Hi, As title says... how to use Dremel to drill large holes? Such as 1/2" or 3/8" for hose barbs. I know there is something like this: http://webserver.diygear.com/acatalog/9529.jpg But I think they are for wood use only, right? Please enlighten me. Many thanks.
if you can get a bit the right size for one material, you should be able to get it for another - go ask for one in a big diy shop
Yea i think those spade type bits are only suitable for wood. However you may be able to get away with it if you have a bench grinder or something similar if you can sharpen it between cuts. Also lubricate it if you can, Those things can oveheat just with hardwood, Like loply says, wouldnt a normal drill with a large metal cutting bit be better?
Thanks for the replys. A normal drill of couse is good, but the only tool I have is a dremel clone. So, is there no alternatives? (in terms of drill bits) Such as "hole saw for dremel" and the like? Thanks a lot.
if you are drilling something as precise as hose barbs, you want a drill press (pillar drill for you brits) and a nice titanium or carbon steel metal bit the size you need. .. and if absolutely necessary, a set of needle files ... probably want to invest in a tap&die set too
Those spade bits are designed for wood, not metal. For the past few years I've been renovating my house and know from trial and error that they won't work for metal at all as it destroys the cutting egdes. They will kind of work with plastic, but you won't get anywhere close to a finished edge. Plus the shaft diameter is far to large for a dremel, you will need a regular power-drill to use it. If you want to cut holes in metal or plastic larger than a regular drill bit, your best alternative is a hole-saw. You can purchase them pretty small - I've seen them as small as 5/8" (about 16mm).
I have looked at hole saws, but they are for normal drills only. I think I'll have to buy a real drill now, saw one on b&q for less than 20 pounds variable speed. (Don't know if it comes with bits) Now I know dremel isn't THE "end-all" powertool Thanks for the help guys.
By the way, can knowledgeable people tell me whether should I buy a cheap press drill or a corded drill? (main use is of course modding) Thanks.
As well as Homebase, B&Q et-al, try Screwfix for cheap tools and consumables. Click these links for power-tools, hole-saws, and drill-bits.
You cannot beat the convienence of a good quality cordless drill, in the range of $100 CAD so 30 pounds or so unless do it youself equiplent is that much more expensive over there. For what you will be doing, as long as you take good care of the batteries a 7V of a 10V cordless drill will suffice, and will probably be more than enough. You generally get a kit with a few common drill bits, and a set of driver bits. A 80mm/92mm/120mm holesaw should run you about $20 CAD,- do the math yourself - if you go cordless or you go corded. Corded drill tend to have much more power, where a cordless drill will cut three or four clean holes in steel a corded drill does it easier, because you cont have to worry about the batteries going flat, a good quality corded drill costs about as much as a cordless drill. Oh and just prefrence go for keyless chuck, much easier to change bits and such and no worries about loosing the chuck key.
Thanks for the tips, very useful indeed. But since I will need to drill copper (for DIY waterblocks) at some point in the future, so a corded drill is a better choice? But of couse I can already imagine the convenience of cordless ones
A corded drill will always be a better choice. They are so much more powerful and a lot faster. They also don't need charging, which is the worst part about having a cordless drill.
unless you plan on doing like a whole lot of waterbloacks a cordless drill will work. But steveyG is right a corded drill would fit that job better. Personally Id get a cordless, theres plenty of things out there that a cord just gets in the way of, and around the house, I would ocnsider it a basic tool. Sometimes power isnt good smoe corded drilkl can be too powerful even on the lowest setting for most stuff, just chek that out. cordless = most everything a corded drill can do, but will juice down the batteries quick on really hard stuff (copper is moderatley hard). Intermittent usage. corded = metal, concrete, really hard stuff. constant usage.
