Dremel 220 workstation

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

I have some small holes to drill, number drills, 58, 62, 64 and I am wondering if a Dremel workstation would be a good solution as no other machine I own really runs fast enough IMHO.

Bob

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Bob,

You may find this 'review' of interest.

Dremel motor? … Yes

Stand? … I think I would look elsewhere.

MichaelG.

[Bruce EdneyParticipant @bruceedney59949]

I agree with MichaelG

The stands are pretty flimsy

Bruce

[Mike BondarczukParticipant @mikebondarczuk27171]

Hi Bob,

There was a recent article in either ME or MEW where an aluminium plate was bored out and fitted to the quill of a knee mill and itself supported a drill. This apparently provided the required stiffness and sensitivity for high speed small diameter drilling via a Dremel, and is a mod I am very seriously thinking of making for my own applications.

Can't find the exact magazine reference right know but am sure that Neill can point you in the right direction.

Best regards,

Mike

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I think Glenn Bunt's high speed spindle adapter plate was in issue 223.

Neil,

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

Looks like the Dremel offering is not that rigid which has raised some questions.

Is the Proxxon MICROMOT MB 200 a better solution?

May be I can make an adapter to fit the Dremel to my Dore Westbury mill.

Bob

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Bob,

What size are the components that you're drilling?

If small … a cheap microscope stand [plenty on ebay … people make much more money selling the optical bits] would make an infinitely better stand for a small, Dremel-powered drilling machine.

MichaelG.

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

There are 8 parts 41 x 38 x 22mm, deepest hole is about 20mm as they all interlink in one larger 5mm hole.

I'm a little concerned over the "feel" as the holes are drilled as the last think I want is a broken drill and it is going to take a few "pecks" to drill the longest one which fortunately is the biggest (58)

Bob

BTW: the material is gun metal.

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

RS Components do a range of mini drills aimed at PCB work and a half decent stand (506-3545).
I have the stand with a MFA Como drill that I have had for years from my boat modelling days. Bit tricky to get the drill aligned in the stand, as the drill body is not parallel, but once done it does a good job. Drilled out the steam passages on my Stuart 10V no problem.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Can't you just drill it in the DW? I often drill holes around that size in the X3 mill and that only goes 100rpm faster than teh DW and even then I don't always crank it right upto full speed

Heres one done the other day, 0.8mm ( No 67) gun metal, 16mm long at 42deg angle, speed somewhere between 1000 and 2000rpm but at a guess 1500rpm, had to use a pin chuk in the drill chuck to get clear the collet nut.

Edited By JasonB on 14/05/2015 10:26:44

[Jesse Hancock 1Participant @jessehancock1]

Mmmm I bought a dremel and I have to say they are really rough in operation screaming away. I always find myself cringing and half expecting the thing to fly apart at any moment. To add to the problems highlighted by Jason I modified a DIY drill press thingy to take the Dremel and found I was capable of breaking drill bits with gay abandon. The lever action was not parallel with the drill. Didn't study this problem for long since the stand went in the bin pronto.

At worst ask for a demo mate.

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 14/05/2015 11:09:58

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Hi Jesse,

Here's a thread about a micro drill adaptor, might be useful for the small holes.

**LINK**

Just to add, my brother used my WM-16 mill to drill the ends of the main guns on his 1/200th scale county class cruiser. I think that was 0.3 0r 0.4mm if memory serves.

Ed.

Edited By Ed Duffner on 14/05/2015 11:46:37

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

I suppose 1800rpm may be fast enough, pin chuck in the ER32 collet chuck should work, test holes may be in order before I try the real parts. Drill bits are cheaper than the parts being drilled, current price on the part (A J Reeves) is £175.00 never mind the work to get them to this point.

Bob

[GarryCParticipant @garryc]

I used to have a Dremel Workstation and used it a few times when building my simple oscillating engine, I think I only used it a handful of times before selling it. I couldn't take to it at all and remember it was very flimsy – plus on my Dremel there was no way to know how fast the drill was spinning at, I don't know about other models in the range, think mine was a 300 – just had a 'slider' on the handle to vary the speed.

Garry,

Edited By Gary on 14/05/2015 12:57:58

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Bob,

I don't know this particular model, but this is roughly what I had in mind when I mentioned cheap microscope stands !!

MichaelG.

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Bob Brown 1 on 14/05/2015 11:41:04:

I suppose 1800rpm may be fast enough, pin chuck in the ER32 collet chuck should work

I don't know how much "feel" you'll have with that arrangement. I have one of the micro drill adapters shown in the thread that Ed linked to and it's very sensitive. I've never broken a drill with it.

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi Bob,
I came across these drilling machines mentioned on a forum dealing with making PCBs. It's a bit expensive (£64.99) to buy just for one job.

Les

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

The Dremels themselves are excellent bits of kit, but I fear the workstation shares all the shortcomings of light duty 'drill press adaptors'.

One day I might build my own 'sensitive drilling machine', although I'm always amazed by the ability of my ageing Clark drill press to cope with things like PCBs and 1/32" rivet holes(OK I did get through eight 1/32 drills on Southam, but some of the holes were drilled in unsupported brass)!

Neil

> Just to add, my brother used my WM-16 mill to drill the ends of the main guns on his 1/200th scale county class cruiser.

I'd love to read how he made the working welin screw breeches

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

I used a "PCB" drill at work for modifying PCBs, it was an American precursor to the Dremel and I was not very satisfied with it so when the time came for me to buy my own I went for a Proxon ( http://www.proxxon-direct.com/acatalog/professional_drill_grinder_ibe.html ). Its a lot more money, though still only(!) £90 same as 1995, but its in a different league.to the Dremel. More power and speed, less run out. It also has a decent circular part on the casting where it can be securely mount to a drill press.

I must get on with mounting it (only had it 20 years), need mounting on the mill BUT on its own little mechanism. I don't fancy cranking the knee up and down to drill no. 60 holes. This way I will get a lot of daylight and reach around the drill.

Frank

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 14/05/2015 22:51:34:

Bob,

I don't know this particular model, but this is roughly what I had in mind when I mentioned cheap microscope stands !!

.

I'm not going to labour this, but : They've even reduced the price for you !!

[Alex CollinsParticipant @alexcollins55045]

I spent 2 or 3 years making 3D Printer nozzles.

I was easily able to drill 0.3mm holes in Brass on an early (slow speed) Myford ML7.

I used 1/8" shank PCB Drills.
Speed was not the issue, it was all in the feel.
I reamed a pin vice and matched it to Silver steel rod held in the tail chuck. The drilling was all done by hand.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

I would second the recommendation for the Proxxon IB/E drill. I've had one for a couple of years and it's in a completely different class to the Dremel.

Don't know how good the Proxxon stand is though. I have mine mounted on a bracket on the side of my cnc converted X2P mill and it does a good job of engraving as well as drilling small holes.

Russell.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Haven't used either company, but I did notice one of the Proxxon stands on a workbench in the local Vision Express opticians … may be a good sign ?

MichaelG.

.

Correction: It was SpecSavers [must be a joke in there somewhere]

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 16/05/2015 11:13:21

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi Bob,
This is a drilling set up I made for drilling printed circuit boards.

It is made from an old Black & Decker drill stand. The main slide part is from an old dot matrix printer. The rear guide bar to stop rotation is also a bar from a printer. This does not go through a bush. It is just located between two strips of brass that are adjusted so they just touch the sides of the bar. The counter balance spring was made as long as possible so the tension does not change much over the travel. I use this with a Minicraft drill but a Dremel could be used. The drill is just located in the "V" of a short piece of angle.

Les.

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