What do I need a Dremel© tool for?

[555]

I was a wannbe wood carver and used my Dremel. I haven't carved in years but still find a use for the Dremel, mostly with the cutoff wheels. A friend of mine swears he uses his Dremel to trim his toe nails.

 

[MD11]

Or you could go with a higher quality European version and go with Proxxon

are they really made in Europe or just another Eurobranded made in China too? I mean 2/3's of bosch and even Hilti here in the US now is "Made in China"

 

[Andy Griffith]

The last three things I used the dremel for:

- Cutting a new slot in a fubared screw. (small cutting disc)

- Polishing the feed ramp on a pistol (cone shaped polishing buff w/ flitz polish)

- Roughing up the rivet heads and surrounding area on a 14' aluminum boat in preparation for application of sealer. (small wire brush, cone shaped) I tried using the 90 degree die grinder with various attachments for this job but it just tore the aluminum up too much.

I like the pencil attachment thingy when doing somewhat delicate jobs like polishing feed ramps or other gunsmithing type stuff. Much easier to control the pencil thingy rather than horsing around the whole dremel tool.

 

[ffemtdisp]

I was a wannbe wood carver and used my Dremel. I haven't carved in years but still find a use for the Dremel, mostly with the cutoff wheels. A friend of mine swears he uses his Dremel to trim his toe nails.

All kidding aside, I take my 86 y/o mom to the podiatrist, and he uses one to grind down her toenails......says the "medically approved" tools don't hold up.

 

[Monte]

are they really made in Europe or just another Eurobranded made in China too?

The majority of Proxxon power tools is made and assembled in Germany + Luxemburg

I mean 2/3's of bosch and even Hilti here in the US now is "Made in China"

The distance from germany to USA and the distance from China to the USA is about similar so it´s cheaper to bring the chinese tools to the US. You also have to remember that the power tools in europe cost 2 to 3 times more than identical tools in the USA so you might find more non imported tools here because of the higher price. If you only look at the cheap tools from Bosch etc. like 75 or 100 or 120 Dollar then its no wonder that they are imported because the employees in germany and switzerland don´t want to work for free even if the greedy consumers want them to do that.... The higher priced Bosch models are in most cases made in EU (like the tools with the metal gear case vs. the cheap ones without).

 

[RKA]

Rarely use it, but when I do I'm glad I have it. Used it a few months ago to change out a set of 15 yo washing machine hoses. Apparently one fitting had been leaking ever so slightly over the years causing a good bit of corrosion to build up. Water pump pliers wouldn't move it, didn't want to use heat inside that box and if possible, I wanted to salvage the shut off valves that were already there (didn't want to turn this into a project, just wanted new hoses so my house doesn't flood). Dremel to the rescue! Cut off wheels sliced through the hose fitting cleanly, allowing me to use a screwdriver to peel back the fitting and grab with pliers and pull it off. Used the dremel to clean up some of the rust in the threads on the shut off valves as best as I could, and screwed the new hose down.

A tip for those using the cut off wheels, dremel sells a regular one, which shatter way too easily, and a heavy duty one, which is almost twice the thickness and holds up much better. It'll still break if you're not careful, but i feel like the regular ones shatter if I look at them the wrong way. I only use the heavy duty ones now.

 

[malibu101]

WOW! How did I do without one of these for so long? The wide variety of uses that have been posted here is great info! Thank you all!
I'm still reading and still interested in what you've done with yours.

I noticed that all the bits I looked at say something like for wood, plastic and soft metal. Even the carbide bits say that. It's good to hear that they can do "hard" metal like the mention above of using a small bit to dig a broken EZout out of a broken bolt.
As well, since I am limited to air power in the garage for the wizzer and grinders I guess I will find more uses now that I can be portable.
This weekend I'm going to pick up some bits (man those little things are pricey) and keep the tool on the bench in front of my eyes and try to use it when I can.

A sincere thanks for all the great info!

 

[Doctor_Ink]

WOW! How did I do without one of these for so long? The wide variety of uses that have been posted here is great info! Thank you all!
I'm still reading and still interested in what you've done with yours.

I noticed that all the bits I looked at say something like for wood, plastic and soft metal. Even the carbide bits say that. It's good to hear that they can do "hard" metal like the mention above of using a small bit to dig a broken EZout out of a broken bolt.
As well, since I am limited to air power in the garage for the wizzer and grinders I guess I will find more uses now that I can be portable.
This weekend I'm going to pick up some bits (man those little things are pricey) and keep the tool on the bench in front of my eyes and try to use it when I can.

A sincere thanks for all the great info!

