Dremel Tool

[ron ll]

I dont need to use one very often, but sometimes it’s handy. But I would probably use it more if it weren’t such a royal pain to get it out of the plastic case with its stiff unwieldy cord, and chuck up one of the tiny tools for ten seconds work.

So I see they make a cordless version now, and even one with a keyless chuck. Seems like a good idea. Do you use a Dremel? Do you have a cordless one?

[Paul Pless]

Do you use a Dremel? Do you have a cordless one?

yes and yes

to trim my dogs toenails

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Yes. in fact I’m aware that a modern one will be my Christmas present.

[amish rob]

We have one that hangs in the toy/model cabinet permanently. It has a flex shaft attachment, to there’s no need to hang on to the tool itself.

I think Quad would be lost without it.

[Joe (SoCal)]

We have 5 cordless 8220 Dremels all with a $160 concave diamond nail grinder they all get used about 8 hrs a day 7 days a week. Each van has one and spare battery and battery charger, one full spare just in case.



This is the concave diamond nail grinder



https://whitmans.biz/product/diamagroove-pinnacle-2

[ron ll]

Wow. Quick responses, popular item I guess. On further research, I see there are several models. Any recommendations for just general shop occasional use?

[Jimmy W]

I have one, but it isn't cordless. I keep it and it's accessories in a small plastic box much like a small tackle box.

[Joe (SoCal)]

Wow. Quick responses, popular item I guess. On further research, I see there are several models. Any recommendations for just general shop occasional use?

Well I probably have about a couple of trillion revolution on our 8220 cordless so I recommend that one, you can pick them up at a big box or Amazon for about $90

[David G]

I have a corded model 3000. Don't use it a ton, but recently added an attachment for a reciprocating power carving tool that I'm playing with just for fun.

[Canoeyawl]

All of my die grinders are air powered.
I don't think I could tolerate a Dremel... Foredom machines are pretty good

[ron ll]

I think the cord on mine is the main reason I don’t use it much. It’s a thick stiff cord, permanently bent into its storage shape and is a real pain. I’ve got skill saws that have smaller cords.

[Canoeyawl]

For an 1/8" collet machine these are very good...

334669BA-7A7C-4E9E-A0F3-A0869CEA4972.jpg

[bluedog225]

Same here. Sort of a pain. Has not been worth it to really get it dialed in. Sometimes, very helpful.

[Paul Pless]

Do you use the grinder attachment, or the cut-off tool?

I am thinking of trying the cut-off wheel.

sanding drum

[Breakaway]

I think the cord on mine is the main reason I don’t use it much. It’s a thick stiff cord, permanently bent into its storage shape and is a real pain. I’ve got skill saws that have smaller cords.

Clip it and put the cord of your length and liking on?


Kevin


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[amish rob]

1DB4C84F-9A15-41A9-ABB0-28B29D96479B.jpg
Mongo’s setup, complete with custom lamp. The flex shaft attachment really makes it lovely to use. It would be a terrible pain if it had to be packed away every time.

[Joe (SoCal)]

Wow. 160 bucks.

So here is the thing the biggest problem with clipping nails is quicking a nail. You see there is a vein the runs inside the nail and grows with the nail. When you Dremel the nail you can actually grind down to see exactly where the vein ends and prevents from quicking it and making it bleed. Second when you use a traditional grinder the paw hair can get twisted and ripped off around the spinning shaft. This expensive diamond nail grinder is designed to cover the sinning shaft and prevent that. Also since its so well made you only need one for life.

So while it's expensive its totally worth it.

[amish rob]

Speaking of dog nails, our Mastiff cracked one of her toenails, and it broke in two pieces and fell off. The inside nubbin is horrific looking, and we are all eagerly awaiting the new nail. It’s just nasty gross to look at.

Daughter saved the only nail for her collection of weird things. Looks like a tiny bear claw.

[Tom from Rubicon]

I am on my third Dremel, corded. Had a Ryobi from 1997 to 2002, Made a Dremel look like a piece of junk. But when it quit, Ryobi had left the market. Diamond polishing compound even wore out my watch bands. The last 10 years air pencil grinders given good service but a corded Dremel is my favorite.

Tom

[john welsford]

yes and yes

to trim my dogs toenails

Same, but I'm thinking that I'll be getting one of those to replace the corded one I have in my workshop.

John Welsford

[john welsford]

Speaking of dog nails, our Mastiff cracked one of her toenails, and it broke in two pieces and fell off. The inside nubbin is horrific looking, and we are all eagerly awaiting the new nail. It’s just nasty gross to look at.

Daughter saved the only nail for her collection of weird things. Looks like a tiny bear claw.

I've seen a vet coat a very badly damaged nail in a dogs paw with superglue to prevent further damage and to protect the quick.

John Welsford

[Todd Bradshaw]

My Dremel (corded and pretty basic) gets a fair bit of use. The box is excellent, with a hole that you just dump the cord down into to store it, which is fast and convenient. I tend to use the reinforced cut-off wheels a lot (the non-reinforced ones are junk and shatter too easily) for cutting off bolts, and similar stuff. I also have a batch of super tiny drill bits (all those tubes in the plastic bag) which come in handy at times. I'm certainly not as organized as I could be, in terms of bit storage, but it gets the job done and every once in a while, I get bored and stick all the bits in their proper spots in the box. In college (sculpture major) we had a nice set-up with a Foredom flexible shaft with a foot pedal, but I don't need one often enough to justify the cost these days.

dremel.jpg

[Nicholas Scheuer]

I have a Craftsman clone of Dremel hanging over my workbench that is used frequently, so it never gets put away in a box. I have a second one with a bad switch that I keep in a drawer case I ever need parts. I use "Cutzall" carbide burrs with 1/8" shafts instead of milled burrs. They seem to cut anything that is not metal and never seem to get dull, being used mostly on wood. I used a larger 1/4" shaft Craftsman for years until the bearings wore out. The 1/4 " tool has been replaced by another found at my friendly neighborhood ReTool shop.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

As with all cordless tools, it’s wise to have two batteries - and in the end you lose the charger, so get a spare one of those too.

