Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

On Sun, 16 Dec 2012 15:56:15 -0800, orion.osiris wrote:

Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

IME, it's a thing you don't use *all* that often. But occasionally it
really comes into its own.

They aren't particularly weak, either (but I've only used mains ones).

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 17/12/2012 00:03, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sun, 16 Dec 2012 15:56:15 -0800, orion.osiris wrote:

Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

IME, it's a thing you don't use *all* that often. But occasionally it
really comes into its own.

They aren't particularly weak, either (but I've only used mains ones).

Agreed. But there have been times I'd have liked something halfway
between an angle grinder and a Dremel.

--
Rod

Bob Eager wrote:
On Sun, 16 Dec 2012 15:56:15 -0800, orion.osiris wrote:

Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

IME, it's a thing you don't use *all* that often. But occasionally it
really comes into its own.

They aren't particularly weak, either (but I've only used mains ones).

If you have access to compressed air, a die grinder is the ants pants.

On 17/12/2012 03:38, F Murtz wrote:
Bob Eager wrote:
On Sun, 16 Dec 2012 15:56:15 -0800, orion.osiris wrote:

Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

IME, it's a thing you don't use *all* that often. But occasionally it
really comes into its own.

They aren't particularly weak, either (but I've only used mains ones).

If you have access to compressed air, a die grinder is the ants pants.

Yes, but a Dremel lets you do much more delicate things

newshound wrote:
On 17/12/2012 03:38, F Murtz wrote:
Bob Eager wrote:
On Sun, 16 Dec 2012 15:56:15 -0800, orion.osiris wrote:

Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

IME, it's a thing you don't use *all* that often. But occasionally it
really comes into its own.

They aren't particularly weak, either (but I've only used mains ones).

If you have access to compressed air, a die grinder is the ants pants.

Yes, but a Dremel lets you do much more delicate things

You can get miniature die grinders almost as small as a dental drill.

On 16/12/2012 23:56, wrote:
Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

I had one & gave it away. As much use as a back pocket in a sock IMO.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:13:08 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:

On 16/12/2012 23:56, wrote:
Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

I had one & gave it away. As much use as a back pocket in a sock IMO.

Aren't they for condoms?

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 01:08:02 +0000, Bob Eager wrote:

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:13:08 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:

On 16/12/2012 23:56, wrote:
Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

I had one & gave it away. As much use as a back pocket in a sock IMO.

Aren't they for condoms?

A back pocket in a condom? It'll never catch on.

On 17/12/2012 22:35, Jules Richardson wrote:
On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 01:08:02 +0000, Bob Eager wrote:

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:13:08 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:

On 16/12/2012 23:56, wrote:
Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

I had one & gave it away. As much use as a back pocket in a sock IMO.

Aren't they for condoms?

A back pocket in a condom? It'll never catch on.

I would have though they could catch on all sorts of things... ;-)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Sunday, December 16, 2012 11:56:15 PM UTC, wrote:

Hi,

Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

They're very useful, but only occasionally.
Steer clear of junk low power ones that run off a wallwart.
They're called die grinders, and come in lots of makes
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Die_grinder


NT

wrote:
Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?
I have mains powered one with a decent set of accessories. I find it
invaluable. I used it today because I had to put some self-tappers
through some ply and they were fractionally too long. For safety I put a
flat on the barely visible protruding sharp end of each screw, using a
little grinder wheel.
There's a sort of cutting tool thingy that looks like a long thin gear
wheel. It's brilliant for the fine shaping of wood or plastic.
The little thin abrasive wheels are very fragile, but are excellent for
cutting off small nails etc.
A set of tiny drills is very useful. I was able to drill through a 1.5mm
dia copper wire the other day, to attach a fine wire.
With Dremels a lot depends on your eyesight and how steady your hands are.
The polishing wheels are very good for small objects such as coins and
medals.

Bill

On 16/12/2012 23:56, wrote:
Hi,
Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?


