Which Dremel base to buy?

[douglas2cats]

I'm looking to buy a precision router base for a Dremel. I posted a message over on Luthierforum.com for feedback to decide on which one to get, and was wondering if anyone here could weigh in (either here or on that site) with opinions or advice.
Luthierforum post (http://luthierforum.com/index.php?showtopic=755)

Any input you have would be appreciated.
Thanks

Doug

[frogisland]

I've been very happy with the Stew-Mac base, as well as the extra rosette cutter attachment.

Bill

[Luthier]

Here is one I made complete with a light to make inlay work easier to see. I used some pvc tubing and some plexiglass and it works just fine.

Don

[ShaneJ]

That's cool Don. Do you have any other photos showing the other details, etc.? Did you add an air hose to blow the dust away too?

Shane

[Luthier]

A simple toggle switch from Radio Shack and a 9v transformer work nicely to light the way. One more picture.

Don

[Luthier]

The dust is blown away as you go from the rpm's of the tool itself.

Don

[sunburst]

I don't want to make too long a story out of this, but several years ago I was in the midst of a rather large inlay project and the bearings went out in my last working Dremel tool. I Don't like Dremels for inlay routers anyway, because of the runnout that is mostly a result of bearings that are too small, too far from the end of the shaft, and poorly mounted in plastic. I also don't like laminate trimmers because they are too big and heavy and don't feel comfortable to use.

I had seen an article by Grit Laskin in which he mentioned using the Dremel heavy duty flex shaft tool, so I called and asked him if he recommended this tool. He said he did, and that it was working well for him. I figured, if it's good enough for him, it's certainly good enough for me, so I got one, and I got the Stewmac router base.

Next thing I did was have a handpiece threaded (by a machinist) to fit the Stewmac router base. I had to modify the base to get the cutter low enough, but it worked, and the Stewmac router base works very well, is very solid, and adjusts very well.

Here's the funny part of the story.
I took this rig (base with threaded handpiece) to the ASIA symposium and showed it to Dan Erlewine. He seemed interested and took some pictures. Sometime later the Stewmac Fordom version showed up in the catalog.

Here's the base with my threaded Dremel handpiece:

[sunburst]

Here's the base showing the modification to get the cutter lower:

[Steve Hinde]

Hey Don,
What are you using to trace around the inlays? Great router base too, by the way. I could really use the extra light too.

Steve

[sunburst]

These are two handpieces. The smaller one is the Dremel, and the larger one is the Fordom from Stewmac. I have them set up with different size cutters so that I can change quickly for detail or quick routing of the inlay cavity.
I think I'll get another Stewmac base so that I can just pop one off the shaft and pop the other on without having to re-set the depth.

[Luthier]

John, You should have gotten a patent on your design but you should be proud they are using your idea.

Steve, I use a technical pen with white ink.

You can also spread some white tempra paint on the finger board and go around the inlay with black ink instead but I have gotten used to doing it as pictured for many years and it it works fine.

Don

[PaulD]

I was looking for the "old style" Dremel router base, but everything I've been seeing are the plunge-router bases that are very bulky. I like both your designs for bases, John's could be built with threads for a standard Dremel. Great work... I think I'll just rip you guys off too and copy one of your designs! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

John, I can see where you're coming from WRT runout. I think if I find myself doing much of that kind of work I'll go the same route. Since I've got two Dremels that are in good shape, I'll stick with them for now.

Paul Doubek

[sunburst]

Paul, That base is threaded for the standard Dremel. It is the Stewmac Dremel base, but with the thumb wheels cut smaller.

Actually, the bearings in those small handpieces are not quite up to the challenge of serious routing with larger cutters either, so I'm going to make a part for it so that I can use a bigger handpiece that I have, with much bigger bearings. It will take 1/4 inch collets too, as well as the 1/8 inch.

[PaulD]

Thanks John... I know you mentioned having a machinist cut the threads, but I didn't realize they were the same as a standard Dremel. I looked at the Stew-Mac site; that's a nice base, but a little spendy for the hobbyist. Probably worth it for the labor saved and better precision over homebuilt.

I haven't looked at these handpieces, so I don't know how they are assembled, but do you have room to fit a precision sealed bearing like MSC Direct Radial Bearing (http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PARTPG=NNSRAR2&PMPXNO=1872975) or maybe a bushing like MSC Direct Bushing (http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PARTPG=NNSRAR2&PMPXNO=7240582)

Just a thought,

Paul Doubek

[sunburst]

Not sure about being able to use those bearings. The bearings that are in there are pretty good bearings. The problem seems to be the small size of the bearings. The handpieces are made slim to be used as, well, a hand piece, so the bearings are small.
I have a bigger one that will take much more lateral load because of the bigger bearings, but it's too big to thread for the base.
So..., I'm going to make a piece for the router base with a bigger hole, and thread the hole and the handpiece to match. That one will be the one for bigger bits, guitar bridge saddle slots, and so forth.

[douglas2cats]

Thanks guys for all the good feedback. Based on the replies here and on the other forum I posted on, I've been doing a little more research and have a Dremel 395 unit on order. The StewMac base is currently the frontrunner but I haven't totally ruled out the Allied base either.

I also like Don's setup, but I'm just not sure if I want to invest the time to build my own.

Don, if you don't mind me picking your brain a bit more:

What type of light is that? LED? And where did you get it? The closest thing I've been able to find are the LittLite LED units that plug into mixing boards, but those have at least a 6" (or more) gooseneck setup terminating in a BNC connector. I checked Radio Shack for the actual light, but didn't see anything there. Even if I dont build from scratch, I'd like to see if there's a way to attach the type you're using to one of the other bases.

How is the Dremel held in place on your base?
What is the black material above the PVC? I also can't tell from the pics if it extends up and totally surrounds the Dremel? At first I thought it looked like a dust port for attaching a shop vac hose, but I don't think that's right either.

Thanks again for all your help.
Doug

[Luthier]

...... What type of light is that? LED?
I found a "bright light" book light and, ummmm, just didn't want to use it for reading anymore so I took the arm off, wired it to a Radio Shack toggle switch, and a 9 volt power transformer. I will try to get some better pics for you soon.

....How is the Dremel held in place on your base?
I made a hole in the plexiglas to accept the body of the dremmel then made a kerf and with a small thumb screw that is threaded into the other side that can be tightened to hold the dremel .(see the top picture on this post).

.......What is the black material above the PVC?
That is just the plexiglas. what you are seeing are the saw marks from cutting the plexi to shape. I think I used a blank of 1/2" plexi stock I had laying around.

Don