A power drill is all fine and dandy if you want to make round holes.
I've never bothered with step bits; my philosophy is "if you can't put a hole in it with a $10 set of hole saws, it wasn't meant to have a hole in it".
IMO, Dremels are popular with people because they're the immediately obvious choice for putting holes in most things, and the tool-of-last-resort for putting holes in things that a panel-nibbler can't/won't cut.
There might also be that "a Dremel is a hobby tool, but heaven forbid I buy a real drill, lest people think I know how to fix stuff" thing going on, as well.
I have a nice "real" drill and a lot of bits, but half of the time I need to use it, I find myself thinking "man this would be easier with a dremel." Especially casework.
I did the hole work for my Millet Starving Student with a standard power drill, a set of drill bits and a stepped drill bit. I was a bit rusty with a stepped bit and wound up with one hole being a small bit bigger than I needed when I didn't pull off soon enough but it still worked out just fine. I used a small round file for making adjustments where needed. All in all though it made working with the aluminum box quite a bit easier although I still would have preferred using a drill press (I just got bored and decided to do it myself at home rather than bug some people I know to see if I could use their presses).
I personally would not want to use a dremel for such things because I find it would be harder to control, steady or guide than a drill. I have seen a dremel press contraption which might make it a decent tool for case work but I don't know how big of a hole you can realistically cut with a single pass with a dremel.
Dremels are great for ruining the finish on your nice anodized aluminum front panel
Seriously though, they're alright for that last 10% when you need to make a square hole for something like an IEC input module.
Step drill bits are absolutely amazing and since I bought one for building by Bijou (needed 7/8" holes in heavy gauge steel...) I've found countless uses for it. Amazing for creating recessed jacks and whatnot in wood where you need a hole that's a given size at the front but gets bigger to accommodate the part as the hole goes back.
^Totally agree on the step-drill bit.
I paid a lot for a couple of Erwin bits, but really worth it when you need it, and seems to remove material so effortlessly.
The only thing I use a Dremel for re: casework is to help grind out some of the rough spots when I'm making a square or rectangular hole fininshing out w/a file. Drill press w/stepped bit for the rest. Erwin's are kinda expensive but they last longer and make a cleaner hole, imo.
My corded powe drill does the heavy work, but I clean up with a Dremel. The flexible shaft attachment really helps got into tight spaces, too. But for final finish work on aluminum, nothing beats a set of files and some sandpaper.
Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dremels are great when you don't have the right tool for the job.
Just like a hammer!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif My corded power drill does the heavy work, but I clean up with a Dremel.
That's what I do as well. Sometimes the parts don't fit like I think they can, so rounding out holes with a Dremel can work well. But only if I can be sure that any wayward grinding can be properly covered by the parts (washers around isolated RCA jacks, etc.)
there's the right toll for every job. Just like you wont use a router to do the finish on a wooded part, you don't use a power drill or fine details.
I own a Dremel, a regular drill, and a standing drill (+ a few others). While compared to the regular drill, the Dremel was very accurate, I hardly use it anymore since I got the standing drill, its very accurate, just for small details, and round cuts/traces.
Originally Posted by compuryan /img/forum/go_quote.gif They're great for smoothing edges. And cutting square holes. And any place a drill doesn't easily fit. Very handy little tool.
How does one use a dremel to cut a square hole? Would like to learn this.
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