I asked on the A-Board, but I only got one suggestion. I need a new drill for detail work (down to #80 drill bits), but I'm back to square one in my search. I bought a Dremel mini cordless, but after talking with Dremel customer service, the smallest shaft I could use is 1/32". A #80 drill bit is about 1/74" in diameter, so I'm going to have to return the Dremel and look for something else. Does anyone here have a mini drill that works with #60-80 drill bits? I'd really like some advice.
A pin vise. You really don't need anymore power with a #80 bit than what you can generate with your own fingers.
I just have a pin vise.. and if I need power, I put that into my drill.. in my experience though, #80 drills and power just don't mix.. must be my clumsy hands. :tb-hissyfit: rrrrrrrrrrr.. SNAP.....
i got two pin vise's dubble sided and a flat blue case of maby 10 or 15 drill bits. i bought them from the LHS at least 10 years ago stabbed my finger atleast that meny times too:tb-hissyfit:
My advice is a pin vise. Very small bits like a #80 usually will snap with power because the drill spins relatively fast, the torque can not be controlled easily, and the slightest sideways movement of your hand will snap the bit, especially when you start to squeeze the trigger. Whereas with a pin vise, you're turning the bit slowly enough that you can feel and see if it starts to bind and stop twisting.
Sounds to me like a pin vise would be a good idea. I will buy one. Thanks for the suggestions! A little background might help. I was using a battery powered hand held drill for the last 40 years or so, and I was very satisfied with it. I had collets for small drill bits, and while I don't know the RPM's, the power was useful for drilling metal etc., and while a pin vise will be useful for many purposes, I do want the power option. Plus a powered tool has other uses than just drilling. So in addition to a pin vise, I'm thinking about this attachment, a micro drill chuck. MICRO DRILL CHUCK, #61 - #80 (1/8 " SHANK) The illustration suggests I could use it in the Dremel I bought this afternoon. Does anyone know why it wouldn't work? BTW I have broken exactly two drill bits over the 40 years I was using my old drill. I like to hold the model in my left hand and use my right hand for the drill. It was so far so good until my old drill died.
I picked up some #80 drill bits from drill bit city: Drill Bit City They have a nice large shaft on them, which makes it really easy to twist with your fingers. I have used all sorts of pin vices to detail my locos, and this beats them all. Also, because the shaft is so big, you can chuck them up in a power drill if you want to. Here is what they look like on top of an N scale loco: -Mike
You can get a smaller chuck from Micromark or other tool venders. They work well with the Dremel. I do agree that a pin vise works best for smaller sizes Steve E.
"Forney" Tip Drill Set This drill set is available at most hardware stores in the welding section. The bits fit inside the handle.
Thanks very much, everyone! I put in an order at Micro-Mark, and I should be set. I got a few of those finger drills, some Xacto knife blades, drill bits, pin vise. etc. If I were to buy all the minature tools I like, I wouldn't have any money left for models to use them on, but I contained my enthusiasm. By the way, I discovered that I already had a pin vise--the tap for a 00-90 screw has been in it for the last 25 years, and I'd forgotten completely about it--but it won't take the small drill bits, so I got another. Thanks again.
I too wanted a power option for small bits so I could drill in modestly hard metal. I ended up going with the Dremel hand-held (the one on the flexible shaft) and bits from Drill Bit City. I tried the Micro Mark chuck, but could never get the bit to sit true enough for high speed drilling, whereas the Drill Bit City bits are automatically true. Very nice! I find the key to working with small bits, either Dremel or pin vise, is a light touch. With a Dremel I find it easier to let the bit do the work and I don't have any more breakage than I do with a pin vise (maybe even a bit less breakage in fact). Cheers, Gary P.S. Just noticed your last post, I missed p.2... Hope that combo works out well for you. -gfh
Looks like pastoolio and Diezmon have found the perfect bits for you, David. I was going to recommend a pin vise too, but they have solved the problem in power drill bits, IF you have a low-speed drill motor - a Dremel Stylus (I have one and LOVE it!) would be a perfect match with those bits. Good luck, and remember: MRIF!
I wish that I could find some drill bits smaller than #80. I find the #80 too big in most cases for my use but then my pin vise won't hold anything smaller then a #80.
Sounds good! Sounds good to me. I just ordered one for use with my Dremel. Thanks for the tip. However, back to the broken bit point. I've broken the small ones with a pin vise by losing the "straight" at the wrong moment. So it's always a risk when drilling with a "hair". The nice thing about using it in your Dremel is the speed control. (Note Micro Mark's RPM caveat). Also, try to use a vise rather than your other hand. An item ensconced in an old t-shirt and secured in a vise is going to be more stable than your hand - or at least when compared to MY other hand. About pin vises. Harbor Freight Tools [FONT=arial, sans-serif]91682-3VGA for $4 is an assortment of 5 small bits and a pin vise that includes storage space in the handle. [/FONT]
I use bits like the one pastoolio has pictured for all my drilling when detailing in N-scale. I do use these bits in a rotary tool with a flexshaft attachment and a router speed control. My Dremel lost the ability to operate at the lower speeds so I purchased a speed control thinking it would work. Well, below 5000 RPMs the Dremel looses torque and the operation became jumpy. I brought the Target-brand tool because it was cheap and I needed to finish a project. The hobby shops were closed and this was the next best thing. I was suprised that it actually worked, and quite well I might add! With the router speed control, I was able to control the speed down to 0 RPMs. Perfect! The only drawback was the collet didn't spin true, so I had to adjust the bit while it was in the collet, then every thing was okay. Here's exatly what I use: 1. A Durabuilt Rotary tool from Target (which I got on sale for $18 at the time) Durabuilt Elect Rotary Tool with 102 Accessories : Target 2. A router speed control from Harbor Freight Tools http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43060 I have broken many bits when I used these drills in a pin vise, but the minute I switch to this setup my drill break rate decreased dramatically. I still break bits every now and then, but $5.49 buys me 20 new carbide bits! http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44924 It is a grab bagset , so you may not be sure what you're going to get size-wise, but two or three sets will get you every size you'll need, from .250" to .0087"! What I really need is a "real" flexshaft tool like this: which can be found from $99.99 - $130.00 Series C-300 or the Chinese version from HF for $49.99 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40432 Donnell
Another great buy at Harbor Freight is http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34640 It is a 50 bit set - still a grab bag, but a little more variety. My experience with these has been the same as described before - i broke more using a pin vise than using these in my Dremel at moderate speeds, and using a good support for the item being drilled.
I purchased the Chinese version from HF for $49.99 yesterday. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40432 I did not get the control I wanted from the foot pedal included in the kit, but when I pluged it into my router speed control, it work perfectly! I now have precise control from 0-10000 RPMs. The chuck spun true, which is what I was counting on, so now I can drill very tiny holes until my heart is content! Donnell