Get the bits off the internet, less spendy

 

[vga]

Mine has saved me a few times. The last time was when I was removing the down pipe off of the turbocharger of my Por 951. I had to cut the last bolt off to get this section of exhaust off the car. that was 2 yrs ago and without it I still be out there fiddling around with the stupid thing.

 

[Sick Puppy]

The Proxxon ones (sorry for going on about them!) are apparently very good...

Ooh, and has anyone mentioned plastic welding? That is, grinding the edges of the crack in the plastic to an angle, to enable it to be repaired?

 

[bgott]

Let's see, an electric tool, all sorts of bits and pieces in the box to play with, lots of added accessories to buy and play with, you had to ask?

I inherited my grandmother's old Craftsman that she got in the early '70's. I'm waiting for it to die so I can go buy a fancy kit with all the toys, so far no luck. I only use it once a month or so, when I need it I *really* need it! I use the cut-off wheels the most, they work great for cutting a screwdriver slot in the head of rounded off and generally screwed up fasteners.

 

[MD11]

The Proxxon ones (sorry for going on about them!) are apparently very good...

Ooh, and has anyone mentioned plastic welding? That is, grinding the edges of the crack in the plastic to an angle, to enable it to be repaired?

I checked and it seems they're all made in China too... likely in the same factory as the Dremel and others.. I don't see the need to buy them if they're built to the same level of workmanship only to pay more for the name.

 

[Monte]

The Proxxon ones (sorry for going on about them!) are apparently very good...

www.proxxonworld.com.au

I checked and it seems they're all made in China too... likely in the same factory as the Dremel and others.. I don't see the need to buy them if they're built to the same level of workmanship only to pay more for the name.

there are still Böhler minitools available - Made in Germany

http://www.wtn-shop.de/Maschinen/Boehler-MiniTool/

btw. The Dremel die grinder tools i saw here are from Mexico

 

[demographic]

Got one, no idea why cos I never use the ****** thing.
Got it on my Chocolate fire guard, Motorbike Ashtray, and Inflatable Dartboard shelf

 

[malibu101]

Let's see, an electric tool, all sorts of bits and pieces in the box to play with, lots of added accessories to buy and play with, you had to ask?.
.............

Not being a smart@***, just saying.
I got just a new rotary tool only, with no bits in the box. I need to purchase a selection of bits so the tool can be used/useful.
I really only had few ideas of what I might want to use this tool for and what bits I might need purchase that would be useful for my needs.

This thread has made me realize what I've been missing by not having one.
As well, this thread has given me alot of ideas for what bits to purchase first as they are a bit pricey to just go out and buy 20 bits to play around with.

 

[Doctor_Ink]

Not being a smart@***, just saying.
I got just a new rotary tool only, with no bits in the box. I need to purchase a selection of bits so the tool can be used/useful.
I really only had few ideas of what I might want to use this tool for and what bits I might need purchase that would be useful for my needs.

This thread has made me realize what I've been missing by not having one.
As well, this thread has given me alot of ideas for what bits to purchase first as they are a bit pricey to just go out and buy 20 bits to play around with.

another idea is that they sell them as a package deal. You can get the Dremel and the bits together for a lower price. That's how mine was.

 

[Outlawmws]

SNIP

This thread has made me realize what I've been missing by not having one.
As well, this thread has given me alot of ideas for what bits to purchase first as they are a bit pricey to just go out and buy 20 bits to play around with.

another idea is that they sell them as a package deal. You can get the Dremel and the bits together for a lower price. That's how mine was.

If I understand correctly he already has the tool. I believe however you can get sets of the bits for less than the cost of buying them individually. the key question being is it worth it if you don't expect to need at least most of them...

Do some shopping around once you have a good Idea of what you want in bits.

 

[Matt018]

I have a Dremel 300, I bought all the bits, and a right angle attachment. That futher mucker *****, It overheats with the right angle attachment, The attachments are expensive and burn up to dust in no time. The only reason i bought it is because i didnt have an air compressor at the time, I have a right angle die grinder now, and plan on picking up a straight one soon. IMO the Dremels are worthless toys for any real work, I guess they are fine to the hobby clientele.

 

[Monte]

a while ago i cut these small pins off the roof of my car which holds the chrome trim of the vinyl roof, the "Dremel" was the right tool for the job.

 

[Scorpion40]

A Dremel tool is almost irreplaceable if you do any amount of home gunsmithing. I find myself using it almost every time I work on a gun. The cutting wheels and various cutters are used the most often.

 

[csargents1546]

Use it to mount switches in dash, also to cut off rusted hose clamps in inaccessable areas where you can not get a pair of pliers in to.

