it’s the corded type and came with a few accessories and a flexible shaft. This is the first rotary tool of this type I’ve owned and I think I’m gonna like it, as soon as it dawns on me all the stuff you can do with one. I was thinkin’ bout goin into Dentistry now to help pay for model railroading… not!
I do have a question about the cutoff wheels that came with it though. I tried it out on some scrap Atlas 100 track using the #420 cutoff that came with it. While it did a fine job, this cutoff seems a little ‘thick’ for this work. Is this the one to use or is there a better one?
Thanks,
Jarrell
I just use Xuron rail nippers. Much faster.
Jarrell,
There are two types of cut off wheels. One is a fairly thick one similar to larger ones used in 4" grinding tools. The other is a thinner disk that looks kind of like sandpaper. This is the one I use for cutting rail.
Hope this helps.
Tom
The thin one explodes pretty easily. I would stick with the thicker one at first, and wear glasses! Fred
Be careful with the thin cut off wheels as they will shatter if slightly twisted when cutting. Wear eye protection too, I cant tell you how many times over the years I have shattered a wheel or been hit in the face by debris when using a Dremel,so far,the peepers are fine!![8D]
Safety precautions are always a given when wroking with tools, power or otherwise.
Tom
Ditto on the safety glasses. I keep several pairs - one in the train room, one over the switch on my radial arm saw, one on the work bench - that way there is always one handy.
Enjoy
Paul
Jarrel;
I have found that if you use 2 of the thin discs together it lengthens the life considerably. They are not so prone to shattering. When I was laying my track I was able to use the same 2 for about 2 months.
Tom
Jarrell, I have used the thin diamond wheel to cut gaps in the Fast Tracks #8 switches I am building. My technique is not so good, but if you dab at the material repeatedly, you should have no shattering problems. Some people think that they can cut through metal with one of those wheels like it was butter, but that is not the case. For the sake of the rail and the wheel, dab, dab, dab. Let the wheel cool for a couple of seconds in between. It takes practice, but you will learn.
Thank for the information. I dug my safety glasses out of the tool shed and they’re now laying on the rr workbench ready for use.
Jarrell
With the thin discs, I’ve found that if you DO NOT apply much pressure & let the tool do the cutting, the disc will last. Once you apply too much pressure, the disc will snap.
Gordon
On buying a Dremel: You’ll never be sorry. You’ll probably also never figure out all of the things you can do with it. I’m always finding new uses.
Seems to me someone a while ago suggested “reinforcing” those thin cutoff discs with several coats of CA adhesive. The idea is to hold them together when they’d rather disintegrate. I’ve never tried it myself but I can understand how it might be effective.
Chuck
Dremels are great. I just used mine yesterdqy to change out a Axle shaft on a car. The bolt on the shaft was bonded on so I had to use the dremel to cut that big bolt off before I could change it out. I love my Demel
Cutting kitchen faucet hold-down bolts, cutting sink drain nut (the big one under the sink), trimming aluminum threshold to fit, trimming edge of laminate floor, cutting off toilet nuts and shortening the replacement bolt, lightly trimming ceramic wall tiles (the wet saw works better)…
As you can see, there are many uses for a Dremel OUTSIDE the train room. After a while, it will be the tool you pick up first for any job!
Darrell, rotary-minded, and quiet…for now
I have the same tool and I used it to cut track as well. Well did. I found the when the flex track is laid and ready to cut, it was impossible to get the tool nice and square with the track so the cut was at and angle and did not connect well with the next piece. Now I just use a pair of electrical dikes. Works fine.
Oh, I am using N-scale track. Might work better on the large HO stuff.
Peter
Jacon…as with the above saftey tips wearing eye protection, Dont buy the cheaper grinding wheels, be sure to check the Dremals RPM speed and dont ever buy a grinding stone that is rated at a lower RPM, they will explode before the dremal reaches its max RPM.
Dreamels are nice, but I can mark, and cut track with a Zuron before you can get the dremal out of its case. Is also a heck of a lot safer, Just my 2 cents as an retired machinist…John
Thats good to know some uses outside of the train room, but what about the uses IN the train room. Cutting rail seems to be the most common, but I have heard they they are to fast to drill plastic models. What MR uses are there?
Cutting track with the Dremel absolutely requires the use of the flexible shaft accessory in order to make square, rather than angled cuts. Rail nippers or a razor saw will work well too.
Ditto on the thin cut-off wheels. Slow and easy does the trick. Ditto on the safety glasses.
I bought a tile cutting attachment for my Dremel. It was awsome for cutting tiles to fit around the receptacles in our kitchen backsplash.
The Dremel is useful any time you need to cut, grind, drill, shape, polish, sand, carve, burnish, file, taper, trim…the list goes on and on. There have been times when the Dremel was the ONLY tool for a given job. [2c]
I have the flex shaft, but do not use it to cut rail. I DO use the larger reinforced discs to cut rail!! Years ago I had one of the standard cut-off wheels shatter, and although I had safety glasses on, I had about 8 or 10 nasty little cuts on my face!! Using various attachments, I’ve cut the center rail, truck side frames, and various other parts to allow a couple of my Walthers passenger cars to negotiate the 22" radius curves on my plywood central!! My kit came with the lawnmower sharpening attachment, but it’s not worth a XXX, but I’ve used the reinforced cut-off discs to sharpen the blade (electric mower - too lazy to remove the blade so I just turn it over!). I’m on my 2nd Dremel - the first one only laster 25 or 30 years!! The new one is variable speed & included a bunch of accesories like the flex shaft, circle jig, blade sharpeneer, etc. Read the book that comes with the tool - it lists a cazillion things it will do!!
Jason, if your Dremel is single speed and you want variable speed look for a sewing machine foot treadle. Its kinda like a gas peddle type thing, I use one to have both hands free to control my dremel. It also lets me turn it on and off with my foot while giving variable speed control.
As for the thin cutoff disc, I call them popcorn disc. The thick ones aren’t so bad at popping. But they do sell a fiberglass reinforced cutoff disc for a Dremel