tools you can't live without when making stuff.

[Durrett]

Yeah, my wife got me the Dremel scroll saw with side disc sander right before they stopped selling it in the US and it changed my life.

I have used a dremel rotary tool and the foredom extensively, and I have to go with the dremel. The foredom has more power, but that can really ruin a project if it goes sideways on you. And the big cord really gets in the way. Plus the dremel has a press attachment.

Zap-a-gap + baking soda as a catalyst and weldbond are the best adhesives ever.

I really like my pin vise too.

I picked up this little detail sanding pen that I think is used for jewelry that is very nice.

 

[Stormy320]

Dremel is totally on that list, though I'd prefer to get a more "professional" one when I have the cash.

Bandsaw also up there. Probably my most used tool in the shop.

If you scratch build, and you've got a free weekend, make a vacuumformer! I find every excuse possible to use mine whenever I can.

Your vacuform table looks killer. What do you use as the heat source?

Did you follow any blueprints?

 

[jwm96]

I have to ask. is this sonic screwdriver you're speaking of something other than the Dr. Who tool?

I was talking about the Dr. Who tool

 

[Lichtbringer]

Nearly everyone mentions Dremel/Proxxon/other rotary tools -
I do have 2 of them, but i can count on my 2 hands how often i use them per year. Most of the time they are only stored away.

I´m wondering what you all are using them for.

 

[Mercury]

Glad to see someone mentioned Beer, but surprised no one (unless I missed it) said
Scroll Saw. To me, it's much more versatile than a band saw. Just my opinion.

I used to have one. Excellent for contained inside cutouts but found that is pretty much all I used it for. Ended up selling it but I will admit I was used to a bandsaw and the scroll saw takes a different approach.

Nearly everyone mentions Dremel/Proxxon/other rotary tools -
I do have 2 of them, but i can count on my 2 hands how often i use them per year. Most of the time they are only stored away.

I´m wondering what you all are using them for.

It depends on what medium you work with on how useful you'd find them. I use it for removing stock on wood and resin with the carving bits. Very useful for shaping but you have to have a steady hand. I used both the small and large drum sanding bits on wood and resin. The polishing bits on metal and cutoff wheels I use on pretty much any type of materiel. And of course regular drilling except with a rotary tool it's the speed and not the power that is best for drilling delicate pieces.

I get a chuckle when I see people outright claim Dremel is crap. I know I've used one for close to 20 years and have had nothing but good experiences with them and they never failed to get the job done. I'm sure there are better tools that cost a lot more, and perhaps some have had bad experiences with the Dremel but there are just as many who haven't. Regardless, what ever type someone wants to try, it can be very useful in the hobby. Just make sure it's some type of brand name as those cheap knock-offs can be dangerous.

 

[exoray]

Nearly everyone mentions Dremel/Proxxon/other rotary tools -
I do have 2 of them, but i can count on my 2 hands how often i use them per year. Most of the time they are only stored away.

I´m wondering what you all are using them for.

My guess is for the quick and dirty and lacking a more proper tool for the job... The Dremel becomes the all in one tool like a butter knife is to the the family that lacks any tools...

I also find it odd that everyone mentions it as a tool they can't live without, yeah I have a few and yeah I have and do use them every so often but it's hardly a go to tool for me... 9 out of 10 times now I only use it as a micro sized drill for bits that won't chuck up in a standard drill chuck...

I get a chuckle when I see people outright claim Dremel is crap.

Have you ever used a high end rotary tool? If you have then I can't fathom why you would get a chuckle out of Dremmels being crap... They truly are junk tools when you put them 1 to 1 with a high end rotary tool, yeah they work and yeah they get the job done but regardless of that they are still junk in the vast realm of rotary tools... Maybe it's because I have spent my entire life working with tools and making a living off tools that I appreciate and acknowledge a good tool over a junk tool, who knows... I still purchase a bunch of junk tools but I don't pretend they are anything more than what they are though... I have smoked, seized up, fried the speed controller and blown the bearings on more Dremel brand rotary tools then I care to count over the years and as I said I hardly ever use them... I personally can't fathom you having one that is 20 years old and still working flawless, my only current Dremmel brand one that functions at all is only give or take 5 years old and the speed controller is iffy at best, it gives off a nice smokey odor when being used, it has horrible torque when under load and after about 5 minutes it's literally too hot to handle... My Proxxon on the other hand purrs like a kitten...

