinite speed control as well... and they weigh next to nothing.
 
marshall said:
90 psi is the pressure, that is what most stuff runs at. don't mean anything.
What you have to find is the flow ;cfm I have had air sanders, saws and those take about 20cfm
I was using a industrial 5 HP dual stage compressor that was rated at something like that @175 lbs.
A small die grinder would work on a smaller compressor, just have to start , stop more .
If you can pick your compressor up with one hand, forget that. If it has a couple wheels, should be fine.
When I had the shop, everything was air operated, other than the tables saw and the drill press.
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I work in a big plant; we have three variable speed 200HP compressors (I'm not kidding) The main air line coming from the 4' X 10' tank is 4" sched 40 Pipe. and runs for over 200'. I do run my little grinder on a tiny pancake compressor at home, and for my gunsmithing needs it is just fine. Industry is one thing; hobby is another.
 
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