I plan to purchase a rotary tool for cutting flex track and for milling p2k frames for speaker installation. Any recommendations on which one to buy? New or is reconditioned okay? Any recommendations on accessories such which cutting disk? Don’t have a specific budget, just want to purchase a quality unit at a reasonable price… Thanks!
I still have and use the Dremel that I bought over 20 years ago.
I have an old Craftsman. Works great.
For cutting track you might want to consider getting a larger diameter diamond cutting disc. The reason for the larger diameter is that smaller cutting discs can’t reach the rails at 90 degrees because the body of the rotary tool interferes with the cutting disc touching the rail at the proper angle.
The alternative is to buy an extension drive shaft which has a handle that is much smaller in diameter than the rotary tool itself.
If you are buying used, make sure the tool comes with two different sized collets (chuck inserts) because the cutting/grinding tools come with two different sized shafts.
Dave
Dremel…period. As for Craftsman, I believe the quality has fallen since Sears sold the brand. I am also not fond of buying used power tools, since you really don’t know how it was maintained.
If I was buying one new today, I would likely be following Bear’s advice. My Craftsman is probably 35 years old.
Dave
I would recommend this B&D tool in the link. You can’t beat the price and they are just as good as a Dremel without the high cost:
https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-RTX-6-3-Speed-Accessories/dp/B0001GUDRI/ref=dp_ob_title_hi
I have a B&D Wizard that has six adjustable speeds down to 1000 rpm, up to 30,000, with a flex shaft on it, that is over 45yrs. old and still looks and performs like new. I also have two Dremels that I hardly use at all.
The B&D will accept any rotary tool, with a 1/8’’ shaft and smaller. I like the slow speed you can adjust to…perfect for machining small Pewter casting parts and engine frames. The flex shaft is like holding a fat pencil, easy to control, without the bulk of the motor in your hand.
Good Luck, in Your choice! [:D]
Frank
A Dremel I bought many years ago. Also a variety of bits and a flexible shaft for work bench.
Dremel 545 diamond cutting wheel. Great for cutting track and modifying loco frames.
Battery operated version is useful.
Rich
In other words, when Craftsman meant Quality!
Well, the ailing SEARS sold the CRAFTSMAN brand to STANLEY BLACK & DECKER…
When SEARS owned it, keep in mind SEARS never owned a factory that made ANYTHING. Every SEARS brand was just contracted out to other big names in those industries.
Now at least, CRAFTSMAN is owned by a major tool manufacturer who actually owns and runs factories.
That said, I have a 45 year old DREMEL and a 35 year old DREMEL, they work great.
Sheldon
Black & Decker might not be the way to go with Sears sliding. I’ve been watching closely to see if someone comes forward to take over Craftsman, B&D, Stanley and DeWalt.
I have several Dremel tools and their quality is one of the very best out there. Roto Zip is very good for heavy duty work.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
My experience says more than one tool for the range of needs.
I have a nice variable speed AC Dremel that is great for cutting track, moderate cutting, drilling, etc,. using various attachments. i find the drill bit attachment a plus.
Now, on milling metal such as P2K frames to make more room for epeakers, quite a different issue:
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small protuberances can readibly be shaved down with a Dremel grinding bit
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removing more metal, let’s say 1/8 - 1/4" across the width of the metal weight, is a bigger challenge. In some cases my 6" bench grinder removed a moderate amount of metal, but in one case I went too far and the weight got too warm and the crummy metal bent and broke into 2 pieces, which I luckily straightened and epoxied back to one piece.
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That led me to pursue milling approach (not my tools) to any significant metal removal on a weight. Did the next one at a machine shop for $20 (pricey for us) and then, luckily, found I knew a friend with a milling machine.
My overall point, one tool likely will not do everything you will need. But include a good Dremel with various attachments in your base kit.
I have a Dremel, in both corded, and cordless varieties.
I highly recommend the flex shaft attachment.
For those curious, Black & Decker makes their own line, Stanley, Craftsman, DeWalt and Porter Cable tools. (EDIT: SHC is not the owner of B&D, but B&D now owns the Craftsman name.)
Sears Roebuck (now Sears Holdings, SHC) never had a factory that they owned, in any line they carried. Craftsman, and Kenmore lines have always been contracted out to the lowest bidder, willing to make the product to SHC specs. Craftsman was made by B&D for a while even before the sale.
Kenmore Appliances are currently made by Whirlpool, Daewoo, LG and Electrolux, depending on the model.
I used to work for a company that has a business relationship with SHC to carry their products in locally owned and operated franchise store locations. (Seperate from SHC, but operates in a close relationship with them.) So I do have knowledge of how “Sears” brands are done.
(So your “good” Craftsman tools, were never “made” by Craftsman, nor SHC.)
But, Dremel tools are very well built. (Only ever had one go bad, and I think it had a defect to start with, as one of the “cooling fins” broke and jammed in the tool.)
Some of the “knock-off” bits are cheaply built, so just remember, you will get what you pay for.
After doing some research I found out I was incorrect about Sears owning B&D so their tools should be OK.
