Page 2 of 5 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 46

Thread: Dremel 4000 worth buying?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Central London
    Posts
    8,845

    Default

    No, you can only use burrs and drills which are mounted on standard 2.3 mm shanks. This is so for all machines, which don't have a selection of collets, or a three jaw chuck with a key.

    In addition, I would not attempt to drill metal with a machine going lower than perhaps 0.6mm drills, for fear of breakage. Getting out a broken drill means dissolving it out. Remember, you are physically twisting your drill in a hole until unpredictably it will fatigue.

    For texturing, you must experiment, but on metal low speeds are best for your tips.

    Generally for drilling small holes in thin metal, round burrs work best for me.

    I can't really choose for you, as I would be in enough trouble already if the deal goes wrong. The name Marathon, seems to be used indiscriminately by a number of companies in the Far East, so all you can hope for is the protection of EBay, Amazon, or whatever.

    That said others I know have bought them without bother.

    Dennis.
    Last edited by Dennis; 29-12-2017 at 11:30 AM.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Posts
    946

    Default

    Thanks dennis, don't worry i'll accept the consequences of buying one of these. Looking at the companies that sell them, even one's that say they are in britain they are all actually chinese. Wish they wouldn't use deception as that makes things look worse than it probably is. Certainly on spec of those two machines i couldn't see any differance so probably either one. Thanks for drill bit advice, i have very little knowledge of drill stuff. Will keep my very small drill bits for my Archimedes. Your posts are invaluable

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Central London
    Posts
    8,845

    Default

    Here are some of the drills with shanks on Cooksons website, just for you to see. They also have a burr range and other tools for the motor.
    Browsing for these on their web site is a real pain. If you can get their printed catalogue it is far simpler.
    http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...0/&prdsearch=y Regards, Dennis

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    79

    Default

    Some of us mere hobbyists might think a Dremel is a good buy and when funds are low it might be the only option we can afford compared with the elite amongst us. I admit I had issues with it as frankly I was scared to death of the thing and had no experience whatsoever with a drill.
    Having said that after building my confidence and after having a few misshaps have found it to be very useful and good value for money. I only wish it had a foot pedal then it would be perfect for my needs.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    232

    Default

    I have a Foredom pendant drill. But if I need to drill a hole I use my Proxxon bench drill. You can't beat a bench drill for drilling.

    http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-3207

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Romsey
    Posts
    5,256

    Default

    Got to agree with that - if you're drilling holes all the time, that's a bench drill's job. However, if I'm drilling small holes in an object that I can't readily clamp in a vice then I tend to use the micromotor for preference. The last few tsuba I've made I've started out drilling holes for piercing with the bench drill (except for a couple which were too small for my bench drill to handle and I couldn't locate the pin vice in a hurry).

    Dremel seem determined to make objects with unreliable speed control, underpowered motors and bearings that don't stand up to side loading (so anything like a polishing mop or a cutoff wheel tends to shorten their life). Spare parts are ridiculously expensive and it's more cost effective to bin them and buy new. I've killed far too many of them just with hobbyist use and I found they weren't suitable for much in jewellery fairly early on (for example, trying to cut seats for stones). The lowest speeds are too fast and the lack of a foot control (other than the Fortiflex) make them fraught - they're akin to trying to chase fine silver with a lump hammer. Axminster do a flexshaft that's a bit cheaper than the Foredoms and works quite well - it's a far better solution than the Dremel.

    Equally, there's the bow drill which is excellent for fine drilling. I'd sooner use that than a Dremel.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    2,067

    Default

    Dislike of the Dremel isn't about being elitist, its about buying one ( or two when the first one dies after just a few months) and finding they are absolutely useless for burring and drilling because of the lack of appropriate torque for the job.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    3,392

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sheen View Post
    For the money i think the risk is negligible do these machines take very small drill bits. I have 0.4mm drill bit. I take it with engraving you use burrs? What sort of speed would you run the machine at for engraving? Found these two machines on the internet at the lowest prices. Any differance between the two? https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dental-Lab-...kAAOSw1LNZ3b~Y

    https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dental-Lab-...QAAOSw9KhaOgS6
    I used this for all my drilling until I bought the Proxxon bench drill a few years back. http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-999-330. It is good for very fine drills, I used to do a lot of decorative rivets, so is handy to have but you can't beat a bench drill for accuracy when you can afford it.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    45

    Default

    I started with a Dremel as it was a cheaper option for me , but then purchased the flex shaft from Axminster (as mentioned by Peter) a couple of years ago , again as it was the cheaper option and have found it works well and have had no problems with it. I always believe you should invest in the best you can afford .

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Posts
    946

    Default

    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

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •