Official Luthiers Forum!

These questions are posed to people who own dremels. What model(s) do you own? What functions do you use it for (Not what it CAN be used for, but what do YOU use it for?)? How satisfied are you with the model(s) that you currently own?

You writing a book, or just nosey?

Multipro 395. I use for inlaying wood and shell.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Dremel Multi-Pro 395 (older model).

I primarily use it with a Stew-Mac router base and circle cutter attachment to cut out rosettes and route the channel for rosettes. I use spiral down-cut bits and the combo works great for me.

In addition I use the Dremel in the base to route out my pockets for the braces - the circle cutter comes off for this activity.

I also use it for slotting bridges and it works great for this too.

The trick seems to be to go slowly and take shallow cuts instead of attempting to hoark out a lot of wood at once.

Contrary to reports of loose bearings I dedicated this Dremel for the purposes indicated above only and the bearings seem very tight. I never have any gaps that result from using this rig. Although I agree that using a laminate trimmer is better for things like rosettes the Dremel works fine for me and it is less intimidating to use then my 2 PC-310s.

The latter. Is there something wrong with curiosity?

Exactly the same as my fine, yankee friend, Hesh said. Except I have one of the newer 500 models. I like it a lot.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Inlay, brace pockets, removing finish for bridge attachment, and cutting carbon bar stock and other cutoff wheel stuff.
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I'm not sure which model I have.

I used it with the circular saw blade and Stew Mac router base to cut the back off of a guitar. It worked amazingly well. The blade is made to fit an attachment, so I jerry rigged a way to connect it to the dremel using two cutting wheels that I trimmed down. I used them to clamp the blade on.

Recently used it to cut a hole in my car's airbox with a cutting wheel in order to install a Dinan cold air intake.

Used it with cutting wheels again to cut holes in amplifier chasis's so that I could mount transformers.

Use it to cut the notches for braces in guitar linings like Hesh mentioned.

I've done a few rosettes with it and the older Stew Mac circle cutter. I wasn't too happy with my results, but I've never tried the newer circle cutter with fine adjustments.

Used it for binding channels with the Stew Mac binding attachment.

Hesh, you've gotta try the PC 310 with one of Sylvan Wells' circle cutters! Easy as pie. Even I was able to get good results!

Dremel older mutipro:
I retired my Dremel over three years ago except for around the house repair jobs. I finally got tired of dealing with not enough HP, bearing run-out, unwieldy RPM adjustments on the fly and just plain not enough RPM.

Foredom SR with flex shaft and StewMac hand piece:
Inlay channels, Peghead binding and purfling channels, Fretboard purtfling channels, saddle slots, nut channels in necks, spot buffing, rim rough profiling, Any thing else that it is a good tool for the job. It has plenty of RPM and HP as well as foot control on/off and RPM adjustment. Sweet tool. Plus The mototr hangs above the work, no power cord in the way to deal with when routing circles. The hand piece weighs much less than a Dremel giving better feel and control while doing intricate work.

What Hesh said.

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Brad Tucker

Dremel Multi-Pro 395 (older model). Used for dental surgery, threatening raccoons, paper weight and buffing frets when my Foredom isn't within easy reach.

Odd Anthony, I use mine to hurt dentists and arm the raccoons in my neighborhood with motorized weapons
I use mine for light routing and shaping of small things.
Best, Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

Dremels have one function in my shop. Sharpens my chain saw chain really fast.

I have the 400XPR and I use it for inlay work with the Stew-Mac base and I also use it for rosettes. I use it around the shop once in a while with the cut-off wheels -- great for cutting fiberglass wands for the go-bar deck. I do go slowly with it and use good quality end-mills for the inlay and rosette work.

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

400XPR. I use it for inlaying and for cutting the saddle slot in the bridge. Will also be trying it out on a Rosette and will possibly use that method instead of the LMI Rosette cutter.

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

But Larry, chainsaws and guitars don't mix.......or, do they?

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

I have the 398 model and use it for the same things Hesh,Terry and others
have posted. It's a handy tool .

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Last time I used one it was to deepen the string tree hole on a new Fender neck headstock. The string tree was loose, screw wouldn't go down any more. Since the hole only needed to be 1/32" deeper, I put the knurled finger chuck on the Dremel, which I very seldom use (the finger chuck, I mean). Then put a sharp drill bit in there and drilled the hole deeper by twisting the chuck with my finger, not turning the Dremel on at all. The weight of the Dremel and the rather large finger chuck made a good "hand drill".

I have the same model and uses as Hesh. Except I also use the lawn mower blade sharpener attachment to sharpen my lawn mower blade. And I'm sure lawn mowers and guitars have no correlation, but there are many uses for a dremel around the house!

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

I used my nail gun once to shoot a raccoon, DOES THAT COUNT?

MK

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Can anyone offer a good comparison of dremels vs. foredoms?
- Justin

There is no good comparison Foredom SR far better tool, at least IMO More HP. More RPM, More versitle, no runout. built to last

Wow.. that thing looks pretty hardcore.

Definitely looks like it'd be a little easier to use, though... or a bit more manageable I should say.

Yeah Michael can also offer and do dental work for his customers.....

The things about it is it has more HP and RPM than Dremel It has a much better chucking system, the bearing housings in both the hand pieces and the motor are much better than Dremel’s. They have great bearing life and pretty much no bearing run out which is the Dremel’s biggest issues in my book. It is also nice to have your hand free to work the router base or hand piece and have the I/O and RPM control at your foots command. These are by all means profession grade rotary tools. The SR can be had for around $190 if you shop Ebay and the Stewmac hand piece if you use the Stewmac inlay router base or the any base designed for the Dremel for about $72 but well worth it.

By the way the Stewmac hand piece is the only hand piece with ¾”-12 un exterior threads. (same as the threads as on the Dremel spindle. And that is the only thing that makes the Stewmac hand piece special.