What Specific Dremel?

[Matteran]

Hi, I'm going to be purchasing a Unibit, and a Dremel, but I'm not sure which dremel I need.

Will this work? Dremel 395D Variable-Speed MultiPro Tool

Or do I need a higher end one? Will I save any money buying a dremel online, or should i just go to a local hardware store and buy one?

Also, the unibit on Small Bear is perfect right?

[ninoman123]

I bought the cheapest one they had. It was like 30 bucks or something. Its two speed. I bought the chuck and the bit set. Works perfect even on the low speed for drilling PCBs

[Ed G.]

If you are getting those to drill boxes, you need a regular or cordless drill to use with the unibit, unless I misunderstand you. If you are going to be drilling etched boards, the dremel is great.
Dremels are great, definitely get the variable speed one. I got the package with the extension, but I rarely use that, but it's nice for drilling out etched boards.

I keep the dremel and all the stuff in an old tackle box. I use the dremel all the time for all kinds of stuff. Recently I had to take down my aluminum awnings and some bolts were frozen. I cut them right off with the Dremel.

[niftydog]

that dremel is the biz. I got one with 40 pieces in a kit, most of the bits I'll ever need and some. Shop around, you can find significant price savings over what a general hardware store would charge. I got mine at a professional electrical outlet store in the industrial area of my home town.

For Unibits you really want a drill press, but a CORDED drill would be the second choice. Most battery drills will chew through charge like it's going out of fashion, especially if you're using it to drill large diameter holes.

[Eric H]

after frying 3 genuine dremels in the last 25 years  (there's a lot of stress on that front bearing) I bought a multi-speed Chinese clone (40 piece kit) at an auto-parts store for $15.00. I've had it 6 months and so far so good.

-Eric

[Matteran]

Well, this is going to be for drilling hammond enclosures. Is there another type of drill that's better suited for drilling aluminum like that? Sounds like the dremel might not have enough power.

What sort of rpms and stuff should i be looking for?

[Regan]

Just buy an entry level 20 dollar drill, that will do the job.
I just noticed that harbor freight has their 3 piece unibit copy kit on for 15 dollars, sounds like a great deal.
Regan

[niftydog]

no way in hell a dremel will drill anything larger than a 1-2mm hole in relatively soft material.

Just get a run-of-the-mill battery driver/drill like a Bosch or (if you can afford it) a Milwaukee. It'll suffice for most things. The higher the voltage and Ah (amp-hour) rating the better.

[Matteran]

are you sure, I thought I remember a lot of talk about people drilling enclosures with their dremels and unibits.

[niftydog]

Pretty darn sure. Several reasons, not least of which is that the largest Dremel collet accepts bits with a 1/8" shank. I don't believe they make Unibits that small.

People use them to cut, smooth or reshape holes. They may even drill a small diameter hole in soft materials like plastic, fibreglass (PCB) or aluminium. But trust me, there's no way they've got the torque required to use a Unibit.

A good drill and a Unibit could just about break your wrist if you were unlucky or inattentive.

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

drill press. find a drill press.  :shock:

so much easier. besides, i'm sure everyone has one of those friends who have the whole toolshop...

[Matteran]

how much are drill presses?

[skumbeg]

I have a Dremel and a drill press assembly for it.  Works great for drilling Pcbs and also for 1/16th 1/8th pilot holes in the Hammond boxes.  I have a small place so I cannot fit a normal drill press.  For the money you could chip in a little more and get a real drill press.  Great for drilling boxes.  I don't know if you can fit large bits like the Unibit in the Dremel.  1/8th is about as large as I go with it.  There are some Dremel sets at costco right now for a pretty good price.  Also a three piece progressive drill set like the Unibit for only $20.

[niftydog]

I've seen drill presses for AUD$110 or so. Ryobi brand, pretty decent for the money.

[Matteran]

well, i'm not sure i have room for a drill press, and am probably going to need to get a hand held drill. Probably like the bosch you suggested. I guess i'll have to look around and figure out what i need, and then try to find the cheapest place to buy it.

Any good online stores? Are the drills on harbor freight any good?

[nosamiam]

Go to ebay and search for "drill press".  If there is one are where bargains still seem to exist on ebay, it's tools!  There are small, table-top versions, IIRC.  Haven't bought one myself, but I'm planning on it.

[dpresley58]

Harbor Freight has been a mixed bag for me. Some tools work fine (got a $7 dial caliper there, some ass't small pliers, cutters, etc.), but some of the power tools just don't cut it for me. I prefer Delta and Porter Cable for most of my stuff, but I think it really depends on what you'll ultimately be doing with it.

Delta (and Craftsman, for that matter) have smaller benchtop drill press models for not a lot of money that would work fine with the type of enclosures we're using. Hand drills are hard to control, especially when they snag coming through the other side of the material being drilled. I had to enlarge a hole just last evening - I should've taken the extra 10 seconds to clamp the enclosure to my bench as it caught on the larger bit and started doing the flip-flop dance.  :roll:

I've found the hand drill attachments that purportedly turn it into a "drill press" are of limited use in a shop. I've used mine mostly on remodelling or outside construction projects where a little more accuracy is required, but that's really the extent of it.

I build furniture and guitars and my shop is a one-car garage in a duplex. A little crowded, but I never have to walk far to put my hands on anything. I've seen smaller shops in spare bedrooms equipped with benchtop machines that were completely functional for the projects they turn out.

[ErikMiller]

I have a Harbor Freight benchtop $40 drill press and it's great. Boxes, PCB's, it works well.

[Alex C]

Harbor Freight has many options, of which the cheapest is a 5-speed for US$59.99.
Here's one I found elsewhere for $39.99:
http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,128.html
I don't know what brand it is, but it looks solid, and the price is fantastic.  I'll look into this.

On this page there are many good deals on brand name (Ryobi, etc.) stuff.  Some are reconditioned, and some aren't.  They have great prices on the cordless drills here.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I don't think anyone can go by "brand names" any more. A lot of what were once reasonably good tools are now made under the same name in China with results varying from excellent to ****.
On the bright side, there is never any difficulty getting a warranty exchange when gear breaks down, because the stores don't expect the stuff to work anyway!
I think the bottom line is that cheap stuff is cheaper than ever, but top end stuff is MORE expensive, if anything. Where we want to be on the curve is an individual matter.
By the way, "made in Switzerland" doesn't always mean "made by Swiss".. it sometimes means "made by Turkish slave labor in Switzerland" :x
FWIW, in Australia, I'm using Ryobi which is pretty low grade but OK for casual personal use.