Getting the most from your Dremel

[mklotz]

I have a 395 Dremel. I replaced countless switches the little circuit board always seams to fail. Is there a fix for that ?

I have a Model 395. While the switch on mine works, it's not a good design from the aspect of usability. Integrating the on/off function with the speed control means one has to reset the speed every time the tool is turned on. Separate controls would make far more sense. I leave the speed control set to the value I use most often and control on/off with a separate switch like this one...

https://www.amazon.com/QVS-PA-1P-Sin...%2Bswitch&th=1

Since the tool is plugged into a powerstrip on the front of my bench, this switch is very conveniently placed for me.

You might want to consider a similar arrangement. The less the onboard switch is used, the longer it will last, which might account for why mine is still working.

Another possibility is to wire around the switch, effectively removing it from the circuit, leaving the tool in the "on at full speed" setting and using a router speed control to control on/off and speed.

[G.Paul]

Thanks for the reply Marv. I was thinking of using a household light dimmer switch but i have to get into it to by pass the original
switch mechanism

[captain1606]

thanks dude

[Ed Weldon]

Marv - This is a terrific tool design for a modelmaker's workbench. The concept looks readily adaptable to other spindle/motor combinations of larger size and power and extended into other cutting jobs like the basic jewelser's lathe/graver turning if a variety of collet sizes is part of the spindle. To that end the builder would want to build the motor mount and the square main clamping bar with some adjustability into them whereby the bar could be adjusted to reach good parallelism to the spindle centerline axis. Ed Weldon Los Gatos, CA

[mklotz]

Marv - This is a terrific tool design for a modelmaker's workbench. The concept looks readily adaptable to other spindle/motor combinations of larger size and power and extended into other cutting jobs like the basic jewelser's lathe/graver turning if a variety of collet sizes is part of the spindle. To that end the builder would want to build the motor mount and the square main clamping bar with some adjustability into them whereby the bar could be adjusted to reach good parallelism to the spindle centerline axis. Ed Weldon Los Gatos, CA

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the kind words.

If you look around this site you'll be able to find numerous designs for making a mini-lathe using a Dremel as a power source. Having built-in speed control makes it a desirable driver.

Making the backbone bar parallel to the spindle axis is certainly desirable but, if the tool is hand-held and guided as is the case with graver turning, minor misalignments don't seem to be an issue; the bar provides no help in aligning or guiding the cutting tool, it simply supports the tool rest.

Although it's not a Unimat, it's still a most helpful instrument for miniature work. In fact, I'm a bit surprised that Dremel doesn't market something similar. Many of their accessories (drill press, shaper, etc.) hold the tool fixed and bring the work to the tool. A tool-fixed stand to which various work-holding attachments are mounted seems an obvious extension of the concept.

[Hemi]

I'd LOVE to have a plan for that jig Marv made up for the Dremel to be a "motor" for multiple tasks!!!! Thats down right AWESOME!!!!

I do a lot of model work in my shop, and have SEVERAL Dremels, all ranging from the 395 model all the way up top the BIG Dremel Advantage (like a Roto-Zip), Which that Dremel Advantage rests at the end of a light chain, affixed to the ceiling of my shop with a Flex-Shaft attachment, turned on to the #1 setting (slowest) -as it has a 2nd speed setting and is much faster.... then plugged into a Sewing Machine foot pedal to control the speed hands free.... -This is my main used machine! I then have a 2nd Dremel 300 hanging center way of my Machining bench that holds 2 Edelstaal Unimats on it for various tasks and can reach either machine with the much shorter, lighter Dremel Flex-Shaft attachment, ALSO plugged into a sewing machine foot pedal for the same reasons the other one hanging from the ceiling is! This one however can be moved length-wise of that bench as well as up and down. The big Dremel Advantage I have, can only be moved up and down and very light side-to side due to where its hanging and why....

I CAN however get pics if you all would like.....

[Ed Weldon]

Wiljoy - Go on the internet and search for "fonly lathe". Invented in the UK it's a DIY gadget based around small tools like the Dremel and the ability to do tiny lathe work in metal with "gravers", a technique that dates back centuries in the world of watchmaking and is akin to wood lathe turning. With your cabinet making skills the wood construction of the device should make it an easy project if in retirement you still have access to the right wood working tools.
Here's another tip: A cheap Chinese dial caliper can be the basis of a precision locating tool for hole positions if you use a small (like 3mm dia in your dremel) CNC spotting drill to make the starting point for a drill (properly sharpened) in a separate drill press . You need to make a fixture that holds your workpiece on the "half" of the caliper that moves under the tool. But the cutting forces of the spotting drill are small and one directional so a lot of robustness in the initial operation is not needed. Chinese made spotting tools are pretty cheap on the internet (eBay).

[Blackbeard]

Great job! I own a wide range of dremel tools and have found them worth their weight in gold at times on big and little jobs. Nice work on the jigs.

[mklotz]

Great job! I own a wide range of dremel tools and have found them worth their weight in gold at times on big and little jobs. Nice work on the jigs.

Thanks for the kind words. Here's another Dremel accessory you might find useful...

http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/dremel-fan-34122

[Blackbeard]

Thanks, that is a great add and one I can certainly use!