Help: Need advice for a friend hopefully someone with experience using a dremel can answer this

[Eugene]

There isn't anything inherently unsafe about using a dremel as a mini router. Basically think of it as cutting a 3" wide, 3" deep slot with your

1.5hp and a 3/4" bit, you will need to make about 100 passes per slot :). Since dremel's don't have much power and the bits are small and don't have a lot of mass they don't hit very hard when they do break so long as she is wearing safety glasses and not a low cut shirt like the girl carpenters she's seen on tv ;) Why not give her a handful of biscuits and let her cut biscuit slots with the dremel? At least have her try on a scrap piece so she can realize that it will take two hours of cutting or a dozen broken bits per slot.

[SawDust]

I think this is crazy. But I'd rather have someone with experience of using a dremel tool explain whether this is safe or not.

A female freind wants to cut some dado's or grooves for a shelf. For the sake of arguement assume the depth to be 3/8" x 3/4" wide. Dremel tool. I assume she has the router base for it. The wood is old pine. It's hard and very dense.

Is this safe to do. "Personally I think the bits just going to come flying off the dremel, when it get's hot and snaps...

Any thoughts...

Pat

[Michael Latcha]

Two good rules:

1. If you don't think it's safe, don't do it.
2. Friends don't let friends do unsafe things.

[George]

Sure will. Those Dremel brand bits are the pits.

I've used my Dremel in its router base with a flat-bottomed rotary file to cut mortises for hinges, but it's a slow and careful process, and a lot less area.

[Swingman]

With patience and small, incremental cuts, she should be OK. I would certainly advise using the available router base for the tool, going slow and easy, and using a guide fence and eye protection.

It's obvioulsy going to take some time, but that may well be a readily available commodity in this case.

[SawDust]

Just because I say it's unsafe - doesn't mean she's going to listen. I ain't never used a dremel, but I have seen my 1.5 HP router spinning a

3/4" bit in that stock and the dremel's going to come apart in my opinion.

Naturally, I don't want to see her get hurt doing something dumb, so I'm looking for backups and advice regarding her doing this.

Thanks

Pat

[patriarch]

SawDust wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You could offer to do it with her in your much better equipped shop....

Or help her with using hand tools, which in this case may be faster, more accurate, and safer.

Do you think there's a good reason she asked you about the process?

Patriarch

[SawDust]

Hi Swingman,

I was always taught that a router is not a saw. That an awful pile of wood to remove with a dremel, and while hoping the bit doesn't snap, fly off and smack her in the face.

I think there are a lot safer ways to do this...

Thanks for the response though...

Pat

[SawDust]

Hi George,

I can see this, cause your only removing about a 1/16th of an inch.

Tell me, does the dremel spin in the same direction as a router.? I've been told with a router the bits generally fly away from the operator. What's the result with a dremel when a bit snaps.? What sort of rpm.?

Pat

[SawDust]

Well I'm doing my best to follow those rules...

But since I've never used a dremel and I can imagine the results, I thought I'd get an opinion from someone with experience.

Rule #3 of life - Sometimes Friends don't listen till it's too late..

That's why I'm looking for advice to either resolve my concern or back up my argument that it is unsafe.

Thanks for your response.....

Pat

[GerryG]

Well, this should be safe enough if she uses a 3/4 bit; the dremel will immediately stall and not move. The low torque on the dremel's the issue. Just like any router, safety relates to the bit size and how deep a cut. I've never tried this with mine, but imagine that if you go slowly enough, it will eventually work. Many people do use the dremel router on wood, mostly for very shallow cuts following a pattern, for putting a design on the surface.

Regarding hot/snap, if she tried a 1/8 bit and pushed it a little too hard, it could very easily fly off.

GerryG

[SawDust]

Thank you Patriarch, I was hoping for your comments.

I'd be more than happy to do this with my router for her. But she wishes to learn and do this herself. I agree she should learn, but I think there are safer ways to do this and I have never used a dremel tool, and personally I don't think this tool is safe to use, when removing that amount of material, even with shallow passes.

It's too many passes to make. The bits going to get hot. She will probably rush the cut. I can basically see that bit deflecting and snapping off.

She's gung ho to use the dremel - just like she see's on the TV commercial.

Personally, I cut kerfs, knock out the material and then use the router to clean up the shoulders and give me a consistent depth. I was taught a router is not a saw and it makes sense. A dremel is not a router. It's a detail tool.

As for her asking: I found out only today after asking what she was going to do with some old pine I had given to her, a month ago. She does crafts etc. Now she wants to build a book shelf.

I have suggested that glue and screws would work just as well, but she wants to use the dremel and cut grooves and dados etc.

Now I'm trying to find out if this is safe.

Thanks

Pat

[J]

Maybe you lend her your 1.5HP router and 3/4" bit and be done with it.

-Jack

[mp]

What she's trying to do isn't inherently unsafe. I doubt you'll be able to find a bit for it anywhere near 3/4". I think 1/4" is the largest you can get. The dremel doesn't have a whole lot of torque and with a 3/4" bit it would bog down .3 seconds into the cut. She'll probably end up making a dozen or so shallow passes with a 1/4" bit in order to get the required width and depth, and if she has a steady hand it won't look that bad.

[Dave Balderstone]

She's trying to move a pile of sand with a pair of tweezers...

[Dave Balderstone]

Sorry, I didn't answer that question.

Yes it will be safe to do if she moves the tool slowly and takes cuts no deeper than 1/8 inch. 1/16 inch would be safer. Slower is better.

Going past safe to is it sane...

Calculate the number of cuts it will take.

1/8 inch bit cutting at 1/16 deep. 10 passes for width, six passes for depth (probably 80, to do propoer cleanup at the bottom if doesn't have a chisel...). 60-80 passes PER dado or groove.

Figure a Dremel bit MIGHT last 30-50 passes before it's too dull to be useful. So 2-4 bits per dado or groove.

Value of her time + cost of bits = cheap router and 3/8 bit, IMO

djb

[patriarch]

SawDust wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You've answered your own question.

/religion and/or philosophy on

That little voice in your head was put there for a reason. Listen to it.

/religion and/or philosophy off

Patriarch

[SawDust]

Thank You David... Kudos for both responses.

Pat

[SawDust]

Hi Jack,

Naw, she wants to graduate to the big league. Leave crafting and start building things. She wants to do this herself and she's bent on using the dremel tool. I suspect from seeing it used on TV, in those wonderful commercials.

Unfortunately in the real world it's not as easy as seen on TV.

As for lending tools. My current tools are the replacements for the ones I'm still waiting to come back. I'd be happy to coach her through using my router "she's never used one before", but she wants to use her dremel.

Pat

[Dave Balderstone]

'cept for the obvious typos, which are, well... obvious.

And it's Dave, not David... Start calling me David and Keeter might get confused as to which Canuck he's poking fun at.

;-)