I've used mine once, but I'm not sure how I would have done that job
without it. I needed to put a number of slits part way along a cylinder
of 26swg stainless steel and my shears did not have long enough blades.
I have a hand nibbler, but that would have made too wide a slot.
However, it was a slow process with the Dremel and I wished for the
slitting disk machine I used to have in my factory. It used 155mm x
0.5mm abrasive disks and would have done each slit in a single pass.

Colin Bignell

In article ,
wrote:
Hi, Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

Think the clue is in the description - hobby tool. They are great for
model making and electronics etc, but I've never used my ones for actual
DIY - I've always got something better.

--
*I wished the buck stopped here, as I could use a few*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 17/12/2012 09:51, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
Hi, Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

Think the clue is in the description - hobby tool. They are great for
model making and electronics etc, but I've never used my ones for actual
DIY - I've always got something better.


Depends on your definition of DIY I suppose. I've found them useful on a
number of car jobs, drilling holes in awkward places to run additional
wiring for example. I have both a mains and a rechargeable (not genuine
Dremels).

A bit like the multi-tool: don't use it often, but when you do they are
invaluable.

In article om,
newshound wrote:
Depends on your definition of DIY I suppose. I've found them useful on a
number of car jobs, drilling holes in awkward places to run additional
wiring for example. I have both a mains and a rechargeable (not genuine
Dremels).

I've done lots and lots of car wiring and never found the need for one
there. Besides, most car wiring will need a grommet to protect the cable
so it's generally a Q-Max or hole saw if you can't use a Q-Max, and a
Dremmel ain't any use for a hole saw or drilling the pilot hole for a
Q-Max - or a small grommet.

--
*I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:46:50 +0000, newshound
wrote:

A bit like the multi-tool: don't use it often, but when you do they are
invaluable.

Absolutely.
I found that, once I got them, the number of jobs they presented
themselves for rose sharply. Other methods would have been tedious,
time-consuming and just bloody awkward.

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:46:50 +0000, newshound wrote:
Depends on your definition of DIY I suppose. I've found them useful on a
number of car jobs, drilling holes in awkward places to run additional
wiring for example. I have both a mains and a rechargeable (not genuine
Dremels).

I think the only times I've used one were for car jobs, too - once to get
some of the tatty paint off some alloys so that I could respray them, and
once to enlarge the ports on a cylinder head.

For anything else there always seems to be a larger tool that can do the
job - and I find that I can be amazingly precise with an angle grinder
when I need to be.

cheers

Jules

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
Hi, Is a dremel plus all the accessory bits a useful addition to a diy
toolkit or is it too pussy for this kind of thing?

Think the clue is in the description - hobby tool. They are great for
model making and electronics etc, but I've never used my ones for actual
DIY - I've always got something better.

I use mine a *lot* and it's definitely for DIY:-

Use the wire brushes for cleaning rust before painting, a big wire
brush is fine in some places but the Dremel version is excellent
for round windows on a boat for example.

Cutting plstic boxes, use the little circular saw. This is for
boxes such as drylining back-boxes, small electronics boxes, etc.
Save rough edges from popping out the knock outs. Also the grind
wheels are useful for cleaning up rough edges.

The little grind wheels are useful in "mini angle grinder"
applications. For example recently on my son's car removing a
small bolt from a failed weldnut, there was absolutely no way one
could get a full-sized angle grinder into the space.

I wouldn't be without mine and have now got two, one is kept
permanently on the boat.

--
Chris Green

In article ,
wrote:
I use mine a *lot* and it's definitely for DIY:-

Use the wire brushes for cleaning rust before painting, a big wire
brush is fine in some places but the Dremel version is excellent
for round windows on a boat for example.

A wire brush does little more than polish the rust. You really need a
diamond burr to get rid of it properly. I have a tool similar in principle
to a Dremel but much larger which gets used for this.

