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Dremeling — Parallax Forums

Dremeling

ajwardajward Posts: 1,129
edited 2012-01-25 21:20 in Robotics
Hi All....

Just want to say I'm in awe of the machines many of you own or have access to. That said, I've been using hand held tools for all my projects and after munging a few brackets by the hand drill slipping off the the center punch mark, I decided something else was needed.

With a low budget and a Dremel tool on hand, I bought the Dremel drill press accessory. This helped a lot, but the base was small and difficult to clamp work pieces in place for accuracy.

My solution was adding a 9-1/2 x 11 inch sheet of ABS to enlarge the base.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/81065424@N00/6756960709/in/photostream

The plastic base extends over the edges of the metal base and allows me to clamp rulers, angles and blocks to perform many operations other than drilling. I scribed the ABS with a 1" x 1" grid extending from the center line of the drill for quick alignment... (of course the tool can rotate for other tasks).

The setup in the picture is for milling slots in the plastic platform for another 'bot. The curve cut in the small aluminum angle to the left was made with a ceramic tile cutting tool.

This isn't a precision tool! Most of the things I have to mill are guided by eyeball, but I'm happy with the capability.

Amanda

Comments

  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2012-01-24 15:37
    Looks nice. Since I don't have a house to put tools in, I too have to make everything with hand tools. It looks like the Dremel press could be useful.
  • doggiedocdoggiedoc Posts: 2,239
    edited 2012-01-24 15:53
    I really get a lot of use out of my Dremel Press. I think your base expansion is very good, and think I would find it extremely helpful!

    Good job!
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2012-01-24 18:33
    Amanda, I've thought about buying one of those as they look useful. I've seen people build hand cranked xy tables using threaded rod and drawer slides which would turn that into a Dremel milling machine.
  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2012-01-24 19:59
    As mentioned in another post, this milling vice has worked well for me, but you need a drill press to mount it.

    http://www.harborfreight.com/5-inch-drill-press-milling-vise-94276.html
  • WBA ConsultingWBA Consulting Posts: 2,933
    edited 2012-01-24 22:15
    I do quite a bit with a dremel tool for my projects, but since I don't have a press or stand I also have a few other tools in my arsenal as listed in this thread about modifying plastic enclosures.
  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,129
    edited 2012-01-25 13:53
    SRLM wrote: »
    Looks nice. Since I don't have a house to put tools in, I too have to make everything with hand tools. It looks like the Dremel press could be useful.

    An apartment dweller here... sharing a place with my best friend. A Craftsman 4 drawer roll-around cabinet and 3 drawer tool box sit next to the dresser in my bedroom.
    I work on small projects on the desk in front of my iMac... bigger/messy-er things go out to the balcony... weather permitting.

    I used to do facility maintenance in nursing homes and have acquired a lot of hand-tools. Many of them languishing in a storage locker in the basement. :-|

    @
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2012-01-25 21:20
    ajward wrote:
    An apartment dweller here ... Craftsman 4 drawer roll-around cabinet and 3 drawer tool box sit next to the dresser in my bedroom.
    That's how I got started, too: a CNC-converted Sherline mill in the living room of my tiny apartment, driven by a TRS-80, making fishing-lure molds. When I moved out, the management had to replace the carpet, due to stains from coolant overspray. But I had lived there several years and had a good on-time payment record, so I wasn't dinged for it.

    -Phil
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