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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 12/9/2009 5:27:26 AM
Posts: 146,
Visits: 373
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The first submission this time is a simple one. To be honest, I'm surprised you guys haven't done it already. It's a snap on or screw on cover for the pet nail trimmer.
My wife and I got our two dogs used to the Minimite by playing with them as instructed. My wife, bless her heart, tried it out by turning the tool on and holding the housing against her cheek. Even without a bit, the spinning collet nut can still grab hair and cause a good yank, which it did.
After about five mins of thought, we ended up getting a plastic sports bottle nozzle cap....the type of bottle you pull the nozzle to drink from and then snap it back down to close it....and simply taped it into place on the Minimite. Worked perfectly. She could then turn the tool on and play with the dogs and no one got their feelings hurt. She could even lay the tool down beside them in their bed and they quickly came to think of the tool as a good thing in their lives.
#1 is a simple clams**** cover for Minimites where there are no threaded housing thingies. #2 is for threaded ones.
The second submission is a bit more complicated so I drew it in steps.
It's a precision "micro-lathe".
The first pic shows the basic shape of the attachment. It's roughly a "c-clamp" shape with a hole up through the middle as pictured.
The bottom end of the hole is threaded as shown in pic #2 to match the universal housing thread on a Dremel Mototool, while the top is a simple cup into which a bearing race or a bushing is inserted.
#3 shows how the Dremel is inserted into the attachment for use. The fluted rod is first inserted into and chucked down tight in the Dremel while the tool is still outside the attachment. The fluted rod is then inserted up through the threaded hole to the point that it extends out into the open middle of the "c-clamp". A pre-drilled piece of wood, the drilled hole of a size to create a friction fit onto the fluted rod, is then slipped down onto the fluted rod. The Dremel with the fluted rod is then pushed up to the point that the rod end slips into the bearing in the upper part of the "c-clamp". The attachment is then twisted down onto the universal housing threads on the Dremel until the entire attachment is tight.
#4 shows a turned piece of wood mounted in the attachment as explained in #3.
That setup allows for hollow core turning of just about any small item you can imagine. I started out using it to turn small wooden "bottles" for a doll diorama my wife was building for a local library. I've since used it to turn fishing lure bodies, more bottles, chessmen/game pawns, custom beads and wooden pendants for my wife. My favorite pastime for the past few months has been turning small wooden Christmas ornaments and "plumb bobbles" for necklaces. It's a perfect size where one might not have a lot of room for tools.
Solid core turning can be done just as easily by skipping the fluted rod. Instead, insert a polished, pointed dead center into the bearing at the top and chuck down a small spur drive bit into the Dremel at the bottom. By twisting the attachment onto the Dremel's threads, you can tighten the stock and begin turning it.
Speaking as one who has used a home-built version of this tool for about seven years now, it works incredibly well! The Dremel with the lathe attached is easily held in the left hand with the back of the lathe body turned towards the right hand. The back of the lathe body then forms its own tool rest. Place it down onto a flat desktop or workbench in that position and it's immune to kickback etc. It's best used with needle files and sanding sticks, but I often use my Minimite in conjunction as a powered tool to really speed things up. I've even turned brass dozens of times to make custom craft items for my wife and I. Instead of the fluted rod, simply spot glue (cyanoacrylate) your brass work stock to a polished rod.
richard
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