Do you use your Dremel?

[Chad Pater]

I was somewhat surprised reading the "How many routers do you own" thread about how many people own dremels. So I'm just wondering do you like it?How much do you use it? What "bits/attactments are the most usefull?
Thank you

[Paul Berendsohn]

I have several Chad, and use them for all sorts of things. Cutting off small bolts, nails, rod. Drilling small holes, grinding or burnishing small objects, have cut some tile with it. Not something I use everyday but when I need it I'm sure glad I have it.

[Jim Dunn]

I use my dremel to finish fit drawer slides to the cabinet frame. Seems the easiest soultion to fitting.

Wife uses it to do a little "carving".

[John Weber]

Chad,

I love the Dremel, when I first got it I though it wasn't a real tool, but now I use it all the time. Mostly the little abrasive disk to cut nails and what not.

John

[David A]

Jim;
How do you "fit drawer slides" to the frame? I'm so interested. What kind of fitting did you mean and which Dremel bits do you use for that?
David

[Scott Banbury]

I use a Dremel for all kinds of metal fabricating and sharpening--making hinges and other hardware, knifeblades, sharpening chainsaws, gouges and other carving tools etc.

The most used bits are my diamond disks and assorted burrs.

With a diamond disk, the Dremel clamped to a block of wood, and the infeed table set at the right height, you can touch up jointer blades and effectively "joint" them the way a production mill does theirs.

[Bill Ryall]

Have 2, use them all the time. Mostly for sharpening and cutting off nails, screws, etc.

[Jerry Olexa]

I guess I have to learn. I have one gathering dust never used in over a year. Its the battery powered one and was a gift...

[Jim O'Dell]

Ours is relegated to trimming the dog's toe nails!! I do us it to cut off screws/nails or cut a slot in a screw that is stripped out for removal. Jim.

[Keith Starosta]

Funny thing...until last Sunday, I actually forgot that I owned a Dremel! :eek: Somehow it got stuffed behind a couple of old toolboxes on a shelf. Sunday, I needed to slice through some 3/8" threaded rod, so I was looking for my hacksaw. I moved a box, and there it was!! I slapped in a grinding disk, and that sucker did the job in NO time. I've used it several times since then, too! I love it!

Keith

[Ellen Benkin]

I've had one for many years but rarely use it. I could easily live without it.

[Dan Mages]

Dremel is an amazing too! I have used it for everything from sharpening my mower's blades to cutting out outlet holes in 1/4" thick stone. It is well worth the $100 price tag. I also have their "300" piece accessory kit. As usual, 2/3 of those accessories are grinder and sander disks.

Dan

[Carl Eyman]

Klingspor makes a product called Mini Mops for sanding tight spaces - carvings for instance. I use mine for that.

[Steve Inniss]

Bits with a jig are available to sharpen your chainsaw using a rotary tool at HD etc. Also, Lee Valley sells a diamond bit to put a burr on your chain. Works, great.

[Jay Munsterman]

In my experience, we tend to think of solutions to various challenges in the terms of the methods with which we are familiar and the tools that we have at our disposal. I was first given a Dremel as a gift and really didn't think much of it, it went on the shelf and stayed there for almost a year. Then I was discussing a home repair problem with a co-worker and he said "I would have just grabbed my Dremel." It just hadn't occured to me before that. Now I use it somewhat frequently for small cut-offs, detail sanding and sharpening. Handy tool to have around.

[Keith Outten]

I didn't list my Dremel tool in the router thread but I have one that is so old I can't find brushes for it anymore. I normally purchase the closest in size and file them down to fit. I have the router attachment and a drawer full of grinding wheels, cutting wheels and lots of other accessories. Through the years I have used and abused the Dremel on more projects then I can remember including making custom stainless steel logos and letters for belt buckels. If mine ever does die I would buy another in a minute.

[Lou Morrissette]

It's one of those tools that is "the" tool about twice a year for me. Like cutting a rusty muffler bolt or doing some fine grinding in tight places. I'm fortunate to have the flexible extension which allows me to sand in areas unreachable any other way. Final analysis.....good tool.

Lou

[Erin Stringer]

I have one, it is a variable speed model (with a plug). I don't use it a lot but when I need it there's nothing else that will do the trick. At least not as fast or easily.

