motor tools! Worth it?

Some people really love using their motor tools.  I'm guessing you're referring to rotary tools like a Dremel.  I've own one before but never really used it for modeling except for cutting some thick brass rod.  I also work at the kitchen table with two small kids running around and using a Dremel in that situation might be a little dangerous.  I use Tamiya's Handy Drill and Tamiya's Handy Router.  Both are designed for plastic model work with slower RPM's then a Dremel.  They're also smaller, lighter, and battery powered.  For the average modeler, I would definitely recommend them.  But that's just my opinion.

Jesse

The purpose of power tools is to enable you to screw up a project far faster, more thoroughly, and with greater efficiency than you could ever do it by hand.

Yes, I have and use them, fairly frequently. They do not allow you to do anything you can't do with good quality hand tools. They do allow you to do it faster—that includes mistakes. When you slip with a hobby knife, even a scalpel, you might need stitches for a serious cut.  Do the same thing with a power tool and it's almost a guaranteed trip to the emergency room.

If you get one, learn to use it on a junk kit before you use it on something important. 

Agree with the comments here. Personally, I find it very useful in 2 circumstances, cutting brass tubes as previously mentioned, as the cutoff heads will not crush the opening unlike many hand tools. Removing large amount of plastic to fit resin aftermarket items. 

I love mine, and use it for everything from hollowing out exhausts and gun tubes to smoothing the seam lines on parts.  Here's the one I use:

NSK

VERY expensive, but the ultimate in precision and control.

My Dremel of choice is:

Cordless, slow enough to stir paint without splattering it all over the bench, yet powerful enough to grind away. Portable...no cords. 

Here's the one I use for painting/weathering the 'ring' effect on the spinners.

Triarius wrote:

The purpose of power tools is to enable you to screw up a project far faster, more thoroughly, and with greater efficiency than you could ever do it by hand. Yes, I have and use them, fairly frequently. They do not allow you to do anything you can't do with good quality hand tools. They do allow you to do it faster—that includes mistakes. When you slip with a hobby knife, even a scalpel, you might need stitches for a serious cut.  Do the same thing with a power tool and it's almost a guaranteed trip to the emergency room.

Not all power tool procedures end up as badly as succinctly described above. It really depends on the user's pesonal skill level or finesse. You should not expect to be an instant pro with the purchase of your very first rotary tool. Like any tool, you need a little bench time to get comfortable with it. And like any power tool, a little respect in its handling is prudent. A rotary tool, along with the proper attachments, allows the user to do things much more easily than some hand tools can. Some operations simply cannot be done to any real effective extent with hand tools. If you've ever tried to port an exhaust pipe, or dish out a seat bottom with hand tools, you know what I mean. But because of the myriad of various shaped (barrels, cones, spheres, etc.), and sized bits available, you'll find one for most any application you can imagine. I absolutely love my rotary tool, I cannot imagine modeling without it. Worth it? Yes! Every penny!

Mark,

My initial statement was meant to be humorous in an ironic way. Being something of a safety nut (with the scars that earned it) I wanted to make the point you also make: You should not expect to be an instant pro with the purchase of your very first rotary tool. Like any tool, you need a little bench time to get comfortable with it. And like any power tool, a little respect in its handling is prudent.

But I do disagree that there are some things that are not possible, or impractical to do with hand tools—I've done all of the things you mention by hand, often by preference. I've also done them with my Foredom. It depends on the circumstances. Would I give up my Foredom? When you pry it from my fossilized fingers!

I would have to agree with everyone else in the sense that it takes a bit of skill and patience and also the need to step back and say to ones self "would it be better to do this by hand?"

Case in point, a few months ago I was trying to fit the lower halves (halfs?) of the wing assembly on the Revell F-15E Strike Eagle. The over-lap was at least a 1/8 of an inch. I figured "No Prob, I'll use my Dremel" when I got done, I was left with like an 1/8th gap. Ugh.

I hardly ever touch my Dremel anymore, I would rather just sand it down by hand. Hell, it gives the hands something to do while the mind is free to wander.

Speaking of wandering, where in the hell did I put my beer...

regards,

 Jeff

I'm a big fan of Dremel tools; I'll go so far as to suggest that, if you're considering getting into power tools, a rotary tool is the first one to buy.  (From my perspective as a ship modeler I'd put it much higher up the list than I'd put an airbrush - though I know lots of modelers will disagree.)  I do, however, have one big reservation about Dremel Moto-Tools and virtually all similar rotary tools.  They turn too blankety-blankety fast.