Somewhere down the road I heard that Sears took over B&D and that was an error. Sorry!
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
For many years, decades actually, the CRAFTSMAN hand tool line was mostly contracted out to SK Tools. Eventually that changed.
But, like all these kinds of things, no one company owns factories to make the wide range of products sold under a brand name like CRAFTSMAN.
In the 1980’s I was a MATCO TOOLS dealer, today easily SNAP ON’s biggest competitor.
Not MATCO, or SNAP ON, own the factories that make every item with their name on it.
In fact, of all the major tool brands, MATCO is the only one that owns a tool box factory…
When they began in 1979 as an off shoot of MAC TOOLS, the only thing in their line they actually made was the tool boxes.
Their sockets came from ALLEN Manufacturing, their wrenches from Bonnie, their screwdrivers from Vermont American, chisels and pullers from Old Forge, etc.
Today, that is all different, but same rules apply. They make some stuff, and contract out other stuff.
SNAP ON is no different.
For a while, a decade or so ago, MATCO’s factories also made a lot of the COBALT tools at LOWES. But that changed too.
Sheldon
I had a Sears Craftsman rechargeable drill. The battery died and would not take a charge. Took it back to Sears(before they closed our local store) and they weaseled out of their guarantee by saying they only warranted hand tools such as wrenches, hammers etc. Anything that was electrical was not covered. This was on a drill that was about 3 years old. I vowed never to buy anything that said Craftsman on it again. I have a 30 year old corded Dremel and a cordless 5 year old Dremel. Both continue to give excellent service. Dremel is the only way to go.
My 2 cents worth. SHC-RIP
Mark B.
I had a nice variable-speed Dremel that quit - don’t recall what the problem was, but when I contacted Dremel for parts, they told me that that model had been discontinued and they had no parts available.
I later came into a single-speed Dremel, which works okay, but my go-to is a JobMate with a flexshaft. I use it mostly with a cut-off disc.
For drilling, especially with small numbered bits, (and when not using pin vises) my DeWalt cordless impact driver, with a hex-drive collet, is a better choice, as it’s easy to control by feeding the work to the well-supported tool.
Wayne
Mark, respectfully they did not “weasel” out of anything. Since the beginning, the “lifetime warranty” only applied to hand tools.
Same is/was true with SNAP ON, MATCO, MAC, SK, CORNWELL, COBALT, HUSKY, STANLEY, NEW BRITTON, BONNIE, etc, etc.
Sheldon
Yes Bear, absolutely!!
A long time ago I managed the Hardware Departments in a couple of Sears Canada stores and I was very proud to sell the Craftsman products of the time. In fact, I got a great deal of pleasure from honouring the lifetime warranties on the hand tools.
Then things started to deteriorate. We went from replacing ratchet wrenches outright to providing customers with rebuild kits. The kits worked fine, but I still felt that it was a shabby way of doing business. They were a PITA to install if you didn’t have any experience doing it. I instructed my staff to do the installation for the customer despite the fact that we weren’t supposed to.
Power tools never had the lifetime warranty, but if someone brought in something that had malfunctioned they were usually given a replacement. I remember trying to get rid of the broken power tools. We had to destroy them so that nobody could bring them back again for a replacement. It took many many hard blows on a concrete floor to even begin to damage the casings. It was exhausting if there were more than a couple of tools to destroy. Fortunately, that was a rare experience.
Even the socket wrenches that were used with impact guns when they shouldn’t have been got replaced, but we also tried to sell a proper set of impact sockets with the transaction.
While we may lament the passing of Sears (at least so far in Canada - Sears USA won’t be far behind), I am reluctant to cast the same shadow on other companies, particularly those in the model railroading industry. I have experienced many examples of companies like InterMountain repeatedly going above and beyond what reasonable customer service would dictate in order to totally satisfy me as a customer. Rapido recently replaced a locomotive for a friend of mine that had been lost in shipping. They bore no responsibility for the loss but none the less t
Hi,
Dremel knows a thing or two about rotary tools.
Here’s a look at part of my arsenal:
I have two more out in the “Big Shop”. That little #800 cordless is fourteen years old this May. The battetry holds a charge perfectly, even if I don’t use the tool for six months or so. It is the first one I grab when I need a quick cut-off or grinding chore.
There’s no doubt that Dremel indeed supplied Craftsman. The mold-cavity IDs are identical. These were made in USA, probably twenty-years ago. I don’t think I’ve ever lubed the bearings or replaced the brushes even after some hard use:
The flex-shaft is also a handy accessory as Frank pointed out. Here you can see how well it can make a 90° cut in rail:
Usually larger diameter wheels are thicker. For cutting electrical rail-gaps thin is good. Fill the gap with styrene and epoxy or ACC. Thicker wheels are sometimes fiber reinforced and may tend to grab. You have to cut carefully. As you are heating the rail it is expanding and when you get to the bottom of the cut the rail ends will tend to pinch the wheel. Cut slowly and allow the cut to cool a little before finishing.
Sometimes I use my flex-shaft at the model bench with the tool ha
Ed,
I have the same Craftsman (Dremel) tool.
Dave