What Dremel

Thinking of buying a Dremel recommendations required.
Which Drill, cordless or not?

David,

Are you likely to use the Dremel very often or in a location away from a power supply, or would a trailing flex wind you up? If you're not going to use the Dremel on a regular basis, you run the risk of the battery running flat when you need it, so if you're going to use it periodically, in a location with a power supply nearby and you can manage the flex possibly getting in the way,. I'd forget the battery jobbies and go for the best mains-powered one you can.

Keep some of your budget aside for the Dremel adjustable vice as well. I've got one fo these and for model making, they are superb. You can use the vice on the table to hold a model, or you can attach the vice to the table/ work bench via a nice, sturdy base and you can also use the base to hold the Dremel in place whilst you move the model/ materials you're working on freehand. Great piece of kit! NOt robust enough to hold long lengths of 4x2, but ideal for the sort of work we do!!

Hope this is helpful. Cheers, Steve

Santa bought me a 7700, havent used it yet, any advice/suggestions lads before i go attacking a model? lol!! first job hopefully reducing the size of a front airdam on the 205, made from plasticard....i know you can cut this with scissors but as its glued in place i dont want to stress it any more than i have to....
cheers

Hi Billy,

I'd suggest you practice on some other plastics first, as the cutting discs can catch you by surprise and before you know where you are, you've invented a 205 Cabriolet rally car!!!!

As with so many things in life, having the right tool is half the battle and in this case, using the right attachment is vital.

There will probably be a cutting wheel with small teeth around the edge, which may give you the right sort of cut for what you need. If you're only taking a sliver off the bottom of the air dam, you'd be better off with a different attachment which spins and makes a more gentle cut along its edge, such as a very small router.

Have a try out with some off cuts of different materials until you're confident with using the tool. I'd also recommend a Dremel Multi-Vice, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dremel-26152500JA-Multi-Vice/dp/B000QG79ZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357147527&sr=8-1 as these are excellent at holding a model whilst you work on it. It provides a solid platform to work on, keeps your fingers out of the way of the work and blades and can be mounted on a table edge or placed on a table or worktop as required. I've got one, and it's great! Hope the above is helpful, Billy.

Cheers, Steve

ah steve, many thanks for such helpful and informative advice, don't remember ari ever rallying a 205 cabrio so i'l have a practice on something else!!
i was wondering if there are a many attachments available, i guess the answer is yes!

cheers m8

Hi billy, eyp, the answer is a big, fat 'YES'.

There are all sorts of attachments for pretty much any kind of situation/ material/ damage you want to inflct. A good excuse to have a surf or trip along to your local model shop/ hardware store and go hunting. I guess i'm not the only one who finds hardware shops irresistable, like an Aladdin's cave - I can't go past them and usually spend ages and a few notes in them! Ooops!!

Looking at the Dremel 7700 on Amazon, it comes with a small selection of bits to get you started, but my 'not Dremel' came with about 50 attachments, including micro-drills and polishing discs as well as the cutting discs. I do recommend the vice as well... I might have mentioned that!!!!

Cheers, and happy drilling, polishing, grinding and cutting, Steve

Or you could do it all in one go, Billy! Have a look at this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Spot-Piece-Rotary-Tool/dp/B000LPDMT0/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1357168727&sr=1-1

Probably everything you'd need! Mind you, I'm usually a little cynical about the quality of some of the parts in give-aways like this!! But hey for less than £12, what do you expect? Oh, 216 pieces?! OK then!!

Cheers, Steve

bought!!
well how bad can it be, nd at that money even if only half of them are any good...............
cheers steve! .

As I have just posted elsewhere Billy, this is the kit that I use for cutting metal, and I see no reason why it shouldn't work with your Dremel 7700...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dremel-Speedclic-10-/150972269207?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item2326a60297

The SpeedClic quick release mandrel makes switching cutting discs a doddle. There's 10 x 38mm cutting discs included... 6 regular metal cutting discs, 2 thin metal cutting discs, and 2 plastic cutting discs. Expect to pay £15-20.

hi david, nice one m8, many thanks for the link!
hours of fun ahead..........cutting, grinding, polishing...............and thats just my nails!!!

Oh dear! Shall I tell him, David, or will you!

Cheers, Steve

what? what?................

bmd wrote:what? what?................

Billy, they're not meant for personal beautification. Nails, ear piercings, tattoos etc should all be done by someone using the appropriate equipment. If anyone approached me with a Dremel for any of those, I'd be running away mighty fast!! Cheers, Steve

lol m8!!!..................ok then i'll be good..........

bmd wrote:lol m8!!!..................ok then i'll be good..........

OK! I'll hold you to that! Do let us know how you get on..... but take it easy! Cheers, Steve

I posted this elsewhere Billy in response to Simon's question, and thought I would repeat it here for your reference - just in case you missed it!...

Simon6R4 wrote:That looks good David. Is the 'speed clic' mandrel effective, does it hold the disc steady enough to get a clean cut? The disc doesn't move side to side at all? Don't want any wavey lines

Cowley wrote:It is excellent Simon, and even though I have only used it twice - once on a plastic letterbox flap that was too deep for our front door, and once on a 6R4 front splitter - I have never had any wobble problems!

It is very simple to change cutting discs once the mandrel is fitted. Simply pull the brass spring-loaded collar down towards the Dremel, align the 'oddly shaped hole' in the cutting disc with the end of the mandrel, push the cutting disc onto the mandrel and rotate the cutting disc 90º so that the 'oddly shaped hole' matches the 'oddly shaped brass collar', and then release the spring-loaded collar ensuring that the cutting disc is sitting neatly, and trapped firmly in position...



It takes the same time to change the SpeedClic mandrel as it does with any other mandrel, but if you have different cutting jobs to do or you need a new sharp cutting disc, then the SpeedClic mandrel makes it a lot quicker job to swap between different tools. There are other tools available for the system, but at the moment all I have is the previously linked SC690 SpeedClic 10 cutting disc + mandrel set. The mandrel alone is about £6 by the looks of things, so the set (incl. the 10 cutting discs) is a pretty good buy at anything from £15-20 usually.

I hope that helps mate.

ah david many thanks for that excellent advice m8............where else would you learn how to trim a 6R4 spoiler AND a front-door letterbox opener!!!!