Is this Cheapo Worth it?

**emroyjewels** · 11-06-2010, 10:33 PM

Thanks George - I was quite happy for the excuse to get my chasing hammer on them. Relieved some tension if nothing else!

I wasn't complaining BTW - just curious as to why it had happened. Once I'd whacked them down, they were perfect. My neighbours are going to love me when the cutter arrives with all this bashing!

**Dennis** · 12-06-2010, 09:09 AM

On Disk cutters.
The Swanstrom is a superior article.The cutting edges are sloping giving a better shearing action. It also has the add on for making washers that can be turned into seamless rings, but I’ve never seen the point of that.
I have the small one, mentioned by George (Cookson 999 772), and it has served me well for about fifteen years. It has been around for a long time from various suppliers but does not have a brand name.
The main problem is that once the disc is cut the punch sticks and has to be tapped through using another rod or stout nail. To make room for the punch to exit, the block has to be balanced on something taller with the hole overhanging. The result is that the punch more often than not ,ends up on the floor. This hardly makes for mass production.
I have also tried Cookson 999 772A since it has bigger choice of holes, But the punches fit loosely so you need several hammer blows and the edges end up rough.
I need very few disks, maybe ten a year. If I wanted more I think I would Buy them. Dennis.

**surfergirl** · 12-06-2010, 10:36 AM

Thanks for all your knowledgeable replies. I'm glad to hear that the cheaper versions would suffice in the short term. More money for materials

As I also need to buy some kind of flexishaft and with the more expensive ones being out of budget at the moment... anyone seen/had experience of this: Dremel - DREMEL 4000

(I can see you all shaking your heads....but I'll continue anyway!)

It also has a line/circle cutter attachment. If used with the blades for cutting metal (Dremel - DREMEL SpeedClic: Thin Cutting Wheels 5-Pack.) would this be a good, short term workaround?

Pros:
- No need to buy additional tool (disc cutter) as I was (perhaps) going to buy this Dremel tool (or version of it) anyway
- Takes less time than a saw
- Circles cut can be anything from 2cm - 30cm
- Only a replacement blade would be needed once worn out and it's widely available
- No pounding (though I suspect I would enjoy that bit, despite the neighbours)

Cons:
- Takes longer than a disc cutter
- More wastage of material as blade is .75mm - thin by Dremel standards but isn't this HUGE!?

I'm not sure which gauges/types of metal can be cut with Dremel's 'thin' blade - I've sent an email and await their response (along with their opinions, too, on whether this would be a suitable tool). Also not sure how good the cut would be either.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, please? Am I just being stoopid?

Cheers

**mizgeorge** · 12-06-2010, 11:15 AM

By the time you've bought all the bits you need for the dremel, you might as well have bought a real flexshaft. The biggest drawback with these is the fixed speed. The lowest speed is usually 5000 rpm, which is still way too fast for many things, and not being able to control the speed can be infuriating, and potentially dangerous. If you want a cheap alternative to start with, a hobby drill with a flex shaft will do just as good a job - they turn up regularly in Aldi and Lidl.

As for the cutting wheel, this is not appropriate for cutting precious metals. Apart from the huge kerf (and corresponding huge wastage), they're not steel and simply shred the metal rather than cutting it cleanly. It certainly wouldn't work for cutting circles - if you want to cut discs without a disc cutter, then a jeweller's saw and a bit of practice is the only real option. They are useful for slicing through bits of copper pipe though

**Dennis** · 13-06-2010, 08:46 AM

George has mostly covered it, but I would like also to direct you to a similar thread started by Wheely:'Opinion Please' in April 2010. Dennis.

**surfergirl** · 15-06-2010, 05:14 PM

Thanks very much for the info - I have now shelved my Dremel idea. It's all good.

**annie cracknell** · 08-09-2010, 05:34 PM

OK. I too have developed swanstrom lust. Any ideas how I go about getting one? I dont mind if its not the exact same rio grande one as long as it is as good. I already have an account with rio grande but I have no idea how much shipping would be or whether I am supposed to pay import taxes etc. I noticed in some peoples other posts it talks about 'eventually getting their swanstrom' as if it was a long battle with customs which worried me slightly. Some of you in this forum sound like you own one so do you mind me asking where you got it and how difficult it was?
Thanks,
Annie

**Joe** · 08-09-2010, 06:29 PM

It's not so bad really. You'll need to pay the VAT and the collection fee ( I think about £3) and if you use the cheapest delivery option I think it's about £10 but quite slow... hence the "eventually"!