Dremel (Rotary) Tool Recommendation?
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar
Dremel (Rotary) Tool Recommendation?
Has anyone used one? What kind of tool should I get?
Does brand matter that much if you don't plan on using it very often?
Would a cordless tool cut metal just fine?
What RPM speeds will I need? What difference does it make mostly? To polish a heatsink, what speed would I need?
How would this tool do? http://oemproamtools.com/King/8353.htm
Does brand matter that much if you don't plan on using it very often?
Would a cordless tool cut metal just fine?
What RPM speeds will I need? What difference does it make mostly? To polish a heatsink, what speed would I need?
How would this tool do? http://oemproamtools.com/King/8353.htm
Most any of them will probably do fine. Not sure I'd deal with a cordless model though, never seem to have enough power.
If you're going to be doing lots of metal cutting, do yourself a favor and pick up a pair of metal snips. Check out this thread at the top of this forum, if you haven't already. I've had a dremel for years, but was so much happier working with metal once I bought some good snips.
If you're going to be doing lots of metal cutting, do yourself a favor and pick up a pair of metal snips. Check out this thread at the top of this forum, if you haven't already. I've had a dremel for years, but was so much happier working with metal once I bought some good snips.
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That's exactly what I did too. It's identical to the Dremel, it's just been rebranded.badmojo wrote:I got a Sears version of the adjustable speed Dremel (don't know the model) on sale for $39 and picked up a 135 piece accessory kit from Costco for something like $10. Does everything I need.
Oh, and BTW:
DO NOT GO WITH A CORDLESS GRINDER!!!!!
They suck for doing any sort of job that requires "balls". They don't have near enough torque and the batteries run down real fast. I have first-hand experience with this issue, trust me.
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I suppose anything is possible by an expert, but I would not try to polish a heatsink. The polishing part would be ok, but there is nothing in the use of a rotary tool that would ensure the surface stayed perfectly flat, which I think is important. I respectfully suggest it's better to purchase quality heatsinks that have a smooth surface from a good milling machine. Very minor "scratches or mill marks" are handled nicely by good thermal paste.
someone mentioned 10C improvements after polishing a heatsink with a dremel. Personally I believe it was partially reseating and possibly dust-cleaning. But considering it's 10C, I don't think it made things any worse and likely better in some ways.sthayashi wrote:Can you polish a heatsink properly with a rotary tool?
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No.markkuk wrote:With a felt polishing tip or wheel (Dremel parts #414, #422 or #429) and polishing compound (#421).sthayashi wrote: But how would one polish a heatsink with a dremel?
The heatsink will not be flat enough if you do this. You need to polish the heatsink while keeping it as flat as possible. This is why you need to lap it on a very flat surface (such as a piece of 1/4" or thicker glass sheet). Polishing it with a rotating felt bob will leave it with a bunch of wavy areas, which is counterproductive to efficient heat transfer.
hello! just wanted to give out some safety tips, if you don't already know, after some unpleasant experiences with my ac/corded dremel kit:
- if you use the cutting wheel, only use the strongest/hardest one (which is stone i think)
- when using the cutting wheel, never, ever cut in a direction that's in line with your body or anyone else's -- when i used the weaker wheel (some kind of layered composite i think), it suddenly broke off from its hub like a donut and shot off, ricocheting violently off nearby walls, like one of those kung-fu ninja discs
- wear long sleeves when using the cutting wheel or polishing or sanding bits; better yet, wrap a towel around your forearm -- when you use your opposing arm to hold the work piece, tiny flakes of metal (those sparks essentially) can embed in the surface of your skin.
- avoid using the cutting wheel if possible
- if you use the cutting wheel, only use the strongest/hardest one (which is stone i think)
- when using the cutting wheel, never, ever cut in a direction that's in line with your body or anyone else's -- when i used the weaker wheel (some kind of layered composite i think), it suddenly broke off from its hub like a donut and shot off, ricocheting violently off nearby walls, like one of those kung-fu ninja discs
- wear long sleeves when using the cutting wheel or polishing or sanding bits; better yet, wrap a towel around your forearm -- when you use your opposing arm to hold the work piece, tiny flakes of metal (those sparks essentially) can embed in the surface of your skin.