I won my first Dremel - a basic, single-speed, sleeve-bearing one - in a contest back in about 1973.  The first time I tried to use it on a ship model I wondered what use anybody could find for such a thing.  Turning at, if I remember right, 30,000 rpm, it melted plastic instantly and burned wood almost as fast.

So, after studying the little catalog that came in the box, I scraped together the necessary $15.00, went to the local hobby shop (we had several good ones in Columbus, Ohio in those far-off days), and bought a Dremel "Tabletop Speed Control."  What a difference!  With the tool plugged into the speed control, I could set the knob on the control all the way to the left, turn on the tool, and put the motionless drill bit exactly where I wanted it.  Then, holding the tool in one hand, I could turn the knob with the other and work up exactly the speed I wanted.  The Dremel quickly became one of the most frequently used tools in my shop.  The Tabletop Speed Control came in handy for lots of other purposes, too.  Some years later I bought a Unimat lathe/drill press, and found that if I plugged it into the speed control I could change speeds without bothering to shift belts.  The speed control is great for regulating the heat of a soldering iron - and changing the size of the picture on a small black-and-white TV set.  (Don't ask how I found that out.)  I eventually bought an additional speed control.  I still have both of them; at age 30+ they work as well as they ever did.

Since then, Dremel has discontinued its single-speed tools and the Tabletop Speed Control.  Every couple of years a new version of the Moto-Tool gets introduced, always with great fanfare about how fast and powerful it is.  The truth of the matter is that, for purposes of model building, those improvements in "power" are just about irrelevant, and at least 90 percent of the time a tool turning at a small fraction of "Dremel speed" would be more than adequate.

I've bought several other Dremel rotary tools over the years - including a relatively modern, ball-bearing one with a built-in speed control, and a 2-speed, battery-powered "Mighty Mite."  The slowest speeds on the latter two are just about slow enough for most model-building jobs.  For drilling, they'll work on styrene and wood IF the drill bit is sharp.  But when it gets even a little dull, it will start melting plastic or singeing wood.

My current favorite rotary tool is this one:  http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3736&mode=details#tabs

It's sold by a German company called We-cheer, and it's slightly more bulky than a fat pencil.  The very flexible power cord comes out the tail end, so it doesn't get in the way.  The tool uses Dremel collets, and has a capacity of 0 to 1/8".  Its normal speed is too fast for most purposes, but I keep it plugged into my old reliable Dremel Tabletop Speed Control.  The tool cost $25.00.  I haven't had it long enough to comment on its longevity, but at that price I can afford to replace it now and then if necessary.  Highly recommended - if you have a means of controlling its speed.  (I think Dremel still sells a foot-operated speed control.  I know Foredom offers several for its flexible shaft machines.  I suspect any of the several plug-in speed controllers for routers and other woodworking tools would work perfectly well - though they're not cheap.)

Dremel - if you're really interested in appealing to the hobbyist, give a little more thought to what he/she actually needs.  The ideal rotary tool for the model builder would (1) be extremely small and light, (2) run off a small, light, rechargeable battery, (3) have a built-in speed control covering a range from 0 to about 1,000 rpm, and (4) cost less than $50.  Market a tool like that, and the modeling community will beat a path to your door.

Later edit:  I just took a look at the Dremel website.  Apparently the company does still sell a couple of single-speed rotary tools.  Both of them turn far too fast for most modeling purposes.  One of them is described as "the only Dremel rotary tool for use with the foot-operated speed control."  I couldn't find any other reference to the "foot-operated speed control" on the website.  Maybe it's been discontinued.

One fascinating new product advertised therein is a bright orange, battery-powered rotary tool sold for the specific purpose of trimming the claws of dogs and cats.  A close look reveals that it's just a little Moto-Tool with a sanding drum chucked into it.  How my cats Yehudi, Hepzibah, and Willie II would react to having their claws sanded down with that thing....Well, I don't want to think about it.

I used to have the Dremel single speed with Table Top control.  I agree with JTilley about the ability make the dremel turn real slow with this set up.  Ocassional, the Table Top speed control showes up on Ebay.