Cutting plstic boxes, use the little circular saw. This is for
boxes such as drylining back-boxes, small electronics boxes, etc.
Save rough edges from popping out the knock outs. Also the grind
wheels are useful for cleaning up rough edges.

I use grommets in knockouts, so not bothered about any 'rough edges' If I
wanted extra holes in a dry lining box I'd do it on the pillar drill with
a holesaw.

Cutting holes in project boxes is what I'd call hobby use.

The little grind wheels are useful in "mini angle grinder"
applications. For example recently on my son's car removing a
small bolt from a failed weldnut, there was absolutely no way one
could get a full-sized angle grinder into the space.

I wouldn't be without mine and have now got two, one is kept
permanently on the boat.

All I'm saying is there are better alternatives.

--
*Heart attacks... God's revenge for eating his animal friends

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Monday, December 17, 2012 11:01:50 AM UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
wrote:

Use the wire brushes for cleaning rust before painting, a big wire

A wire brush does little more than polish the rust. You really need a

diamond burr to get rid of it properly.

I've used mine many times for derusting, and it does remove all trace of rust. If you've got one that doesn't, either the wire brush is to small or the tool too feeble.


NT

In article ,
wrote:
On Monday, December 17, 2012 11:01:50 AM UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
wrote:

Use the wire brushes for cleaning rust before painting, a big
wire

A wire brush does little more than polish the rust. You really need a

diamond burr to get rid of it properly.

I've used mine many times for derusting, and it does remove all trace of
rust.

You only need to do it once if it removes all traces. ;-)

If you've got one that doesn't, either the wire brush is to small
or the tool too feeble.

Strange I've not learned that after some 50 years of doing this sort of
thing.

--
*I don't suffer from insanity -- I'm a carrier

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
I use mine a *lot* and it's definitely for DIY:-

Use the wire brushes for cleaning rust before painting, a big wire
brush is fine in some places but the Dremel version is excellent
for round windows on a boat for example.

A wire brush does little more than polish the rust. You really need a
diamond burr to get rid of it properly. I have a tool similar in principle
to a Dremel but much larger which gets used for this.

Depends on the rust and on what you are going to paint onto it. Some
treatments work better on surfaces with some rust left on them. For
the particular case in question round windows on boats nothing bigger
than a Dremel will get anywhere near it.


Cutting plstic boxes, use the little circular saw. This is for
boxes such as drylining back-boxes, small electronics boxes, etc.
Save rough edges from popping out the knock outs. Also the grind
wheels are useful for cleaning up rough edges.

I use grommets in knockouts, so not bothered about any 'rough edges' If I
wanted extra holes in a dry lining box I'd do it on the pillar drill with
a holesaw.

Er, I meant the knockouts in plastic boxes (pattresses etc.) you can't
get grommets into those really.


Cutting holes in project boxes is what I'd call hobby use.

The little grind wheels are useful in "mini angle grinder"
applications. For example recently on my son's car removing a
small bolt from a failed weldnut, there was absolutely no way one
could get a full-sized angle grinder into the space.

I wouldn't be without mine and have now got two, one is kept
permanently on the boat.

All I'm saying is there are better alternatives.

Well I have yet to find one, in particular for the cutting plastic
boxes job.e

--
Chris Green

On Dec 17, 1:56*pm, wrote:
Well I have yet to find one, in particular for the cutting plastic
boxes job.

+1

Richard.
http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/

In article ,
wrote:
I use grommets in knockouts, so not bothered about any 'rough edges'
If I wanted extra holes in a dry lining box I'd do it on the pillar
drill with a holesaw.

Er, I meant the knockouts in plastic boxes (pattresses etc.) you can't
get grommets into those really.

Ah - I think I know what you mean - the bits you break out? I hardly ever
use plastic boxes - but when I have a quick rubs with a file does it.
Hardly worth the bother of any power tool.

--
*Work is for people who don't know how to fish.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.