 

[frednoah]

I have one that hardly ever gets used, but it has saved *** a few times as well.

I broke a bolt changing the water pump on my old Buick. It broke flush with the block, and I didn't have enough room for a drill. Used the Dremel to drill a hole for the ez-out.

When it broke off in the bolt, I swapped out to a carbide burr and carefully removed material until the leftover piece of the bolt was easily removed.

No way that job escapes the shop without my Dremel.

 

[Tim Kennedy]

I've got a Milwaukee cordless & use mine alot. I use small brass & stainless wire wheels to clean electrical contacts at connections & spade terminals on components of all kinds -- works pretty slick -- use as low a speed as possible & be careful.

 

[malibu101]

I've got a Milwaukee cordless & use mine alot.
................

The M12? That's what I got.

I am liking the M12 line. So far I have this rotary tool, the muti-tool cutting tool, 1/4" impact driver, Hackzall, and right angle drill/driver.
A supply house I regularly deal with a work has just become a Milwaukee distributor and they are having great deals on Milwaukee tools to announce their presence.
These M12 tools are supplementing my Milwaukee 18V stuff.

 

[bgott]

http://www.harborfreight.com/249-piece-rotary-tool-accessory-set-93243.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/50-piece-diamond-mounted-point-set-36252.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-piece-1-8-eighth-inch-shank-diamond-point-set-40547.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/188-piece-rotary-tool-accessory-kit-96828.html

Since you don't know exactly what bits you are going to need, buy some cheap ones and if the ones you need turn out to be **** you can upgrade. I don't trust HF's abrasives like sandpaper and grinding wheels, the stuff I've used has been junk, these bits probably have came from somewhere else and might be pretty good.

 

[MD11]

www.proxxonworld.com.au



there are still Böhler minitools available - Made in Germany

http://www.wtn-shop.de/Maschinen/Boehler-MiniTool/

btw. The Dremel die grinder tools i saw here are from Mexico

got any links to place to buy these in the US? Tried everything, including Amazon... no luck.

 

[GRX]

I have a couple brands of "Dremel" type tools and they rarely get used except for jobs where space is tight and little power is needed. Pneumatic die grinders are always my 1st choice. And I am big fan of the Foredom flex shafts for bench work. It's what the Pros use. Plenty of power, foot pedal speed control is very nice. A friend is a Foredom dealer so I get great pricing.

http://www.foredom.net/heavydutymodels-115v-2.aspx

 

[MD11]

I have a couple brands of "Dremel" type tools and they rarely get used except for jobs where space is tight and little power is needed. Pneumatic die grinders are always my 1st choice. And I am big fan of the Foredom flex shafts for bench work. It's what the Pros use. Plenty of power, foot pedal speed control is very nice. A friend is a Foredom dealer so I get great pricing.

http://www.foredom.net/heavydutymodels-115v-2.aspx

now that looks like high grade stuff!

 

[DocsMachine]

These are just the bits I keep out for easy access.

I have two Dremels hanging from the pegboard on my main workbench, and two or three others that I've worn completely out in a drawer somewhere.

Recent uses? Broken head bolt in an Olds V8. Used the cut-off wheel to grind a slot in the top of the stub, turned it out with a screwdriver. Used the fine sanding drums to slightly relieve the top of a Ruger #1 breech block, so it could pass a larger-bodied cartridge. Slotting stripped allen-head screws so they can be removed with a flat screwdriver. Used the wire brush wheel to clean the contacts in an old GM headlight switch. Notched some headlight buckets to take some aftermarket driving lights. Shortened machine screws with the cut-off, then deburred the cut end with a stone.

I use the long pink chainsaw bits to grind the flutes of taps to resharpen them. I've reground broken drill bits into custom-shape endmills. Once, I ground cutting teeth into the head of a 10-32 countersunk screw, to use it AS a countersink. I've used the various stones to sharpen actual countersinks, endmills, drill bits, saw blades and boring bars.

I've used a diamond wheel meant for cutting tile to sharpen carbide lathe inserts, carbide masonry bits, and carbide saw teeth.

I've used the polishing pads for all sorts of small parts, and especially plastic turn signal lenses, which have recesses a typical large buffing wheel can't reach.

I've ground off pop-rivet heads (it's typically faster than drilling them) cut down springs, shortened drill bits, reground spindle tapers, cleaned off cracks in old brass radiators in preparation for soldering, sharpen engraving bits, reamers, chasers...

I've used one to help make a rotary broach, fix my spoolgun, modify a 5C collet, refurbish a surface gage, rebuild a carburetor, make a control box for my lathe...

It's not the end-all-be-all of tools, but it's extremely handy, and often as not, outright indispensible.

