# Dremel add ons....



## MatthewZS (Sep 24, 2010)

So The dremel is fantastic for small hand work... you know, freehand work.  And in theory with dremel's drill press and router table and plunge router attachment it COULD be a veritable mini-shop but most of dremel's add ons that I've worked with (above mentioned) arent' the most precise, well engineered things around.  In fact I was rather dissapointed.  I saw a few days ago here someone was using a custom build plunge router base for the dremel that was made of aluminum and stainless all precision machined.   To that end, does anyone know of other high quality 3rd party add ons for a dremel that turns it into a mini drill press? router table?  Drum sander? Planer? Light saber?  Ok, maybe not that last one......

Thanks for any info..

P.S. - I nosed around google a bit and saw nothing earth shattering.


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## wood-of-1kind (Sep 24, 2010)

I have many of the Dremel add-ons but DO NOT find them as precise accessories. For instance, I do not replace the router attachment and Dremel router bits and expect the same type of performance as say my dedicated Porter Cable router. Same goes with my Delta drill press, I do not expect the smae amount of usefulness from my Dremel. Overall it's (and the accessories) are useful for little craft and hobby projects, but I don't get much beyond that.Don't take a 'toy' where the big tools must go.YMMV.


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## aggromere (Sep 24, 2010)

http://vanda-layindustries.com/index.html

I was looking for dremel stuff sometime ago and found this website.  Never ordered anything but they look pretty nice.


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## MatthewZS (Sep 24, 2010)

Mainly what I was getting at was if we made a precision/functionality scale  1 thru 10, the dremel by itself lands on about 2 or 3, with the dremel accessories maybe 4 compared to proper precision tools (jet, delta, etc...) that are 9-10.  With some better engineere accessories I think the dremel could be cranked up to 5 or 6, maybe even 7.  Still nowhere near my big shop tools, but I think it's falling short of it's potential because of it's accessories.   Dremel's wood carving bits are horrible, they dont' carve wood, but this has been remedied thru the fact that OTHER companies wood carving bits work in the dremel.  Let's see something like this wih other accessories.

I guess I could sum all this up by saying that a dremel is just a multipurpose motor other than power it's EXACTLY like the one on my lathe.  Lets see some cool stuff to hook it up to other than a little plasitc-y router base and the like.

Thanks


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## MatthewZS (Sep 24, 2010)

That drill press is EXACTLY one of the things I was looking for.  I do jewely work too and some of the holes and precisions I need to drill I would NEVER attempt on a regular drill press...... it'd be like using a General Electric XM214 Minigun to go squirrel hunting.  But dremel's press just has too much slop, no way to index or set precise angles, etc....

Thanks for the link!


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## devowoodworking (Sep 24, 2010)

aggromere said:


> http://vanda-layindustries.com/index.html
> 
> I was looking for dremel stuff sometime ago and found this website.  Never ordered anything but they look pretty nice.



Wow...thanks for the link!  They have some nice stuff, I thought the link was a spoof at first (Seinfeld joke) :biggrin:


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## ldb2000 (Sep 24, 2010)

A Dremel is far from being a toy , with the right accessories it can be a very precise tool capable of precision work . There aren't very many high quality attachments made for it but that don't mean you can't make your own . A router table is a perfect example , with some aluminum plate and a little imagination you can make a router table capable of making precision cuts in many thin materials that a larger Porter Cable router is incapable of . With some aluminum rod and plate stock a drill press/mill capable of making tiny precision holes and milling thin stock that a larger drill press or mill could never even think of doing . My Dremel gets so much use around here that I wear them out long before I ever run out of ideas to use them for , and Dremel is even great about that too . If you send your worn out Dremel to them for repair they will completely refurbish it for a nominal fee (usually around $35) . 
Never underestimate the usefulness of this marvelous little machine . It will do whatever precision work you need it to do but you need to help it to live up to it's full potential .


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## workinforwood (Sep 25, 2010)

I have a different opinion of the Dremel.  To me it is a cheap plastic toy.  It is incapable of long hours of use and can not handle large hogging tasks needed for woodcarving, so I wouldn't dare want to try and use one as a router.  I've had 4 dremels and none of them lasted more than 10 hrs before I wore them brushes to the bones, and the shear bulky body of the tool lacks comfort and control.  For 2-3 times the money I invested in a Foredom and have easily a couple thousand hours on it and it still look and works like it was brand new.

yes...I did send Dremels back for repair a few times...but got tired of it.  The cost of repairing one is fixed by the manufacturer , but still, the cost of replacing it is barely more than fixing it and you don't have to wait 2 months.


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