Thread: Rotary tool?

Hi guys, so I was thinking about picking up a rotary/dremel type tool recently for all its various uses, razor restores included. The only power tools I have access to at the moment are a drill and hand held circular saw (not sure if thats the proper name for it). I'm not all that tool savvy and was thinking a rotary tool would provide a lot of utility in a single item. A quick search here brought up this guy as a recommended alternative to a dremel:

American Science & Surplus : "rotary" - Rotary and Dremel Tools

Not much discussion on it though, so I was wondering if anyone has experience with these? I'm planning on using it (as far as razor related things go) for restoring old blades and making scales. This would mean: sanding and buffing razors for restoring; cutting, shaping and sanding wood and other scale materials; drilling pin holes and cutting pins; whatever else I discover I might be able to use it for.

I understand a dremel is a bad choice for this because of the high minimum speed, but this should be alright from what I understand. One of my main concerns is that it would be difficult if not impossible to drill a decent pin hole without a guide. Is there a way to do this?

Is this tool a good choice for this kind of work, and is it going to be as much as I'm planning on using it for? Is it still possible to use this around the house (i.e. not just at a bench like it appears to be set up for)? Also, would you guys recommend picking up any of the bit sets listed on that page as well? I'm not really sure what I might need just from looking at those pictures (though I'm sure I will figure it out real quick!) so, would one (or a few) of those kits set me up pretty well from the get-go?

Thanks for any help here, as always!

A lot of Dremel sets come with a flexible extension shaft, and it's possible to buy a foot-operated variable speed attachment for them. That would give you the same setup as shown, but with a lot more long-term flexibility. I've been using Dremel rotary tools for about 25 years now, and I'm alway surprised at the new uses I find for them.

It's worth going down to your local hardware store to check out bit sets in person. Some sets are really cheap, and not worth any money whatsoever. It's best to see them in person and decide for yourself.

If you're going to try drilling holes precisely, then you will want to get either a micro drill press (such as the Micro-lux), or a drill-press kit for the Dremel. Milescraft makes one for about $40. You will have a lot of trouble drilling precise holes while holding the Dremel or a flexible shaft by hand. You will also want to make jigs to hold the work to the drill press table.

Fred

Years ago a flexible shaft made a lot of sense because
electric motors and motor controls were so heavy
and expensive. Also adding a flexible shaft does generate some
strange and difficult torque vectors and in my opinion
they are less safe. They do have their place but....

I got this one, its OK.
It has speeds much slower than any Dremel, but as I got more experience I use dremel 99% of the time. I use that tool for drilling pin holes in the scales now. The more expensive but better option is to get the same tool with speed adjusting knob instead of a pedal. Foredom and Wesheer, make them, Wescheer is cheaper and you can find them @ traditionalwoodworker.com

Interesting... its advertised as 500-22,000 rpm, and most dremels seem to be advertised as 5,000-20,000 rpm. Is it just slower than advertised or is there some inconsistency here?

As far as I could tell from previous threads, and general mention around the forums here, dremels are discouraged because of that rather high minimum speed. Supposedly they generate a lot of heat that can ruin the temper of a blade while buffing/polishing. The model I linked is also supposed to be a cheaper imitation of the Wecheer according to the person that linked it originally at least. (sorry can't seem to find the original thread) Their main issue being the variable speed and the ability to keep it on the low end, though.

It's worth going down to your local hardware store to check out bit sets in person. Some sets are really cheap, and not worth any money whatsoever. It's best to see them in person and decide for yourself.

Actually, I'm really just clueless about what types of bits would be useful to have and what I should have on hand to do all the types of work scale and razor restores might require. I know buffing wheels and sanding dremels but my knowledge is really very vague at this point. This is a very good piece of advice though, and one I hadn't considered (even if I wouldn't know one way or another at this point)

Those are two different tools , so the speed ranges are true.
As far as heat, if you have a jig it will take care of the heat dissipation away from the blade.
In my experience when sanding the blade does not heat, but then you polish it does.

It has speeds much slower than any Dremel

Sorry, read this as "Its speed is much slower than any dremel" so please disregard that question about speed differences.

Anyways, my main question for you would be why the dremel over this guy? Is it an issue of flexible shaft vs. having the whole thing in your hand? Or is it a quality/consistency/convenience difference?

Also, is the Wecheer model really worth another $100 just for that nob?

Thanks for answering all my silly questions here, as you can probably tell I really know little about this stuff and I really appreciate it.

I would use neither unless you are very patient. Dremels kill blades, scales, and fingers very quickly... and I have rarely seen a Dremel-produced project that really is up to snuff...

...that said, if you don't have access to a shop or the space or money to buy some tools, if you are patient and work very slowly you can become quite proficient with a rotary tool.

Good luck!

The dremel is really only going to help you with putting a polishing compound on with a felt wheel. They are cool to have around the house and do come in handy.

It is hard to explain why they aren't the best for resto until you get that Dremel in your hands and go to work. When I was handsanding my first blade, I thought of the dremel and tried it. I almost ruined the razor.
I almost don't even want to use it to polish.

I am going to invest in a buffing wheel. This is what the guys that do the best work on here use.

Your not looking at that much more money for something that will give you better results with a ton of practice.

Originally Posted by Patches

Sorry, read this as "Its speed is much slower than any dremel" so please disregard that question about speed differences.

Anyways, my main question for you would be why the dremel over this guy? Is it an issue of flexible shaft vs. having the whole thing in your hand? Or is it a quality/consistency/convenience difference?

Also, is the Wecheer model really worth another $100 just for that nob?

Thanks for answering all my silly questions here, as you can probably tell I really know little about this stuff and I really appreciate it.

Pushing the pedal to produce constant speed can be very uncomfortable. the Wesheer has a knob that sets the speed.