[Dan Schafer]

I used to think the Dremel commercials from a few years back were kinda silly. You know the ones where they always seem to end with the shot of a screw or nail getting cut off. Since I don't seem to have much of a need for sanding and grinding in really tight areas and never thought much about having a great need to trim balts and screws, I never figured on them being very useful in my shop.

Then I got one, and actually used it to cut off small screws and bolts. It nice that the cutoff wheel is small enough to fit between the threads on the smaller machine screws. Can't always say that about a hacksaw or jigsaw in the same application.

Here's an interesting one. I used mine "adjust" the hole for my dryer vent. The replacement didn't fit as well as the original, and one of the abbrasive wheel attachments was just the ticket to enlarge the existing hole in the brick.

I probably could still get along without one, but like the others have said for certain situations a Dremel really does the trick.

[Greg Johnson]

I have had a Dremel for a couple of years now and the biggest problem I have is remembering that I have it. They are great for a lot of little jobs that require creative cutting or material removal. This post has reminded me of a couple of projects that I tried to do last weekend with my drill press and sabre saw that could have easily been accomplished with the Dremel:o . The best application for me has been the chain saw sharpening attachment. It does a GREAT job.

Greg

[Dave Brandt]

Use it all the time! Mostly for cutting off screws/bolts, etc. with the discs. Have also used it as a router (with base) and sanding/grinding in tight quarters.

[Al Lupone]

I must be the oddball. First Dremel I had, the brushes melted onto the commutator(?). Second one the motor switch gave up the ghost. Now use Rotozip for everything from cutting metal, routing HDPE to grinding bottom paint off my boat's rudders.


Al

[William Lai]

Can you use it for things like cutting out drywall for electrical outlets, like a rotozip? I know the rotozips are pieces of junk, but maybe the drill saw bits will be much better on a dremel.

[aurelio alarcon]

I use a dremel tool all the time for odd little jobs. I had to replace a vanity sink drain tail piece a while back and it was froze. So I got out the dremel tool and cut that sucker in half, and the tail piece fell right out. Like most, I use it often to cut bolts and screws. Why hack at it, when you can Dremel it?

[Gary Sutherland]

Not yet, but I will be putting it to very profitable use once I've finished my Home Dentistry Course.

Gary

[Jim Dunn]

David A,

The drawers I built are for a small set of cabinets. Dadoe'd 3/4" grooves in the drawer sides and placed 3/4" umv? plastic strips in the cabinet also in grooves. As the fit was quite tight I turned to my dremel with a small abrasive sanding tube and pared the slot in the drawer side till I had a smooth fit.

[Joe Breid]

I just used mine with the rotary "saw" bit to cut out the interior molded piece from a plastic tool case so I could use the case to carry my pen making supplies and tools.
I do not use the dremel often but would not be without it.

Joe

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I love mine...especially for cabinet door hing mortising. The straight bit helps the most.

[Earl Reid]

I have2 Dremel tools. They are handy for some of the work I do ,such as making repairs to old clocks, small art work, etc. I use the sanding discs and cut off wheels the most. I have a full set of carbid burrs also.
Earl

[Howard Rosenberg]

I use the right angle attachment for drilling small (up to 1/8") holes in tight areas that my regular drill won't fit into.
I make cabinets & it's great for drilling holes for the hinges.
I don't carve or cut through walls.

For years, I mostly cut things like bolts and rods, ground things and polished things.

While I'd prefer a great big honkin' die grinder, the Drememel can't be beaten for accessories and power to weight.

The plunge router attachment looks great - waaaaay cheaper than the WW standard-bearer - but unless you'll creating grooves for stringing, Dremel needs to make more bits!

Howard

[David A]

Jim;
Handsome drawers. Is that dovetailing I see?

When you say you pared the slot, I assume you meant the sides, right? For the bottom one would need a dado cleaning bit.

How did you manage to keep the Dremel straight and moving at a steady rate so as not to sand too much at any one spot?

[Jim Dunn]

David A,

Yes, the sides are dovetailed just practicing there.

If you notice there is little room from the bottom of the drawer to the bottom of the cabinet opening. So because of that I had to open the slots up just a little:) Did it with the dremel after the drawers were all glued up as that was the quickest way I figured. Just moved the dremel by hand and got lucky in regards to not removing to much.

[Corvin Alstot]

Ours is relegated to trimming the dog's toe nails!! Jim.
We have two whippets, and our dremel has a small sanding drum that we use
to keep our dogs toe nails trim. I had not really used it for much else, and had
not used it till I saw a few people doing this at the Houston dog show.