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How much dremel speed?

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i have a cordless dremel tool that goes 7500rpm and 15000rpm...

both are useful and can cut steel and aluminum (At least the varieties i've tried in computer cases)... Aluminum is way easier than thick steel, however, in my experience.

acrylic, as I understand it, is better to cut with LOW speeds (so as not to melt it, which i've done with my dremel on some plastics).

The BEST advice I can give you if you are buying a dremel is:
1) do NOT get a cordless one - i have one, it works great, but the charges really don't last long enough for any project and that gets annoying fast - also corded = more power for your money
2) if you are cutting aluminum get the black cutting wheels with the fibre mesh, if you are cutting aluminum people will SEE then also be sure to get some of the orange grinding wheels... check out the case-cutting guide in my siggy for full details ;)

BTW if you're just drilling through either material, you may be better off getting a power-drill :)
 
I'd get the fiber reinforced cutting wheels regardless of what your cutting. Use a corded one as chix said as well. I bought a black + decker for 40 bucks with case and begging setup package....the Dremel was much more...like 60 for the same and had a .8A motor compared to the B&D 2.0A motor.
Mine will goto 5k-30krpm, I cut aluminum on the highest....acrylic I'd say 7-10k.

When cutting anything let the wheel cut, don't push it into the cut...just move it toward it and let it cut it slowly. If you cut hardened steel and push into it you'll eat up your wheels incredibly fast.

WEAR SAFETY GLASS REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU ARE CUTTING

If you don't have safety glasses, any type of glasses are better than nothing. I've heard of too many people shooting small shards of metals into thier eyes and they don't notice or get it out in time and scratch the heck out of thier corneas and have dimished vision.
 
ajrettke said:
WEAR SAFETY GLASS REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU ARE CUTTING

If you don't have safety glasses, any type of glasses are better than nothing. I've heard of too many people shooting small shards of metals into thier eyes and they don't notice or get it out in time and scratch the heck out of thier corneas and have dimished vision.


actually i'm one of those people o_O

just incase your imagination isn't vivid enough, i have to stress how FREAKING UTTERLY GODAWFULLY PAINFUL it is to get a shard of steel out of your iris!

and just when i thought the worst was over the doctor noted that in the few hours it was in there before they could get it out, a ring of rust developed that would eventually make me blind if they (and this is ironic) didn't use what can best be described as a medical dremel tool to grind out the small portion of my eyeball holding the trace bits of rust!

not the happiest chapter of my life i can tell ya (thankfully my eyesight is fine now, btw)!

if you were a complete stranger on the street dremeling w/o SAFETY glasses (normal ones did not help me) i would scream at you... i learned my lesson the hard way - using your ordinary glasses as eye protection is like willingly going into a gunfight because you have a kevlar vest - you can still get hurt badly!

if you don't feel like wearing them don't use rotarty tools period, your eyesight isn't worth it...



that said dremels are REAAALY fun when they aren't shooting metal in your eye ;)
 
Chixofnix said:
i have a cordless dremel tool that goes 7500rpm and 15000rpm...

both are useful and can cut steel and aluminum (At least the varieties i've tried in computer cases)... Aluminum is way easier than thick steel, however, in my experience.

:p

to be perfectly clear though, fibre-mesh cutting wheels are the way to go, if only for their longeivity (sp?). the ordinary (ceramic?) wheels can, and will shatter (often) if rubbed the wrong way (which is easy to do)...

Hi-speeds genrally = better w/ most computer case steels, and corded dremels are better for getting higher speeds for your money ;)

that pretty much sums it up... if you need to do other things w/ steel, such as brush polishing, you can get attachments for your dremel suited to those purposes, but you may be better off finding a buddy with access to metalworking shop tools (the loud, scary, fun stuff)... ;)
 
If you have a COSTCO around you, there's a huge rotary accessory set for $18 or so. You're going to burn through cutting wheels like a hot knife through butter, so be prepared. Eye protection is a must. A dust mask wouldn't hurt either.

Hi speed (35,000rpm) is what I used to chop my comp's steel door. I would have preferred a jigsaw however. A drill press is amazing for blowholes, though a careful dremmel job will accomplish the same goal.
 
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