Dremel rotary tool?

[Mark m]

I have owned and used a Dremel rotary tool for small projects.

 

I started building wooden model ships a few months ago, and was expecting to have to use the Dremel.  So far, I haven’t found a use for it.

 

In these forums, I’ve only seen it used as a substitute for a lathe.

 

I am tempted to use it to cut rabbets, but am concerned it might move too fast on thin wood.

 

What else are people using one for?

[Peanut6]

I use the paper sanding disc at the lowest speed to taper my hull planks.  I can taper a plank rather quickly with 100% control without using any jigs, risk splitting the plank, having a straight edge slip/creap off line, or even worse is cutting myself.  I'm making a small chest to go inside my little Jolly Boat.  I cut the side slats a bit long intentionally knowing I could use the paper sanding disc to get them closer to finished length when assembled, where I then manually sanded them down.  I used a sanding drum to create a jig for bending a strip of brass to the desired radius.  I used a small ball end carving bit to hog-out the cleats I made because sanding discs, sanding drums or needle files couldn't fit into the tiny space.  I can't drill a perpendicular hole to save my life.  The micro bits used in our hobby are too small to use in a Dremel even at it's lowest speed.  So I set up my Dremel in my Dremel work station.  I'm able to manually turn the chuck of the Dremel tool and use to depth lever of the Dremel work station to drill perpendicular holes into pieces clamped in place.  That's what comes to mind at the moment.  I always keep the Dremel in the back of my mind, can't always use it but when I can I'm glad I have it.    

[glbarlow]

A small plane or chisels would be better for the rabbet, you’d stand a good chance of over doing it with a Dremel. I rarely find a use for mine. I have a slower speed Proxxon rotary tool thats easier to manage. 

[Mark m]

3 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

A small plane or chisels would be better for the rabbet, you’d stand a good chance of over doing it with a Dremel. I rarely find a use for mine. I have a slower speed Proxxon rotary tool thats easier to manage. 

What do you use the Proxxon for?

[glbarlow]

I last used it to fair the inside of my Winchelsea, I show that in my log linked below

[Roger Pellett]

I have been building ship models for over 50 years.  In the early 1970’s I received a Sears Lil’ Crafty rotary tool as a Christmas Present.  I still have it. IMHO, these rotary tools are too aggressive for quality ship model work.  They can very quickly ruin work.  I mostly use it with an abrasive cut off disc on metal parts.

 

A while ago I bought a Proxxon rotary engraving tool.  It runs from a separate 12v power supply.  It is small enough to be held between the thumb and forefinger like a pencil.  This tool is much more useful than the full sized rotary tool.  It is particularly good for cleaning excess glue and solder from hard to reach joints.

 

Roger 

 

 

[Peanut6]

I agree that the Dremel can be pretty aggressive, even at the lowest speed.  That is why I'm very selective when and where I use it.  And I'll be the first to say it isn't a "necessary tool" for building.  There is nothing the Dremel can do that hand tools can't (except in my case for drilling a perpendicular hole ), it's just a bit faster.  The setup I have was a present from my wife years before I started this hobby.  I've just found occasions where it has been very helpful.

[jlefever]

The Proxxon tool sounds interesting, but I have used a Dremel for years.

 

I use it for drilling wood, plastic, brass and white metal and generally find the mid-range speeds handle the finest high-speed bits wonderfully. I had used the traditional pin vise but with my too heavy hand was constantly breaking bits, with the Dremel, I can work quicker and almost never break a bit.

 

I also use it with a cut off wheel or drum sander to shape metal and occasionally with a dental style burr for wood carving (although it's not as capable as I'd like).

 

I suspect hand-held it wouldn't work well for something like a rabbit.

 

Jim

 

Anchors shaped from 1/16" brass with various Dremel tools.

[Jaager]

For a kit, a rotary tool is probably mostly a tool looking for a job.

A pin vise can probably cut any needed holes.

For scratch POF, and especially if the now out of favor trunnels for hull planking is your want, a rotary tool is a necessity. 

But more is the pity for those just starting - the best for this - the smaller size cordless models - are no longer for sale- i.e 8050 or MiniMite.

[Jack12477]

7 minutes ago, Jaager said:

But more is the pity for those just starting - the best for this - the smaller size cordless models - are no longer for sale- i.e 8050 or MiniMite.

WeCheer makes a very good cordless rechargeable mini which is compatible with the Dremel bits.  Got mine thru Woodcraft.   

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

8 hours ago, Mark m said:

What else are people using one for?

A rotary tool by itself is useless. It is the diversity of the bits that you use that makes it very useful.

On the second photo are the most commons ones, that I use almost every day for wood and metal.

[mtaylor]

12 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

WeCheer makes a very good cordless rechargeable mini which is compatible with the Dremel bits.  Got mine thru Woodcraft.   

I have one of their corded types and it's now my goto rotary tool.   Light multiple speeds, but it does have low torque.

 

For bits, I have pile like what Gaeton shows (bottom photo) and also a large selection of dental burrs that I found on Fleabay.  The burrs are perfect for carving work.

