I’ve been thinking about buying a rotary tool, now that I’m about to get into the track laying stage, so I have a few questions.
1- What brands to look for and which to stay away from
2- Variable speeds a must?
3- Cordless or corded?
4- Most used accessories?
5- Any other tips you can think of to add?
Jarrell
I would definately go for a Dremel (and I did). It has been a great tool with many available accesories, of which new accessories are always being introduced. It would probably be handy to have both a corded and cordless tool.
Variable speeds are absolutely a must. Some materials don’t react so well with higher RPMs (heat), but you want the higher RPMs there to work with other materials such as metal.
The one accessory that I found a must is the flexible shaft, especially when working with kits. That way you don’t have to worry about balancing the weight of the tool while you are working. Another accessory that is good to have around is the drill press adapter. They are expensive, but worth every penny.
1 - Dremel is what I use and I am very pleased with it. I have 3.
2 - Yes get variable speed.
3 - I have both. The cordless (I have the 10.2v) is very handy around the layout. The corded ones work very well also, just have to drag the cord.
4 - Flexible shaft, I have one of my corded models permenantly set up with it - very handy attachment. I also have the drill press attachment, but I don’t use it as much.
5. - Get one of the kits with an assortment of bits and collets.
Enjoy
Paul
I agree variable speed Dremel Tool but I think that the best accessory is eye protection.
I have a variable speed corless Dremel. The single most useful tool I have. I have hundreds of attachments and have used most of them.
You can’t go wrong with one. You’ll wonder how you worked without it…
Dremel is the best deal for the dollar out there. I have a corded and a cordless unit, use the heck out of both of them. The flex shaft is a must though, it makes the jobs easier. Many years ago I bought a generic model, and it would get real hot and vibrated terrible. Dremel is your best bet.
Make sure you follow the directions for “breaking in” the flexible shaft. This is an absolute must to aid in a longer life for your flex shaft.
I have a Craftsman, I bought it at a yard sale for $20.00 It came with a 1/8" collett, a drill bit chuck (holds drills as small as #60), an arbor and a package of cut-off wheels. It is variable speed. I use it almost every day.
1- Dremel
2- Yes
3- Corded never runs out of juice
4- All
5- Get a flexible shaft
Now you know what I have. I might add that it is an OUTSTANDING too.
I have the Dremel cordless with the Lithium battery. It is wonderful. Except for extreemly high power needs like extended carving it has plenty of power and not having a cord is great when doing little tasks on the layout of workbench.
[#ditto][#wstupid]
Dremel it’s the way to go !
i bought a dremel over 20 years ago , used it a few times with hobby stuff , used it for doing some minor grinding and some polishing during my motorcycling years , lent it to my wife for about 5 years while she was starting out in the jewelery business (she now uses one of these http://www.blackstoneind.com/foundations/store/home.asp , used it for a few things when we renovated a house last year , and now it’s back in my tool kit , still running like new . in fact i think other than a couple of screwdrivers i swiped from my dad , my dremel is probably my oldest tool
It looks as though Dremel is the clear favorite around here. Thank you all for your responses, I guess I’ll be looking for one tomorrow. And the accessories And the flexible shaft.
Jarrell
Jarrell, this should be the only Dremel you’ll ever need!
It comes with pretty much everything & I know because I bought one!
Gordon
One of the dumbest things I ever bought was a RotoZip because I found out the Dremel has attachments to do spiral cutting like the RotoZip and can do so much more. I use the cutoff wheels most often but the other attachments come in handy as well.
If you’re going to do much cutting, get some Dremel fibreglass reinforced cutoff wheels. Micro Mark also sells them. They last forever and don’t break like the smaller ones do. Wish I had discovered them many years ago, it would have saved me destroying so many of the others!
Bob Boudreau
I bought a basic Dremel at Lowe’s, which was significantly cheaper than Home Depot for some reason. It’s corded, has 2 speeds and did not come with a flexible shaft. So far, it’s been enough for me.
I’ll second bukwrm’s recommendation for eye protection. The tool is spinning at thousands of RPM, so any scraps that come off your work will really be moving. Occasionally, the cutting wheels will wear out and shatter, too.
I also bought some bulk-packs of cutting wheels, both the thick and thin ones. I added an extra collet shaft so I could easily swap cutting wheels without having to remove and replace the wheels themselves.
I have only a cordless. With a spare battery, I’ve never run out of power or found anything it couldn’t do yet.
EYE PROTECTION, as others have said the cut-off wheels break very easily and will fly across the room in less than a second.
For cutting track I think a Xuron rail cutter is faster and easier.
I have a corded dremel tool that is great! They have alot of good accesories and work well with the varible speed. I have a black and decker cordless rechargable. It works just as well.