For me the digital calipers have become a third hand, small X-acto like knifes and multiple hand files are also up there... Ever since I purchased a mill and lathe they have become invaluable as well... Table saw, full size big drill press and scroll saw also get their fair share of workouts... I even turn to my junky Ryobi cordless tool sets, cordless drill, circular saw, jig saw, impact driver all get their fair share of time $ for $ they perform pretty well and the low price allows me to have multiple chargers and literally a dozen batteries at my disposal...

When it comes to electronics I have a slew of other tools that are all god sends, but they are almost all specialized tools...

 

[Lichtbringer]

It depends on what medium you work with on how useful you'd find them. I use it for removing stock on wood and resin with the carving bits. Very useful for shaping but you have to have a steady hand. I used both the small and large drum sanding bits on wood and resin. The polishing bits on metal and cutoff wheels I use on pretty much any type of materiel. And of course regular drilling except with a rotary tool it's the speed and not the power that is best for drilling delicate pieces.

Hmm, the most i use is polystyrene sheet/parts. Due to the fact that these rotarys run faster and faster with every new model it´s more melting than anything else. Why comes every company with tools from 5000-25000, or even 8000 to 30000? Why not from 100 to 5000? That would be so much more usefull for the most people.

With this high turning the material is more grinded away than cutted - producing more dust in the air than chips on the table. Esspecially naughty when working with resin.

Thats the main reason why i try to avoid to use them. Whenever possible i try to use the mill or the lathe for such work, cause they don´t dust that much, the tools cut the material. But often it is a pain in the ass to fix the stuff in the machines as it is needed to machine it - a low-turning rotary tool would be sooooooo handy then, esspecially for "just a small cut".

 

[dropshipbob]

I don't know what the technical term for it is, but it's about six inches long, wooden handle, on one end is a triangular shaped piece of metal, on the other end is a curved piece. Both metal parts have beveled edges, I originally picked it up around twenty years ago at a ceramics store. In that environment it was used to remove the seams on pottery.

I've used that thing for so many different applications and I've had it for so long it's like an old friend, I'd freak out if I lost it.

 

[franz bolo]

My Dremel and my sanding block. I've also been giving my new Kobalt Diamond Micro File Set a workout.

These were on a closeout sale at Lowes.

FB

 

[exoray]

Why not from 100 to 5000? That would be so much more usefull for the most people.

Because you can't economically develop the torque at such low speeds, inside the limited package size with a direct drive... Sadly it's usually a price driven selection at most stores, so the options most people see are limited...

If you want the low speed with enough torque to get the job done you have to get yourself an external motor flex shaft tool, speed control and possibly a reduction gear attachment and you can have that 100 - 5000 range with sufficient torque... But they are not exactly cheap...

 

[Volpin]

Your vacuform table looks killer. What do you use as the heat source?

Did you follow any blueprints?

Nope, pretty much just winged it. If you're interested, I detailed the build here:

Volpin Props: Budget Build Mini Vacuum-Former

For heating coils, I pirated the elements out of an old toaster oven. Works great, and super cheap! I could have included the temp control switch if I had wanted to, but this was my first vac table build, so I kept it simple.

 

[Lichtbringer]

Because you can't economically develop the torque at such low speeds, inside the limited package size with a direct drive... Sadly it's usually a price driven selection at most stores, so the options most people see are limited...

If you want the low speed with enough torque to get the job done you have to get yourself an external motor flex shaft tool, speed control and possibly a reduction gear attachment and you can have that 100 - 5000 range with sufficient torque... But they are not exactly cheap...

There are millions of plastic-modellers out there - and they need no torque, just low speed. They now use a pin-vise (no fun when hundreds of 0,5mm holes need to be drilled in a spaceship for fiberoptics) - and other hand driven tools only. Dremel-types just melt the Styrene. I think there would be a market for slow and cheap but slow ones. There are some small battery driven tools of that kind out there - but unfortunatly all of them i know have a not very versatile chuck-type, they are not planned for all this toolbits. So they are not really usable for them.

Well, that´s the reason why i have no use for any of these rotary-tools - but it seems other guys use them with pleasure for their work, on other materials.

 

[exoray]

and they need no torque, just low speed.

If that is the case just run the Dremel through a light dimmer or purchase one of the already built tool motor speed controllers like below...