[Jack12477]

12 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

I have one of their corded types and it's now my goto rotary tool

I have that one also and use it interchangeably with the cordless version.

[Oldsalt1950]

The Dremmel comes in handy for shaping filler blocks. It is not intended for doing delicate work.

[mtdoramike]

9 hours ago, Mark m said:

I have owned and used a Dremel rotary tool for small projects.

 

I started building wooden model ships a few months ago, and was expecting to have to use the Dremel.  So far, I haven’t found a use for it.

 

In these forums, I’ve only seen it used as a substitute for a lathe.

 

I am tempted to use it to cut rabbets, but am concerned it might move too fast on thin wood.

 

What else are people using one for?

My Dremel(s) are the most used tools on my work bench. I have built probably 150 models over a 25 year period and it's my go to tool. 

[Bob Cleek]

I've owned several Dremel mototools and their equivalents over the decades and have always found them a very handy tool to have around. That said, for modeling purposes, as Roger noted above, it is not a tool for delicate work. It's major drawback in this respect is that it relies upon speed, rather than torque, to get the job done and the lower their speed, the lower their torque. High speed tools are difficult to control. In my experience, anybody who stays with miniature work for any length of time ends up acquiring a Foredom flex-shaft rotary tool or a bench-top belt-driven laboratory dental engine after being at it a while. These foot pedal controlled alternatives have much more torque, even at low speeds. As always, "the good stuff' costs more, but you get what you pay for and you only have to buy a good tool once in a lifetime (unless you make the mistake of loaning your tools!) Fortunately for modelers, the dental laboratory industry has been transitioning to "micro-motor" and air turbine-driven handpieces in recent years, so there are good condition used Foredom flex-shafts and dental lab engines to be had on the used market these days at a fraction of their original cost.

 

This YouTube video is very informative:  

 

Edited June 19, 2022 by Bob Cleek

[mtaylor]

I'll qualify my post above Bob's... I always try to use the lowest possible speed on any rotary hand tool.  If' there's not enough torque, I'm using too much pressure.

[grsjax]

Dremel makes a mini corded tool that works very well.  Low torque but easy to handle. https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-2050-15-Versatile-burnishing-woodworking/dp/B077Y86FKJ/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=corded%2Bdremel&qid=1655687622&sr=8-18&th=1

 

[GrandpaPhil]

I have a Dremel rotary tool, but I’ve never used it on a model.

 

I have used a normal drill, on a model, a few times, but those occasions are few and far between. 
 

It is too easy for things to very wrong, very quickly, on a model, with power tools.

Edited June 20, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[Landlubber Mike]

I agree with Bob above.  I rarely use my Dremel, but did use if for things like shaping filler blocks.  A couple of years ago I bought a Nakajima micromotor at the suggestion of another member here.  They are not cheap, but it's an amazing tool.  You have so much more control over the tool, not only speed wise, but from the stylus (not sure what the rotary component is called) which is incredibly light and with zero vibration and the use of a foot pedal.  I find myself using it a lot in plastic modeling, and can see myself using it when I get back to working with wood models.  

 

I use it to drill holes, file sections down, sand, use cut-off wheels, and more.  It's not that a Dremel can't do it, you just have a lot more control with a micromotor like the Nakajima.

[Dr PR]

I have an ancient (1970s) small Dremel Model 260 (they used to make two sizes) corded tool. It isn't the greatest but it works - heats up quickly. I also have their motor speed control, and like everyone has said it has low torque at low speeds.

 

 I do occasionally use it in the old (piece of junk) drill stand to mill various wooden shapes - such as cannon carriages. I also use this rig as a drill press to locate drilled hole more precisely than I can accomplish by hand with the Dremel or a pin vise.It is a test of my patience but it does work.

 

But one of the best uses is cleaning up soldered joints. The steel wire brush at medium speeds will remove excess solder much better than a file or sand paper. But you have to be careful to not remove too much!

 

The wire brushes can also be used to shine metal prior to soldering, blackening or painting.

 

The low torque at low speeds is an advantage when working with wood, because at high speed it is very aggressive and can eat through softer woods very quickly. I sometimes use it to rough out wood prior to carving with knives and files.

 

I also have used it as a poor man's lathe, but I also use a variable speed hand drill for this function.

 

SO it is a useful modeling tool for a variety of operations. But I do use pin vises mostly for drilling holes.

[wefalck]

I don't have a Dremel, but a 45+ years old primitive hand-held drill, the steel collets of which are of really good quality (like the PROXXON ones). It is used frequently for all sorts of grinding and polishing operations, less on wood, but more on metal. I am running it of a transformer with variable output and most importantly off a foot-switch (as all my power-tools), which gives you control without having to move the position of your hand on the tool.

 

I also have one of those early PROXXON pen-size engraving tool, but I found the motor too weak, particularly when you reduce the speed to less dangerous (for the work-piece) values.

 

My wife gave me for Christmas a cord-less (no-name) glass-engraving tool. While I like the idea of a cord-less machine as such, its speed-range is far too high and strangely enough you are at the highest speed setting, when you turn it on. Being cord-less it also cannot be controlled via a foot-switch of course - a sort of Bluetooth foot-switch would be a good idea actually. I keep quiet about it to my wife in order to not disappoint her, but I rarely use it. I gather she thought I could do some glass engraving, but that's not really my vocation.