Jesse

There are two reasons why it's highly desireable (from the modeler's standpoint) for a rotary tool to have slow speeds available.  First - Woody is right about sharp tools working well at high speeds, but not all tools are sharp.  Small drill bits (#60-#80) get dull in a hurry (especially those made of cheaper steel - and there seems to be no surefire way to identify those in advance).  A drill bit that's just a little dull will melt plastic or singe wood at 10,000 rpm - but will work perfectly well at 500 rpm.  Those things cost money; I, for one, don't want to throw out a drill bit just because I can't use it at 10,000 rpm.

Second - having that slow speed available opens up all sorts of possible techniques that just don't work at higher speeds.  In sailing ship modeling there's just no substitute for being able to put the point of a motionless drill bit exactly where you want it on a piece of wood, then ramp up the speed from zero to whatever the ideal rpm for the job is.

It's undoubtedly true that in commercial manufacturing situations, where small increments of time are important, having a tool rotate at 40,000 rpm is crucial.  But for the hobbiest the amount of time saved by having the tool run at that speed (that time being measured, probably, in seconds) surely isn't so important.  For most modeling purposes there's just no good reason for a rotary tool to run as fast as the maximum speed a Dremel Moto-tool can run - and not many circumstances when even its minimum speed is necessary.  (Tolerable yes - but not necessary.) 

Jtilley, I used to agree with your statements about tool speed until I started working extensively with metal (primarily making my own fine tools or modifiying those that I bought). Once you start working with ferrous metals, those high speeds become necessary. But for most people, they are just overkill (and a marketing ploy, too).

And as far as I'm concerned, no dull drill bit works well (which is why I sharpen them with a high speed abrasive disk—at about 10X magnification).

And don't get me wrong: one of my biggest problems is that I spend way too much time making, modifying, or fixing my tools and too little time building. "Wow, that's a neat tool in that catalog…I bet I can build one even better…"

Triarius's basic point is, of course, absolutely correct:  the ideal speed of a power tool depends on the material it's being asked to work on - and, to some extent, just what it's trying to do.  (A good speed for a drill bit working in hardwood would, for instance, be far too slow for a router bit.)  I suspect most modelers, like me, don't use ferrous metals much.  For wood, brass, copper, and styrene, there are few applications where speeds like 30,000 or 50,000 rpm are necessary.  (Tolerable maybe, but hardly necessary.) 

Maybe the old arrangement Dremel used to promote - the high-speed, single-speed rotary tool coupled to a speed control that could be dialed down to zero - was the ideal one. 

jtilley wrote:

Maybe the old arrangement Dremel used to promote - the high-speed, single-speed rotary tool coupled to a speed control that could be dialed down to zero - was the ideal one.

I still have one of those. Now it mostly gets used to mix paint, largely because it is very clumsy to hold and use compared to the modern ones (and especially compared to my flexible shaft Foredom. But the ability to dial in a specific, constant speed is a great one. With the Foredom, I had to learn to hold a constant speed with the foot control while working.

I don't think I've ever had either my Dremel or my Foredom running flat out at max RPM for more than a few seconds, even working on hardened steel, and Jtilley's point is well taken. At those speeds, you can burn up a fine bit (or even a cut-off wheel) in less than a second. 

These tools are intended for a wider market than scale modelers, so their capabilities have to be broader than dealing with plastics and a little brass, now and then. The Foredom I use was primarily marketed to jewelers. For that matter, many of my hand tools come from that venue.

What they all have in common is the human eye, hand, and brain that's using them. Those are the critical elements. Without them, any tool is just so much scrap.

I have a Craftsman like this and don't use it a whole lot, mainly just cutting tubing and such.

HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

My Dremel of choice is:   Cordless, slow enough to stir paint without splattering it all over the bench, yet powerful enough to grind away. Portable...no cords.

wellllllllllll..............Im still working on that no spattter part. But Im getting there!!!!!

I had a few dremels that got off and on use but since I now have the flexible shaft I used it a LOT.  Just go slow and careful on your work and you will be fine.  I work with a lot of resin and it is a major time saver for getting those big casing blocks off of the really big peices.

USE EYE PROTECTION.  let me say it again. USE EYE PROTECTION!  you may not ever have a bit come apart but the amount of resin dust kicked up will warrent using safety glasses.

David