lol ok, i got it *d'oh!* but if you dont have a jigsaw, get AT LEAST a portable one, they're like 15 bux and well worth it
Where can you get one for 15 bucks? And would a portable one be anywhere close to the power of a corded one? I doubt it.
I thought by portable you meant cordless. My bad. If I feel I need a jigsaw, I'll go and get one. For now I'm fine with a dremel
"AARRR" (I can't believe no-one's said that yet) Anyway, my five cents, use a jiggy it's way more accurate [edit] when cutting straight lines [/edit] than a and cuts the alu like butter. It's a worthy investment... Awesome work so far though
This case is made of steel though. Is it as accurate when cutting steel? I've always heard that jigsaws are great for straight line cutting, but the is way better for detail work Thanks
steels not a problem if you have the right blade, these can be bought at your local hardware depot... "straight lines" is right though (see edited post above) but curves are ok so long as they aren't too tight, But you're right with the detail work having to be done with a dremel and files... but you seem to have a handle on things
Nice design - very intricate. You are a brave man doing that with a dremel. Dremels were designed for small amounts of work not really stuff on that scale. If you've got a bit of money then you could get a plung cutter or a router attachment for your dremel, then using an HSS bit just move along the line. You'd probably get a cleaner cut and work faster. Also you should be able to use you dremel for more than 5mins. They have fans built in to keep the motor cool. The quickest way to cool power tools is to run them unloaded for a bit - the fan cools better than convection. HTH
Thanks. Lets hope I can pull it off! Me = student = no money. How would a router attachment work? Do I keep the panel in place and move the tool? Or keep the tool in place and move the panel? Either option sounds too finicky to work effectively. Also not sure what an HSS bit is? Thanks for the tip. I'll remember that. Back to work! <- we need a smiley with glasses AND a face mask!
wow - i never thought of a pirate themed case, NICE. LOVED the mk grill, did you also make the 3d skull one or is that a bought one? if you did make it i`d love to hear/see more of the making of it - it`s awesome looking (even if it`s bought - it just rocks). and as for the window cut, i`m cheering for you and the dremel - i`ve had my share of tough cuts with the dremel and you`re welcome to check out my project log. actually for cutting steel, i`ve found that the 409/420 "normal" cutting wheels are far better than the enforced 426`s due to their slimmer prophile - they cut metal as if it was butter. now if this was aluminum - definitely go with the reinforced ones as the heat and resistence (as well as accumulation of matter on the disk) kill the "normal" ones. and you get about 40-50 of them so no need to worry if you break one or two (actually never happened to me on steel). also don`t forget to use only the edge and @ an angle for easy cutting, and to save the smaller disks for the curves. do that and you`ll have EXTREME satisfaction from your dremel/hand made window. g`luck and again, a nice one!
Update Quick Update: I stopped working on the sword, because the sword requires smaller disks. So I switched to cutting the skull (never thought I'd use that phrase ). Since I'm working indoors, I'm restricting myself to working hours (9-5) so that my neighbors are out while I'm causing all that noise. Here are some pictures of my progress so far. So far the 'creases' in the pirate skull's bandana are holding up fine. I discovered that the sanding drums that came with my dremel kit do a great job of making the edges of metal nice and smooth, without applying much pressure. I will be using them on these 'creases' as well as the other edges of the cutout. They get used up really quickly though, so I may need to buy a few more. So far so good.
Still looking good! If i remember right, an HSS bit is a High Speed Steel bit. Could be wrong though. As far as the router attachment goes, it's a little base that looks like the bottom of a regular router that the dremel sits in, then clamp down the metal, and route! I have one, it seems to work pretty good, although I have never used it for case cutting. Anyways, keep up the good work! AVAST!
Thanks for the compliments guys - keeps me motivated. Thanks again. No I didn't make the 3d skull grill. I bought it online, but yeah, I love it too. It matches the theme of my case perfectly. Really? Maybe I should give them a go then. I tried cutting wood once with a 420 wheel and it worked fine and didn't shatter. Instead it shattered while I was trying to unscrew the screw that holds the cutting wheel in. That's what I'm aiming for.
yeah HSS stands for High Speed Steel. It's basically meant for cutting metal. I'm a student as well so I know what you mean about being poor Also alianyn good tips on dremel cutting
I had an Idea for pirate case really similar to this. i decided to do Lord of the Rings instead though. I was gonna do kinda the exact opposite of the window your doing. Where the skull and swords would be metal and the rest clear. Good job so far. keep going.
Update Another Update: Did some more cutting today. Worked on both the top half of the skull and some finer parts of the sword handle. Here's an overall picture of my progress: Close up of the sword: and of the skull: I used the tungsten carbide cutter (#9901) to do most of the sword handle. Problem is, the bit doesn't stay in the tool for very long, and is continuously jumping while I cut. Maybe I'm using the wrong approach or something? I always use this while cutting to add stability, but the bit still jumps and occasionaly falls out of the collet, despite it being screwed in tight! Anyways, if anyone is wondering how things are looking from the other side of the panel, here are some more pics: As you can see in that last image, the painters tape burns up in some areas. I will most likely be taking a day off tomorrow and getting some fresh air instead. Also need to work on my Honours project, which is way behind schedule.
