Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2009 18:03:40 -0300
Reply-To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Dremel, was Re: Best Way To Remove
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At 01:44 AM 4/6/2009, neil N wrote:
>Loren. If you've got a Dremel, I wonder if there's an attachment
>similar to the "rubber disk" that would work?
Disclosure: I absolutely love the Dremel tool. I have two, and when
most of my tools got shipped off to Maine and I was flirting with
mental hospitals I made sure that they both stayed. So don't think
I'm sneering at it down below, just being realistic. It's made for
very small work, and it's an expensive tool to run if you don't think
in quarter-inches. And the manufacturer has a tendency to bite off
more than the tool can realistically chew. In particular it and its
attachments are not rigid enough for some things they want it to
do. That said...
Something the size of a Westfalia decal would be an enormous job for
a Dremel, and it wouldn't do it well because it spins too fast. For
that sort of thing a half inch by quarter inch would be more in scale
to the tool.
For appearance work of any size at all, Dremel burs, stones, sanding
drums, polishing wheels etc are all so small that it's very difficult
to produce a fair surface without waves and dips -- even polishing,
which after centuries of uncertainty has been proved to be
essentially very delicate grinding. With the speed and small
area/radius contact patch all these will dig like crazy given the
slightest excuse. Their sharpening attachment might be ok for
lawnmower blades -- in a pinch. But it's really too small for that
except in a pinch and I certainly wouldn't use it for anything else I
cared about because there's no way to get a fair edge. NOTE: I've
never used their chain-saw attachment, but it probably works just
fine, since the stone doesn't traverse the edge but merely profiles
it to its own shape.
Some of my thoughts about Dremel stuff, on the scale that I use them,
i.e. not tiny delicate modelmaking but general household/shop/automotive.:
For relative economy in use -- sanding disks, sanding drums, thin
non-reinforced cutting wheels, diamond points if not from Dremel. If
used very lightly and kept moving, the cutting wheels can be used on
edge (strictly against instructions) for surface removal.
For flagrant expense in use -- small grinding points/stones, saws
except maybe in balsa, steel burs, probably others.
For no reason to exist -- "heavy duty" nonreinforced cutoff
wheels. They're not much stronger than the thin ones, i.e. not at
all; and cut half as fast and much hotter because the kerf is twice
as wide. When they do burst the fragments are heavier.
For utter scariness -- saws and planer attachment. Router attachment
is as scary as any router, i.e. about half as scary as saws and
planer. Circle cutter different kind of scary, you think the tool
will come apart from vibration.
For (comparatively) large work -- planer attachment. Hard to make a
straight line, but will take an eighth-inch off the bottom of a door
amazingly quickly. Sabre-saw ("jig-saw") attachment. Sanding
drums. Router attachment.
For Vanagons -- Above everything, cutoff wheels, both
kinds. Right-angle attachment and/or flex shaft to get the cutoff
wheel to where you need it securely/safely. Large carbide burs/bits
and diamond points. Haven't tried it, but the sabre-saw attachment
might be wonderful for small sheetmetal cuts and such.
For safety -- thin non-reinforced cutoff wheels. If they grab in the
cut they just shatter, and the pieces are too light to bother you or
go far. Right-angle attachment. Flex shaft.
For irritation -- thin non-reinforced cutoff wheels. Set the tool
down and turn around, turn back and the disk will be busted.
For piece of crap -- plunge router attachment. Not nearly stiff enough.
For marginal -- "imitation Roto-Zip" attachment. Tool isn't stiff
enough so the bit wanders and vibrates. Lots Worse if you use it
with the circle-cutter jig. Router attachment, marginal stiffness --
but it's darn useful for putting quick 1/8" roundovers on edges of
plywood and such, and way easier to handle than even a small
router. Ditto for router table. Steel bits only, no bearing on pilot.
For futility -- using Roto-Zip drill bits that cost a quarter of the
Dremel ones. They don't cut, just burn. Must be opposite-hand
rotation or black magic -- they don't look a lot different. But
anyway, if you need to do Roto-Zip work more than one or two holes a
year get a Roto-Zip.
Need to have -- variable speed tool, carbide burs, diamond points
(note that diamond dissolves in hot steel), thin non-reinforced
cutoff wheels, reinforced cutoff wheels, sanding drums, stones and
dressing stick for truing before first use and subsequently. You can
tell when a stone is getting close to true because the tool will
speed up! Truing can be frustrating because of resonances between
tool and stone and dressing stick, tool not stiff enough
really. Brass and steel brushes, note they're limited to half-speed
(15,000 rpm). Cratex-type rubber abrasive points and wheels,
half-speed or less. Polishing wheel and points, rouge.
Really really want to have -- right-angle attachment -- sounds like
it's tearing itself apart but it isn't, and gives much better/safer
angle for many things. Flex-shaft.
Really nice -- sabre-saw attachment -- capable and easy to handle,
uses standard blades; 1/16" tile degrouting bit in flex-shaft (solid
carbide, costs twelve bucks, don't drop the shaft or the bit will
snap :-( ). Probably good in their degrouting attachment, too.
David
