Rheostat foot pedal for dremel tool ?????

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hello all,

Where on this planet would one find a rheostat foot pedal ? I tried Radio Shack but no go. Do you think Lowes or Home Depot would care these ? How about my local Grainger industral tool store ?

I really need one of these for my dremel rotary tool. I’d like not to have to order one of these on-line.

Patrick
Beaufort,SC
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}

2

Typo…Do you think Lowes or Home Depot would “carry” these ?

Patrick

3

I’ve never seen them available in stores. Everybody I know who has one, ordered it.

4

I use a discarded one from a sewing machine, seems to work pretty good. I can slow down my motor tools to a crawl and still have my hands free. Perhaps pricing one at a sewing machine shop might be an option. I know the Dremel ones aren’t cheap.

Bob Boudreau

5

Because it is 120 volt you need something that will work with that. A low voltage one will catch fire.
One thing you could try is a foot pedal for a sewing machine.
Another one it to try a foot speed pedal for other workshop machines.
I hope that helps.

6

Thank you all for your input. Gents and to say I had one of those sewing machine pedals at one time…rats.

Patrick
DRSC

7

Do you really need the instantly variable speed of a foot pedal? I would think most uses would require a constant speed at whatever RPM is is appropriate for the work.

Have you thought of using a Variac (variable transformer) to control the speed?

http://www.iseincstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=23

On the other hand, the Variac ain’t cheap and you might be able to get the foot pedal off a sewing machine quite a bit cheaper.

Andre

8

Try Micromark. www.micromark.com Item # 82412 at $29.95 + $8.95 shipping. How old is your dremel tool? Most have a speed control on them.

9

My dremel is fairly new ,only two years old {with speed control on it}. The problem is when I use it, I use it for long periods of time and having to turn it on and off is a pain. I thought by buying one of these rheostat’s would solve problem, instead of turning it on and off all the time.
I also do quite a bit of low speed drilling, and need one of my hands free.

Thank you for the link…

Patrick
Beaufort,SC
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}

10

They are all over Ebay.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&satitle=dremel%20foot&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&bs=Search&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=31217&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo&saprchi&fsop=1&fsoo=1

11

The minimum speed using the built in control is something like 5000 RPM, which can be way too high for some projects. A separate speed control such as my sewing machine one will slow the tool down to almost a stop if needed. Great for starting holes, etc.

Bob Boudreau

12

Not sure a rheostat will work on a tool that already has speed corntrol. The built in control is electronic and may not work on reduced voltage. Try to borrow one for a test before buying one.

13

Suggestion. Use telephone. Call hardware stores in your area. Simple!