dremmel tool

General Discussion
1

well i do beleive this is the first thing i have to offer to the forum…

i ran into a dremmel tool for 5 bucks and bought a few bits off of ebay, and to my amazement, its been remarkably convenient for cutting out fin boxes and dings (especially impact web-like fractures) and would recommend using it to anyone. its great to take out exactly what you need, and allows the dug out ding area to be nice and smooth.

just offering what i can:)

2

hey surf, welcome

yeah, i think you’ll find that the dremel is a natural thing for us garage shapers to drift towards, however it does take a steady hand. I definitely use mine alot for ding repair and other stuff. And my first 2 or 3 fin boxes were with a dremel and the little router attachment ( i think originally for drywall cutting). Goes like butter through glass and foam with the right bit…the stringer as i think you’ll find…not so easy. Good luck, and when you can…post pics…we looooove pics.

3

i had exactly that issue with the stringer, what i ended up doing was using the cutting tool, then a chisel and hammer to toe-nail it down to a ‘grindable’ level.

i use the router tool too with a straight edge to keep it straight. i love it, couldnt imagin it being any easier. but ill post some pics when i remember to take some. of course youll have to keep in mind i can still count the boards i have shaped on one hand…and loving every second of it.

4

Hi Surf3184 -

I use my Dremel tools a lot.

I’ve found that the reinforced cut off wheels hold up much better than the thinner unreinforced type. IMO, they are well worth the extra money.

I’ve spun many of the unreinforced wheels on the mandrel and they are useless after that. Sometimes you can loosen the mandrel screw, wrap a rubber band around the screw and retighten as a temporary fix.

The unreinforced wheels break really easy.

Please use eye protection with either type.

5

You guys sound like dentists.

Boardbumps

6
Quote:

You guys sound like dentists.

Boardbumps

hehe, yes the first time I started up my Dremmel it reminded me of a dentist drill.

Make sure you guys use goggles when using a dremmel, they throw all sorts of debris out when in full flight.

-Cam

7

yes the dremmel is great for removing fractures from boards especially when doing restoration work, but hard to do your own fillings, get someone to help hold your mouth open

8

Screw the Dremel for dental work… I use my Milwaukee 5540 for that sort of stuff.

9

I was carving a Hawaiian fish hook out of Koa to inset into a board, but just couldn’t quite get the curves with my big hands and chisels. Finally, the tool that did the job was that old Hawaiian carving tool: Dakine Dremel.

Great little tool.

Doug

10
Quote:
The unreinforced wheels break really easy.

Please use eye protection with either type.

As obvious as this sounds… be really careful when holding your dremel tool. I can’t count the times I’ve seen (experienced) guys catch a cutting blade that then ran over a finger while clutching their work. When I was a Chief Modelmaker at Lucasfilm one of the guys I worked with spun a cutting blade around his finger several times… ick. Gnarly way to disconnect your skin from your bones. Dremel stopped selling their steel sawblades because those types of injuries happened so often.

It’s the most innocent tools that inflict the most damage… since the users have a false sense of safety.