- avoid using the cutting wheel if possible
I use my friends old Gorton mill. For surfacing, I bought him a 2" fly cutter.intx wrote:what do you use then?jimveta wrote: - avoid using the cutting wheel if possible
Old and beat-up, but the auto-feed still works, even if you always have to check for pitch/yaw of the head. He actually has a surface grinder too, but hes never used it. 1/10000 parallel flatness would be nice, if I ever got motivated.
Not too good at machining though, took me 3 hours to mill/finish an aluminum replacement for my NCU-1000 contact/mounting plate. Probably more, since it took me a while to come up with a way to mount a pentium cooler on an athlon. 5-6 Celcius increase in temperature going from copper to aluminum though
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If you have a GOOD air compressor, I would also suggest taking a look at air powered grinders. Harbor Freight usually sells a little pencil job that takes 1/16" shaft bits and works great for fine detail work. It is about the size of a fat ballpoint pen and is much easier to work with than a clunky motor tool.
A die grinder is bigger, and will take 1/8" or larger bits for rough work.
For cutting, I use a 'muffler cutter' aka 'whiz wheel' that works far better than any dremel because its about 3" in diameter and spins faster. With care and practice it will make amazingly small holes. For real small stuff I use a dremel cutoff wheel in my air pencil grinder. BTW, I disagree with jimveta, and strongly reccomend the composite wheels, I find they last better and cut more effectively than the stone ones. The rest of his advice is pretty good, the only other important thing to note is that a cutting wheel MUST be kept in line with the cut any side load or twisting of the wheel out of the cut line will cause the wheel to break or shatter.
Of course, if you want the ULTIMATE, get a Foredom brand motor tool w/ remote shaft, which is expen$ive, but possibly the best of the class - it is what the tool and die guys will use professionally.
Gooserider
A die grinder is bigger, and will take 1/8" or larger bits for rough work.
For cutting, I use a 'muffler cutter' aka 'whiz wheel' that works far better than any dremel because its about 3" in diameter and spins faster. With care and practice it will make amazingly small holes. For real small stuff I use a dremel cutoff wheel in my air pencil grinder. BTW, I disagree with jimveta, and strongly reccomend the composite wheels, I find they last better and cut more effectively than the stone ones. The rest of his advice is pretty good, the only other important thing to note is that a cutting wheel MUST be kept in line with the cut any side load or twisting of the wheel out of the cut line will cause the wheel to break or shatter.
Of course, if you want the ULTIMATE, get a Foredom brand motor tool w/ remote shaft, which is expen$ive, but possibly the best of the class - it is what the tool and die guys will use professionally.
Gooserider
I totally agree with Ralf on this one. Unless you have a special need for a cordless dremel stay away from them. Cordless power tools are annoying because you have to wait for the battery to charge, the batteries always die down after a few years, they're more expensive, and they're generally not as powerful. My $.02.mg1394 wrote:I respectfully disagree with Ralf on this one, only specifically referring to the new Dremel 8000 cordless. It really is as good as the corded models, doesn't cost much additional, and is more convenient. The older, lower voltage models were POS.
yes to be honest, i probably did twist the wheel inadvertanly which led to it breaking. i could have the wrong impression but it seems that the composites seem to have higher tendency to vibrate/resonate than the stone when i can't hold the work and my drill hand still enough.. however, i'd just take gooserider's advice on this because i haven't used them all often enough nor properly (just the few times i need some case/chassis modding)
problem is, it's hard to stabilize the work piece with a free hand which is why i avoid using the dremel cutting wheels. however, with a bench vise or some similar clamp setup, i'd guess the wheels are ok. i just use the rotary bit instead. even when i can't stabilize it well enough, it won't break-- the cut will just be ugly
so all in all, i use tin snips thanks to the article in this forum whenever i can. and the dremel rotary bit instead of a punch to cut the initial slot.
problem is, it's hard to stabilize the work piece with a free hand which is why i avoid using the dremel cutting wheels. however, with a bench vise or some similar clamp setup, i'd guess the wheels are ok. i just use the rotary bit instead. even when i can't stabilize it well enough, it won't break-- the cut will just be ugly
so all in all, i use tin snips thanks to the article in this forum whenever i can. and the dremel rotary bit instead of a punch to cut the initial slot.