Doc.

 

[Trucky]

Oh my. Doc! I only knew you from looking at pictures of some wicked autocockers a few years back. Not very surprising that you'd be somewhere like here though.

I can vaguely remember... I think you made tips for the Freak barrel series. That was one of the parts that I wanted most. Hah. It was just for a junk right feed pump, but hey, it was cool then. I know this is rather OT, I apologize.

But yeah, what ^this guy said. Buy yourself a Dremel folks!

 

[Sick Puppy]

www.proxxonworld.com.au

I know, the guy there has very nicely sent me a catalogue. Ironic, considering I'm coming to the UK shortly! lol

MD11, I really hope you are wrong.... [goes off to check, crossing fingers]

 

[Monte]

got any links to place to buy these in the US? Tried everything, including Amazon... no luck.

i just found out that the Böhler (now "Kaleas") tools are sold as "Microlux" tools in the US and other countries.

some links:
http://turtlefeathers.net/text/power-tools/jigsaws.html

http://www.micromark.com/SearchResult.aspx?deptIdFilter=0&searchPhrase=microlux

http://www.gourdsupplies.com/Power-Tools.htm


By searching the web for "Microlux" it seems that these tools as well as Proxxon tools are very common in the US among DIY users and semi-pro´s for wood working, gourd craft, jewellry making, gold smith, aircraft models, ship and car model building and many other crafts i never heard of (like gourd craft)

MD11, I really hope you are wrong.... [goes off to check, crossing fingers]

he is ...i will provide the photographic proof next week

 

[Crusty Nut]

....for example....:

the thread of a "Roloc" fibre disc broke off in the backing pad and was stuck there....:



...so i took the Dremel© tool (in this case a Dremel© tool from Proxxon© ) and a mini burr...:



...and "milled" out the plastic thread as far as i could. The rest could be removed with a x-acto© knife. So thanks to the Proxxon© Dremel© the backing pad could be saved.

Hey Monte, everytime I end up like that, I just take a small junk screwdriver, heat the tip with a propane torch, insert hot tip into the soft plastic and untwist from the roloc arbor. Quick and easy.

I got a dremel as a gift maybe 8 years ago. I've used it half dozen times, just because I had it. So far, it's nothing I couldn't live without.

 

[MattT]

I believe however you can get sets of the bits for less than the cost of buying them individually. the key question being is it worth it if you don't expect to need at least most of them...

The kits are so much cheaper than buying piecemeal that it's worth getting one just to get a wide selection of bits. Better to get a wide selection of stuff you might use cheap and experiment to see what works and what doesn't. A kit will also get you a storage solution for your bits.

What I did with my kit was add some higher quality stuff from McMaster that I knew I needed. Carbide burrs, reinforced cut-off wheels, felt bobs and sanding sleeves. Aside from being higher quality McMaster is also cheaper than the Dremel stuff IIRC.

 

[peteyvw]

Dremel tool with cut off wheel - got me into tight areas on my jeep CJ-7 to cutt off the exhaust manifold nuts where pneumatic cut of wheel would never be able to fit.

Now if you have the optional flexible 36" lead - dental work on the CHEAP is very possible. Ask my buddy with a cracked molar who couldn't wait for the dentist on a 3 day weekend. Diamond bit (great source for bits: Habor Fright(SIC) @ 28,000 RPM & some water as a lubricant - did such a good job on that rough edge that the dentist even asked who had previously worked on the tooth.

 

[Monte]

Hey Monte, everytime I end up like that, I just take a small junk screwdriver, heat the tip with a propane torch, insert hot tip into the soft plastic and untwist from the roloc arbor. Quick and easy.

hm good idea....Next time i try this.... thanks, now i can get rid of my Dremel

 

[Trucky]

hm good idea....Next time i try this.... thanks, now i can get rid of my Dremel

Oooh ohhh, pick me pick me! I miss my 400 XPR so much. Bleh.

 

[dodge610]

I use my dremel for all kinds of things all the things mentioned above and got mine for a great price FREE. It was the biggest dremel kit they sold with a case dumped a customers trash can it was in the can unopened still had the clear plastic wrap on the outside of the case. Could not pull that bad boy out of the truck fast enough and put it in the cab with me what a score.

 

[Geurt]

I've got a Proxxon 'Dremmel' unit. Helps me get into thight space with the cut-off wheel. My favourite use is restoring old (Volkswagen) steering wheels. With a round tip router I clean up the cracks and fill them up with epoxy putty.

 

[Monte]

Oooh ohhh, pick me pick me! I miss my 400 XPR so much. Bleh.

sorry 230 volt...