 

And I use these drills rarely for drilling ...

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

8 hours ago, GrandpaPhil said:

it is too easy for things to very wrong, very quickly, on a model, with power tools.

Edited 8 hours ago by GrandpaPhil

 

15 hours ago, Oldsalt1950 said:

It is not intended for doing delicate work.

 

10 hours ago, mtaylor said:

I always try to use the lowest possible speed on any rotary hand tool.

I am surprised  by all these answers. The fear to ruin a part looks like to be a stop to use a "Dremel". Knowledge of this kind of tool also looks like to be missing, and writing that it is not intended for delicate work is a good example.

 

There are many kinds of rotary tool. Dremel have always been popular and affordable. Again, jewelry tools come to help us in our hobby. Foredom offers many kinds of electric motor. Flex-shaft were very popular but the biggest problem is the rigidity of the shaft but still, it is possible to do extreme delicate work with it. By example, I did a figurehead at 1/192. Speed is control by a pedal and, personally, I do not like this system. We rarely need to change speed during an operation and it is easier to change it with a dial. Then torque of these engine is great. the low speeds are very useful. Foredom, since few years, came with a new electric brushless micro motor: much lighter than a Dremel, as strong as flex-shaft and adjustable speed up to 50,000 rpm which is use to remove metal.

 

I think that the best advise I could say would be dare to try and experiment this tool, you will be surprised how precise and useful it can be.

[Dave_E]

I have a Dremel… just wore one out, bought a new one. Would we all like a rotary tool that could be used by dentists and medical staff? You bet! But we can’t. The name “Dremel” (or any of its locally available cousins) are available in many sizes and shapes with a gozillian accessory tools. I personally have used my Dremel for everything and anything, with great success and accuracy. If the rotary tool you have isn’t cutting the mustard, try a different one. Whatever you have and use… the rotary tool is only half the equation… the users skill is the other half. 😉

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

 My brother claimed the old-fashioned belt driven dental drill with foot control from my Dad's estate. (For basement stuff it was first come, first dibs.)  The big advantages to it was the head having a 90 degree angle, and the decent torque at low speeds.  The trick to get used to is manipulating the mechanical 'arms' connected to the drive head.  I have the low priced flex shaft unit sold by Harbor Freight, and it has been useful.  I like the foot control and the torque is pretty good at low speeds.  

[Landlubber Mike]

1 hour ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

 My brother claimed the old-fashioned belt driven dental drill with foot control from my Dad's estate. (For basement stuff it was first come, first dibs.)  The big advantages to it was the head having a 90 degree angle, and the decent torque at low speeds.  The trick to get used to is manipulating the mechanical 'arms' connected to the drive head.  I have the low priced flex shaft unit sold by Harbor Freight, and it has been useful.  I like the foot control and the torque is pretty good at low speeds.  

The nice thing about the micromotor is the different heads.  I have a stylus with a 90 degree angle, though haven't used it yet.

 

Foot pedal is nice in that you can turn the tool on and off immediately.  Just one more bit of extra control over a rotary device like a Dremel where the on/off switch is on the tool itself.

[clarkt]

The corded Dremel was one of the first tools I got when I started building models and I still use it almost every day.  It is hung from the ceiling along with a flex shaft.  I use most of the same bits and heads as Mr. Bordelau shows in his post, especially drill bits, mostly the carbide type, lately.  I have thought of replacing it with a Foredom if the Dremel ever wears out.  Still going strong after about 25 years.  Also, the Dremel handpiece seems to be smaller and handier than any of the ones available from Foredom.  A friend gave me a small rechargeable Dremel but it has no power at all.  
 

[Mark m]

I really appreciate the feedback and discussion.  I tried a simple sanding task with the Dremel and it worked pretty well.  I wanted to try the flex shaft with the smaller head unit, but it seems to be seized up after years of non-use.

[Gregory]

I have three different Dremel tools.

 

This one is easy to hold and has very low torque..  It usually stops before doing damage..

Dremel 2050

With all Dremel's  I would recommend the three jawed chuck..

 

Keyless Chuck

 

[Delphic Oracle]

I went whole hog on the Fortiflex rotary shaft.  Mostly it has helped with detailing on some larger non-model work so far (building a desk to...work on models).

 

This was based on, as stated above repeatedly, the loss of torque at lower speeds.  The fortiflex has a variable speed foot pedal that doesn't have (as noticeable) an issue with this, as it is a proper variable potentiometer rather than a "dimmer" type of speed control.

 

Someone more familiar with electrical theory feel free to correct me on all of that.  I was an audio engineer long ago and did once have a better grasp of what I was talking about, I swear!  :9

 

No, I wouldn't dare cut a rabbet or other critical tasks like that. Mostly it helps cut down (pun intended) on tasks that are both time consuming and highly repetitive.  I imagine this is even more true when acquiring harder woods than the stock often provided in kits.  This, in turn, helps prevent boredom, fatigue, and burnout.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Delphic Oracle