I’ve called it a ‘Dremel Tool’ even when mine was a Pfingst flexible shaft motor with a Foredom Handpiece. I’ve got so many accessories for the Dremel tool it would be impossible to list all the things I’ve done with this one but I share two crazy stories in this article.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Features:

• 1.15 amp rotary tool with 10 accessories
• Variable speed (5,000-35,000 rpm); quick-change collet nut
• Comfortable plastic housing
• Includes rotary tool and 50+ commonly used accessories
• 18 ounces; 6-foot cord length; 5-year warranty

Experience:

One of the most memorable experiences with this tool happened a long long time ago, back in the days when I had long hair. I learned to always secure your hair and clothing when working with power tools. You see, as I worked with the hand held tool spinning at 15,000 rpm, my hair got caught on the bit and before I could blink it ripped off an inch of my scalp. Today, this story makes me laugh but I can still feel the memory. F-ing up with a tool can be really scary, especially when you’re working alone.

Speaking of safety, due to the small bits for grinding, cutting, sanding, etc it’s a good idea to wear glasses and a dust mask with this hobby-suitable tool.

Instead of listing a hundred methods and materials I’ve used the Dremel tool for, let me share another gruesome story from my youth.

When I was about 9 years old, I got out of a car, locked the door and shut my thumb into the locked door. Someone got in the other side and unlocked the door, freeing me. I had never been in so much pain in my life, even having broken many bones prior. My uncle, who’s a Dr., gets his Dremel Tool but doesn’t have a drill bit, only the grinding disks… you see, my thumb was so big it was going to explode.. so he says he needs to drill a hole through my thumbnail – but with a sanding disk! fuck.

He ground down the nail in a spot, I can still picture the result.. but he stopped before he cut all the way through – really this is a story about how to totally terrorize a child. He got a scalpel from his kit and whittled my thumb until with a firm press he cut through. Oh God. I remember how blood sprayed across the kitchen.. but you know what? After a bit, I felt much better and I never had an inherit fear of rotary tools as I got older.

Wow!

I’ve used the Dremel for lots of great tasks. The sanding drums are fabulous for taking down many small surfaces. Yikes, I’m still thinking about my thumb. I’ve worked gems, stones, metals, and plastics with my Dremel 395, probably least often using it on wood. I’ll list some of the accessories kits I own separately since they are tool independant. I have LOTS and LOTS of bits; from carbide to diamond, from roughing to polishing! One thing I never appreciated about this tool are the ‘drill press’ and ‘router’ accessories.

Comments:

Wear some eye protection and tie your hair back. If your nephew shuts his finger in a car door, take him to a hospital for treatment.

Links:

Dremel 300 Series Variable Speed Rotary Tool with 55 Accessories

Dremel 185-Piece General Purpose Accessory Kit

Dremel 150-Piece Super-Accessory Assortment

After you’ve been ripped off and some uh-hum has run off with your livelihood, as happened to me once upon a time, you’ll find yourself purchasing a Dremel 290 Engraver. Then without fail you’ll initiate your tools with a positive form of Identification. I engrave every new tool with my company name, my name, an identification number and… my favorite symbol.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Description:

• Amperage .2 Amps (0,02 A)
• Description Engraver
• Hertz 60 Hz
• Strokes per minute 7,200 spm
• Voltage 12o V AC, 60Hz
• Weight (lbs.) 12 oz. (340 g)

Experience:

The Dremel 290 is around my shop for one reason; to engrave my tools with my Name and Identification number. Every tool I purchase gets a mark. Sometimes I open the tool body and engrave where it’s unlikely a thief will look. As a tool comes into my shop I have to add it to a ledger for tax purposes because they all depreciate from the time they are put into service. At that time I can make an id number and include it in the ledger.

I designed two templates for spray painting my tools and after an engraving my tools get painted. A look around this site will show my ID designs. They all have it. With the ability to make tiny marks using the Dremel 290 even smaller hand tools can get an ID mark. This is not only handy in case of theft but because we all have a lot of the same tools on a jobsite. Pick one of mine up and it’s got my mark on it. Levels, Squares, even screwdrivers – You name it and I’ve written my name on it. There is little that can resist being scratched by the Dremel 290.

Links:

Dremel 290-01 1.15 Amp 7,200 Stroke Per Minute Engraver at Amazon.com

Modern day 290 at Dremel.com the Model 290-01