Love/hate the Dremel

[tartan30cirrus]

I have done some pretty amazing destruction with my little Dremel....good destruction like reefing out old core or making purposeful holes in my deck. The thing is a workhorse. The little cutting discs that come with it will cut off a SS screw or bolt no problem.

So I picked up the router attachment kit....tried it...sucked. Don't recommend it for anything more serious than routering VERY thin wood or veneer....not 1/2" mahog. Maybe the tool is not designed for this, so it just me. What are others' experiences with the Dremel, its uses and downfalls?

Cheers,
CLint
Tartan 30 #388 Cirrus
Portland, MAine

[FloatingMoneyPit]

Clint,
I am a huge fan of the Dremel, given realistic expectations. It is tempting to think that it can do more than it can, but I have to remind myself that it is just a little guy, really meant for small hobby-size projects. I
I've found it excellent for the following:

The "sawing" bits are exellent for cutting very slowly, but cleanly, through thinner f/g laminates. I used it to cut the holes for a bulkhead compass and cockpit bilge pump handle. Maybe 3/16" solid fiberglass.
These same "saw" bits are indeed useless on 1/2" mahogany. I've also tried that.

Cutting discs are great for cutting all sorts of stuff in tight spaces. I easily cut a small test patch of deck topskin (1/8"+). Likewise for an 1/8" layer of rotten cork plywood on the cabin sole. Would probably be handy for trimming loose fiberglas tabbing as well. I finally got smart and bought a whole canister of them.

Grinding bits. As I write this, a bunch of nearly-cured, messy epoxy and MarineTex blobs sit on my boat just waiting for the Dremel's attention. An angle grinder is way too much tool for this; a drill is too fast. Being able to set the Dremel speed lets you grind slowly and carefully.

I definitely recommend it for any DIY sailor. You won't use it all that often, but it can be just the thing when all else fails.

[grampianman]

Yes, the Dremel is what it is. It does not have the power of a 1/2" drill, but I have done a lot of cutting of fibreglass tabbing with the cutting disc. I highly recommend the metal and diamond dust cutting discs which can be purchased at Harbour Freight or Northern Tool. I had the Dremel fabric cutting discs, but they shatter much too easily. The metal can take a good bit of abuse. I do have an authentic Dremel metal cutting disc, but for it's price I found I could get a pack of five at Harbour Freight. They go through the tabbing like a knife through soft putty. They are pretty good about cutting metal, too. A lot of metal staples were used on the interior of my Grampian and when I pulled away the rotten wood from the good, the staples needed to be cut off. Dremel to the rescue!
On the router and other attachments, it can only handle small stuff.

Cheers,
Ian