Toine Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 hi all, i am about to buy a Dremel for my new fuge project. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=28957 as i do not have much room @home, no tools or close to none, i was thinking this Dremel might be the proper tool to drill holes and perform other various works on acrylic. do you think i am wasting my money on this Dremel ? :*( Toine Link to comment
HumblePie Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I used a drill with hole bit for the bulkheads. I then used the Dremel to expand my rear opening and smooth out the rough edges. For the most part it worked great. However, I don't think I would like to use the dremel for cutting holes. The Dremel can spin so fast that if you are not careful, it will actually melt the acrylic. Link to comment
skeletor Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Originally posted by HumblePie I then used the Dremel to expand my rear opening and smooth out the rough edges oooh, hope that didn't hurt.. anyway, I used a dremel to cut a bunch of acrylic for a sump/fuge project. I got the router attachment and a router bit. it requires some practice to get a nice cut, but not to much. -skeletor- Link to comment
luvtolean Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Dremel's can be tricky to control. You can buy a drill and a hole saw kit for probably $50-$60, and you'll have it for many years. I would recommend you do this as the dremel is better to supplement a drill than replace it. The dremel cuts acrylic well, but it's hard to get a reasonably good hole. If you mess up a tank with it, you'll more than pay for the drill. It's analgous to, "can you remove a nut with pliers?" You might be able to, but the nut is gonna look like hell when you're done. Much better to get a wrench. "Get the right tool for the right job" Link to comment
HumblePie Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 If you have a drill (or can borrow one) you can buy a set of hole bits for about $15-20 at Home Depot. This is what I used to drill 3 large holes in my tank and the cuts were VERY clean. Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 Funny sleletor....reaaaaallly funny.....*chuckle* a dremel goes too fast for acrylic really (melts it)...perhaps just a drill and the bits / hole saw sizes you need would be better...it's all I use... Link to comment
ifynanceu Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 just go to home depot and get the "super size" dremel accessory kit, it has the hole cutter attachment and the roto zip type rotary bits...those are what the acrylic companies use to make their cuts when they use saws...i would suggest getting a piece of scrap from a plastic shop and get the speed setting down right. much cleaner cuts once you have it down Link to comment
halmotors Posted April 20, 2004 Share Posted April 20, 2004 oooh, hope that didn't hurt.. hahahahahahaha......wow. Link to comment
Optimum Posted April 20, 2004 Share Posted April 20, 2004 When I tried to drill a 1/4" hole with my dremel on the lowest speed it melted the acrylic and froze the bit. A dremel is only good for small jobs. Definetly does not replace a drill. Link to comment
dedfish Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 Dremels work awesome for cutting holes in acrylic. I just used mine to cut a hole for a 1" bulkhead. I simply used a regular drill to drill out a hole in the center of the hole I wanted. Then I used my dremel with a diamond sanding bit. Worked like a charm to enlarge the hole to the size I needed. Here is a pic of the bit I used. (if/when pic stops working the bit is #83142 ) Link to comment
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