[Jim Mahan]

I've been using my cordless Dremel for at least a decade. I didn't pick it out, it was a gift. It's not an everyday thing, but it has a place in certain projects. I use the cut-off wheels, drum sanders more than the grinding wheels. I like that it is handy without a cord and it lives in the charger, which only gets plugged in when until the battery is back up. The big plastic case it came in with the whole range of bits is out of the way and out of sight under the workbench, but a small ceramic bowl lives next to the charger and has the collet wrench and a purposeful selection of the bits I use most.

I use the cut-off wheel to put a slot across the top of a deck screw that has paint in it's stripped out phillips socket, and then it's easy to get the screw out with a straight edged screwdriver. Which beats gouging the wood to get a pair of pliers around the head. I use the same bit to make stuck out screws or bolts flush with whatever surface. When my neighbor needed to change a tire on his old Ranchero, the custom wheels had anti-theft lugs and he had lost the tool, so I made one out of a piece of scrap, shaping it with the dremel. He thought it was magic. I've made good use of the wire wheels, which can be used to chase threads in bunged up bolt.

The Dremel's two advantages are that the bits are all tiny and the tool itself is tiny compared to other possible tools, so it excels in getting up in places you couldn't put an angle grinder or circular saw, and it also makes getting your eyeballs up close to some object easier and working overhead isn't a challenge just to get the tool in position and then die of fatigue keeping it straight.

It takes a bit of skill to keep the cut-off wheel from digging in and juking the working end out of position which turns the cut-off wheel into flying debris.

The little bits will also fit in the drill press chuck.

[ron ll]

Thanks all, good info. My mistake was trying to store my corded version in the original plastic case, missing the obvious solution of keeping it plugged at my bench. But it still has the most unwieldy stiff cord I’ve seen. So for that reason, plus the easier speed chuck, I’ll ask Santa for a cordless 8240. I like Jim’s idea of just keeping it in the charger, as my charger station is very handy to my bench anyway.

[Sandlapper]

I still have two Dremels and use both the older corded one and battery one as needed. A first Dremel bit the dust a couple decades ago. Sometimes use both to avoid the cumbersome switch. Batteries are expensive but a Chinese one is about half. Some aftermarket sanding sleeves are much-much cheaper.

Since losing fingers to the 10" tablesaw, they will get even more usage.

[ron ll]

Since losing fingers to the 10" tablesaw, they will get even more usage.

I still think about your ordeal often. I hope you are healing well and adapting as best possible.

[leikec]

I have one, but it’s been packed in a Rubbermaid tote for the last seven years, when I moved from Missouri.

Jeff C

[ron ll]

Just realized the battery must be pulled out of the tool and put in the charger, so just keeping the tool handy in the charger doesn’t really work. But still a big improvement.

[Jim Mahan]

The one I have stands on it's butt, right next to the charger. It has a half-ring clip for hanging it over the bench, but I've never used it. The lighted battery charge indicator on the tool is reliable. And a fully charged battery left plugged into the tool will still be charged when you need it. One thing that takes getting used to is the working drain and then recharge cycle. Depending on the job, the little high-speed motor has an automatic thermal power-down function to keep it from overheating trying to do too much work, as when you lean on it to get through the work faster. It shuts itself off, and you have wait a moment or two for it to 'cool off,' before it'll run again. And a low battery seems to get to the shut-down point faster than with a fresh full charge. It's all about the right touch and the amount of friction the motor has to overcome to keep spinning. I've used mine for an 'emergency' drill for small stuff, and it sucks for that compared to an actual drill. It can also be used to scribe your name on stuff if you need to keep the honest people honest.

[Paul Pless]

Just realized the battery must be pulled out of the tool and put in the charger, so just keeping the tool handy in the charger doesn’t really work. But still a big improvement.

the one that i have uses a usb cable plugged into the tool for charging

[The Q]

I've a corded Dremel in the Land rover at the moment as I'm off down to the model railway club in a couple of hours. It gets a lot of use.
I've got the remains of a DIY shed own brand equivalent, which I actually preferred, but after many years it died, I must investigate why.

Both have been used for railway modelling, work on the sailing boat, and a variety of other tasks where a rechargeable normal sized drill won't fit.

[cs]

I gave up on Dremal. Seems I had to replace them too often from wearing out. Instead I use the Milwaukie M-12 cordless rotary tool.



https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Produc...i-Tool/2460-21


Chad

[Vince Brennan]

yes and yes

to trim my dogs toenails

Check it! My podiatrist (5'1" blond) clips me and then smooths the nails with a dremel on portable stand. She got it from a woodworking shop when they closed. Does a hell of a job.

While I agree that the non-portable "civilian" version is a P.I.T.A. in that modern plastic gallifrumpery packaging, I bought mine 30 years ago in a wooden box with all the little bits in holes in the felt lining. The cord has been replaced by a nice, flexible 20' version.

When you need a dremel, there just AIN'T no substitute.