Using a Dremel to make the holes?

[harrisg]

I've been using my drill press to make the holes for inside cuts but have been thinking about changing over to my Dremel. My drill press is an older one and uses the key for drill changes so it takes more time and is difficult. I'd like to get pros and cons on making this change to a hand held Dremel with a 1/16 or smaller bit.

[Gill]

I use a Dremel extensively but wouldn't dream of using it hand-held to drill holes for inside cuts. You need an accurate vertical hole for this, especially when using fine blades; most of us can't hold a Dremel perfectly vertical.

It's difficult to work on very large pieces because conventional drill presses don't have large enough throats to accept wide boards. Put the Dremel in a dedicated drill stand (they aren't that large, or expensive) and it becomes much more valuable for drilling holes prior to inside cuts. A Dremel in a drill stand can be moved over the piece itself very easily to drill into any size of board. Incidentally, mounting the Dremel in its drill stand and removing it is very simple - just a matter of tightening or loosening a couple of thumbscrews.

Gill

[Thomp]

harrisg,

I have a small battery operated dremel. i have used it on occasion for the purpose of drilling start holes for inside cuts, with good results, on my carvings like space between legs of charters where the angle or size of hole isent critical, i use the saw to remove bulk...

although, i would'nt reccomend it for fretwork or veining.

mikes workshop, as many other places has a small keyless chuck for around US.$9.50 for the little numbered bits it attaches in the current existing keyed chuch of your drill press, or pistol drill.

or if you are a tinkerer you could try to adapt a $10.00 dremel finger tight chuck to your drillpress, with a hollow shaft.. that could be key tightened in the key chuck then exchanging the small bits would be key less,

I did this with a old burnt out dremel by hacksawing the hollow motor shaft chuck end off,

the problem i see is hand held dremel if used for veining wont make the holes 90 dregese and fine fretwork would get tough to keep the bit as small as you need to fit the blade and to thread the blade through
starting the cut from the hole not being 90 may tear out more than you wish.

but i use my portable dremel with a 1/16" bit all the time for inside cuts on non critical stuff..

thomp2

[Neal Moore]

Using the dremel for pilot holes is not a real good choice. The only time I tried it I wound up with a 1/4 inch hole using a 1/16 inch bit. The thing "got away from me" and just kept chewing wood before I could get it turned off!!! I have a small proxxon drill press and the piece I was cutting at the time was too large for the throat of the press.

[CanadianScroller]

I have used both my drill press and a small dremel for drilling holes. Pros and cons for both.
There is an excellent plan for a parrallel arm jig that will keep the dremel perpendicular to your work for drilling those holes in the middle of a large piece.
It is in one of Patrick Speilmans books, but I don't recall which one.
I have a small pin vise pump drill I keep near my saw. It is great if you miss drilling one hole in pattern and don't want to run across the shop to set up the drill press again.
I would only use it on thin material.
I prefer drilling with a 1/32 bit. although I do jump up to 1/16 on thicker woods., just for ease of threading.
The 1/32 helps when veining thin lines. although sometimes you have to slit the wood a little to get a thicker blade in.

[bronco]

Gill,
I have a dremmel and I am thinking about getting a dremmel router table
and a roundover bit. How thick of wood can you use effectively using
this set up .I am doing mostly small projects but what is the biggest
project you can use?
Thanks ,
Bill

[Thomp]

bronco,
if you dont mind my 2 cents worth.
i bought the old style router base attachment and the craftsman-sears router table for the dremel, i think sears is just a licened (OEM) other equeptment manf. part licensed by dremel with a sears sticker on it. it sure looks like the dremel table.//

i have a 1/4th" and 1/8th" roundover bit for it. they have friction guide which will scortch wood.

i found that when you really work the router the bit heats and loostens, so you got to go slow, i have rounded over oak 2x2 blocks with 1/4th" and 1/8th" bits without any problems, that i could blame on the setup, usualy its my fault by not tighting the fence or some other thing.like letting it wander.

but making multi pass will always turn out better work when you remove less material per pas, other than crowding the bit and keeping the dremel under hard load.

with the 1/8th" straight cutting bit i found it nice for making drawer joints and bottom datos for drawer bottoms and box bottom. sliding box tops ect, on small jewelry chests

although it is a means to a end. i like the bigger router table for such jobs now that i have one.

[jttheclockman]

If no one objects I will throw my 2cents in here too. I would not use a dremel to drill holes nor to do router table work. The drill holes is a choice thing but a drill press is more acurate and easier.

The router table is another thing. Just because it is small and the pieces you make are small do not and I say this loudly do not think this is not as dangerous as a larger router. Bad mistake. First a few facts. The roundover bits for the dremel are not carbide they are HSS which will dull faster than carbide. They are only 1/8" shaft so you can not put much sideward pessure on them which happens when routing roundovers. When used this way the chuck has a tendency to loosen and the bit may fly out or at least move and ruin the cut. The router bits do not have bearings on them to help eliminate the burned marks you will get on the edges from the bit rubbing. When using soft woods this will leave indentations or impressions where the bit is guided. You do not get this with bearings unless you over push. I would suggest you look at one of the new palm routers that are smaller than the standard routers so the intimidatin factor might not be there. You can use a small router table or even make you own. They have the capabilities to have dust collection, ease of raising and lowering through the table, and they use a more stable bit a 1/4" carbide bit with beaings. Pluss you can use this router for non table use also and will do as good a job as a standard router. To me this is a better, safer, and cheaper way to go. Take a look here. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...4&cookietest=1 Now this is just my opinion.

[arbarnhart]

Another option to consider is getting a 1/8" collet for a plunge router (assuming you have one). Then it will take Dremel style drill bits and plunge them through vertically. If you have a really small shop (I do), a few simple jigs make a plunge router pretty darn versatile. It's a joiner, thickness planer, wood burner (that's a joke, son ), carver, saw, dado cutter and it can round and shape board edges pretty will also...

[Gill]

Hi Bill

As Thomp says, inverting the Dremel in its dedicated router table means that you can machine wood to whatever shape the dimensions of the cutting bit will allow; but be warned that the bits do heat up and are best used to remove a little wood with each pass.

The Dremel router table scores over many conventional setups because the bit passes through a relatively small hole in the table and therefore offers more support to small pieces that are being routed.

I've been able to round over some very small pieces using a simple home-made jig which holds the piece from above whilst it is being routed. With such a setup, no fence is needed.

Gill