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Router-Speed-Control-15-Amp/G3703

Amazon.com: KB Electronics Solid State Variable Speed AC Electric Motor Control 5.0 Max amps 230V # K177-2005: Home Improvement

It will kill the available torque but you can bring the Dremel to a crawl...

 

[simplyprops]

My List will be:

1)My drilling machine
2)Glue gun
3)Epoxy
4)X-acto knife

 

[themanwoaname]

An extra person is invaluable to give different ideas on a situation, motivate you, keep you from going insane, and an extra pair of hands.

i actually prefer to physically work alone, because often when i get input, its completely wrong, im muscled out of the way, and i have to start over from scratch. mostly because what im doing, the people i know arent really aware of how im looking at things to turn them into something else. "you cant do that" or "it doesnt work like that" is something i used to deal with alot when i worked on my stuff on the side at work, because "i could" and "it did" is how it played out. i also enjoy solitude when working on a project, its really the only time i have any space to myself, and its also something that happily fills my mind when i have a spare moment to think.

could you imagine what i went through trying to explain how im splitting a toilet floater ball, modifying an outdoor irrigation fixture and some hose and making a rocket booster out of it?

now, a sounding board for tossing ideas around like "how do i make a cone?" or "can i reuse one shot foam cans?" thats helpful and much appreciated.



i also would like to throw in my dremel is fairly handy to have around, and was my first real tool ive ever owned. the first one i purchased was a black and decker jigsaw. i also got plenty of use out of my ryobi router/router table before my router decided it didnt want to change its height settings. a good trim router is also good to have around. a chord-less or chord drill is good too in lew of a drill press.

 

[Lichtbringer]

If that is the case just run the Dremel through a light dimmer or purchase one of the already built tool motor speed controllers like below...

It will kill the available torque but you can bring the Dremel to a crawl...

I read about the dimmer-thing in another us-based forum, and i tried it.

No idea why, but it didn´t worked, not a single turn, no matter what was adjusted. I asked my electrician, and he said "you need a tool with full power speed only, and then that can be controlled by a dimmer or other adjusting devices. These already adjustable tools need the full 240V input, othervise they don´t run."

The same answer i got from the technical service hotline of the manufacturer.

Is there any difference between our 240V and your 110V power systems that could cause that? Or between the control devices in the power-tools here and there?

Well, at least i can use my bigger machines from 0 - ..... - so it would be for me a "nice to have", and is no "i need it" for me.

 

[DaJudgeinator]

My tools are semi-metaphorical: I use the internet, and a money limit...because the lack of money allows me to find more interesting ways to make whatever prop/costume I'm after

 

[Mercury]

Have you ever used a high end rotary tool? If you have then I can't fathom why you would get a chuckle out of Dremmels being crap... They truly are junk tools when you put them 1 to 1 with a high end rotary tool, yeah they work and yeah they get the job done but regardless of that they are still junk in the vast realm of rotary tools... Maybe it's because I have spent my entire life working with tools and making a living off tools that I appreciate and acknowledge a good tool over a junk tool, who knows... I still purchase a bunch of junk tools but I don't pretend they are anything more than what they are though... I have smoked, seized up, fried the speed controller and blown the bearings on more Dremel brand rotary tools then I care to count over the years and as I said I hardly ever use them... I personally can't fathom you having one that is 20 years old and still working flawless, my only current Dremmel brand one that functions at all is only give or take 5 years old and the speed controller is iffy at best, it gives off a nice smokey odor when being used, it has horrible torque when under load and after about 5 minutes it's literally too hot to handle... My Proxxon on the other hand purrs like a kitten...

Considering I have also worked around tools all my life in house construction, cable TV installation to line work, millwright at a chemical plant then moved to the instrument electrical department, and now as a programmer, electrical troubleshooting and installation in the casino industry I'm hardly a novice. Still I haven't used or owned a high end rotary tool as I never had a need as the Dremels have worked fine. As far as your belief on my old Dremel, I ask that you take my word on it. I know I bought it in the early 90s and other than the flex coupling that turns the collet and a new set of brushes, it works as good as new.

 

[Tan Djarka]

I'd have to say my Dremel. BTW, it was my father's and he bought some time in the mid to late 80's. I guess that makes mine 20+ years old, but it's still goin' strong. From what I've heard, they don't make 'em like they used to, so I hope it doesn't crap out on me.

 

[Eaglewood]

My Hands!!!!!