Dremel 4000 worth buying?

[handmadeblanks]

Thankyou to everyone who replied i've read all the posts several times to get out all the gems of information. I think i would love to have the proxxon bench drill if i could chose anything but unfortunately i don't have a spare room or a shed so it would be looking at me in my living room permanantly. Otherwise that would be the one. Caroline, i have a little Archimedes drill too, which i like because it's completely non scary. I did get a bit puffed out drilling through 1.2mm brass though

Don't be fooled. It is smaller than you think. I thought it would take up all of my bench space until I got it. It is probably no larger than a small electric tabletop sewing machine. This is it pictured next to my hand which is about 9 inches or 23cm from thumb tip to middle finger tip. I don't want to influence your choice one way or another, but if size is the only issue it might be worth still considering

[CJ57]

Thankyou to everyone who replied i've read all the posts several times to get out all the gems of information. I think i would love to have the proxxon bench drill if i could chose anything but unfortunately i don't have a spare room or a shed so it would be looking at me in my living room permanantly. Otherwise that would be the one. Caroline, i have a little Archimedes drill too, which i like because it's completely non scary. I did get a bit puffed out drilling through 1.2mm brass though

Mm brass would be a bit challenging and you don't realise how much a time waster all this drilling by hand is until you get the Proxxon! As is said in the next post it is really dinky and probably a third the size of a sewing machine but would need clamped or screwed onto something. Perhaps you could screw it to a board which could be clamped to your worksurface when you need to use it and then put away.

[Dennis]

I have had mine ( the smaller version) for more than 20 years and it has needed no servicing except the occasional drop of oil.
The base measures 22.5mm x 12mm and I have screwed it onto a piece of board with rubber feet, which keeps it steady enough.
In addition I have fitted the optiional three jaw chuck so that it will take all the drills I use, from 2.35 right upto 6.0mm.

It is also safer to drill through metal into a block of wood, to minimise the risk of sudden spinning of the sheet as you go through.

The other item in my picture is the machine vice, which will hold objects perfectly horizontal or vertical.

I note they are cheaper now than when I bought mine, and probably cheaper if you search on line.

However, all this begs the question of priorities for a first purchase, because this will only drill holes, whereas a pendant or micro motor will do that and much more. Dennis

[Sheen]

That's why having thought about it this morning I'm still going to get the micro motor; but I reckon it's inevitable that I'll eventually end up with both. (That proxxon is just so darned cute). I had a look at the drills and burrs on Cookson. Would a selection of ball headed burrs be best for engraving? I have a basic bangle design (flat strip of copper) where I wanted to create a panel of basic wave shapes, to represent the sea. The other engraving I'd like to do is straight lines on stems of plants etc

[enigma]

Hi Sheen

The micromotors aren't for engraving unless Im very much mistaken.
The Dremel engraver was mentioned way back in the thread as useful for its hammer action but as an engraver its awful ( in my elite opinion lol).
For engraving you would need a graver , the machines are pretty expensive but you should learn to do it by hand first anyway using hand held gravers.
Your other options for lettering are letter stamping or etching.

[Dennis]

Yes that's right. You can teach yourself to do some basic lettering with small round burrs and use burrs for texturing, but for true engraving you either learn to do it in the traditional way by hand (very difficult) or buy even more expensive equipment of various sorts.

[ps_bond]

You can use a rotary tool in parts of hand engraving - they're handy for background removal, for example. Cut the borders, then burr out the unwanted area (often finishing with a scorper afterwards to clean & level it).

[J Allison]

I bought one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOREDOM-CC...cAAOSwv-NWZShO and a quick change handpiece , never had any problems with it

[china]

I have t have my say, don't buy the above item it is counterfeit, think how you would feel if some Chinese company claimed to to be you and sold inferior counterfeit copies of what you produce at one tenth the price

[Sheen]

When you are cutting/engraving the metal with burrs can the metal be any hardness?