Dremel offers a range of highly versatile rotary tools. Their potential uses are legion, ranging from arts and crafts to highly technical work and even pet care. This might sound like an exaggeration, but read on and judge for yourself.
Dremel has numerous attachments and tool bits that make it suitable for all kinds of work. Here are 15 Dremel uses that will make you want to get this tool for this weekend.
Carving with Dremel
Dremel rotary tools are best known for carving, especially in fine detail applications. Here are some of the common carving applications they’re used for:
Wood Carving
Using a wood carving attachment turns your Dremel into a master craftsman’s tool.
Gone are the days of slaving away with a mallet and gouges or hammer and chisels. Dremel accessories for wood carving differ in size and shape depending on the application. They could be large and coarse, meant for low detail, chunky pieces. These can be done using a router tool as well. Then, there are the highly detailed, smaller pieces. Here, you would use a 1mm burr or a flex-shaft attachment. These allow you near pen-like precision, creating intricate designs with sharp edges.
Stone Carving
Fitting the correct attachment onto your Dremel rotary tool allows you to carve stone, similar to how you would carve wood. The key here is to work slowly and precisely. This gives you greater control over the tool, leading to higher-quality work and a beautiful finish.
Pumpkin Carvings
Using the small grinding attachment on your Dremel tool allows you to carve pumpkins like a pro. No move, clumsy knives, and cut fingers. It’s far less messy than the old way of doing things.
Etching Glass
Using Dremel’s engraving bit lets you etch glass, either as party favors or as personalized items in your home.
This process is relatively simple.
- Create a stencil of your design, and stick it onto the glass.
- Trace this stencil using a marker.
- Now, get to work filling in the details, almost like coloring.
If you are a beginner, watch this excellent video tutorial from Dremel.
Be sure not to press too hard on the glass since it could easily break.
Dremel for Engraving
Dremel’s engraving functions are excellent, and they work on nearly any substrate.
Metal
Engraving metal using a Dremel is reasonably straightforward. Match the engraving bit to the metal you want to engrave. Some metals are harder than others, making them more difficult to engrave. See this Dremel bits guide for the different types of tools bits you can use.
If it’s a large project or has lots of small details in the design, it’s probably best to use the corded Dremel. This allows for a constant power supply, which is essential in large projects. I recommend choosing Dremel 4300 or 4000 for metalworking.
The corded Dremel tools also have a flexible engraving attachment, offering you greater control over the tool. Alternatively, you could use the battery-operated version of the tool. It’s hand-held and doesn’t limit you to the proximity of a power outlet.
Art and Crafts
Engraving is an essential part of crafting. Dremel tools are equipped with high-speed motors with variable speeds. This enables you to engrave on a variety of materials with ease.
Leather
Leather engraving takes your designs to a whole new level. Use the wood engraving bit to personalize and perfect your leather project.
Candles
Engraving candles have never been this easy. Use the wood engraving bit for candles too. If you are into candle-making crafts, you will be amazed to find the fine details you can carve and engrave on wax with this tool. The possibilities are endless.
Sanding
Attaching the sanding bit to your Dremel turns it into the best tool to reach those tricky corners. Sanding a windowsill’s corners or chair legs doesn’t have to be a pain anymore.
Load a drum sander bit and you are ready to sand the edges of think wood sections where other types of sanders will be difficult to control. You can also use it to round the edges of wood furniture, toys, etc.
You will find it really useful when sanding internal profiles, carvings, and curved surfaces. These hard-to-reach areas can be difficult to sand by hand. A rotary tool will make it easy to finish them. Sanding bits come in various sizes and various finishes. You could use this for both rough finishing and silky smooth sanding.
Polishing and Buffing
Once you finished your sanding, it is time to change the Dremel bit to a polishing tool bit that will give you a shiny mirror finish.
Polishing old pocket watches, jewelry, and compasses by hand is difficult and time-consuming. By contrast, doing it with most other polishing tools is a near-impossible feat. Using a Dremel tool solves this problem.
You can get different types of polishing bits to get different grades of finish. This flexible hand tool can reach those intricate places, match the angle, and deliver a gleaming surface, just like new.
Cutting with Dremel
Using the correct fitting enables your Dremel tool to cut various materials. This is ideal for use in hard-to-reach spaces and at odd angles.
Metal
If you have a nail or screw sticking out of your work in an odd spot, you can cut it off using your Dremel rotary tool. You don’t need an entire set of screwdrivers to remove those odd screws. Just use your Dremel tool with the appropriate bit.
You can use Dremel to cut metal pipes, sheet metal, panels, and other thin sections using the abrasive cut-off wheels.
Tiles
The Dremel is uniquely suited to cutting both tiles and removing the grout between tiles. Bathroom and kitchen customization is easy with the Dremel, allowing you to cut tiles into intricate shapes. Attach the appropriate bit, and voila!
Wood, Plastic
Cutting wood and plastic is simple and easy when you have a Dremel. Generally, the wood-cutting bit is suitable for cutting plastic too and does the job very well. If you’re unsure whether your bit is suited to the application, ask your local hardware specialist or look at the website. They will know which bit is best suited to your application.
Dremel for Drilling
Dremel tools are smaller than hand-held drills and are thus far easier to handle. This is especially true in smaller jobs, where the holes are tiny and precise.
Please note that the diameter of the drill bit you can use is limited by the available collet size. You can also get a drill chuck attachment that can hold bits from diameter 1/32″ to 1/8″ (Ø3mm).
Drilling with a Dremel is slower than with a hand-held drill, but the end result is often neater since you have more control over the process. You also avoid accidental nicks and dents in your project, as would often happen when using a hand-held drill.
Dremel for Jewelry Making
Making jewelry with a Dremel is fun and easy. This versatile tool allows you to cut and engrave your jewelry from nearly any substrate.
Since a Dremel is capable of small-scale, precise work, your designs can be really intricate. You can also polish your finished piece until it gleams perfectly.
Grinding
The Dremel rotary tool has a grinding attachment that allows you to do small-scale grinding. This is ideal for small jobs or jobs in tight corners. You could also mount it on your workbench using a clamp to function as a bench-top grinder.
Keep in mind that it is only suitable for small grinding. If you need a heavy-duty grinder, I suggest you go for a die grinder instead of a Dremel as they are larger and offers more power.
Sharpening
Sharpening blades is easy with a Dremel. If you know what you’re doing and have the necessary skills, you can use the grinding bit on its own to sharpen your blade.
Dremel also makes a number of sharpening attachments to grind the blades at the correct angle. You can even get a sharpening kit for resharpening chainsaw chisels.
If you’re new to sharpening blades, use the Dremel metal sharpening attachment. This sleeve encompasses the grinding bit at an angle. Slipping this sleeve over your blade allows you to sharpen the blade at a consistent angle. You can learn more about sharpening with Dremel here.
Bear in mind that metal sharpening produces quite a lot of sparks, so it’s essential to wear the correct safety gear (gloves, goggles, earplugs).
Add Textures to Wood Art
The flex-shaft attachment is a fantastic tool in the Dremel arsenal. This flexible tool allows you to add texture to wood art, similar to drawing on paper using a pencil.
The texture changes as you adjust the angle and pressure, allowing you to create masterpieces on your wooden canvas.
Calligraphy
Dremel has various attachments suited to creating calligraphy. The most commonly used ones are the small drill bit and the flex-shaft attachment. Both of these allow for highly detailed work with sharp edges.
Since the Dremel flex-shaft is small, you can hold it as a large pen, further enabling precise workmanship.
Dremel as Wood Router
You could use your Dremel tool as a wood router. Depending on your skill level and the application at hand, you could do this freehand or use the routing attachment.
The plunge router attachment turns your rotary tool into a wood router.
Again, this will not replace your heavy-duty wood router. But is useful for milling small slots, cutting steps, creating edge radius, etc. on wood.
Grout Removal
Removing hardened grout from between tiles manually can be a tough task. Guess what? You have a Dremel attachment for that and is also easy to use.
Match the Dremel bit to the size of the gap between the tiles, then connect the grout removal tool attachment to your Dremel unit. This attachment has a guide that allows you to keep the bit safely between the tiles while you’re working. Since the bit is very sharp, it can damage or even ruin tiles when it cuts into them, so keeping within the lines is essential.
Pet Nail Grinder (With Pet Dremel)
Dremel has a rotary tool specifically designed to cut pet nails. We all know that dogs generally don’t like having their nails cut, so getting the job done quickly and safely is essential. The Pet Dremel meets this need.
Instead of cutting the nail, it files it down quickly and easily. It makes a bit of noise, so your pup may require sensitivity training initially. Once he gets used to it, though, the job is quick and easy. The Pet Dremel is also equipped with relevant safety features, ensuring that you’re unlikely to hurt your pup while using it.
There are countless other ways you can use a Dremel tool. This really is a versatile tool!
Dan Miller is a professional toolmaker with extensive experience in the metalworking and tooling industry.
An avid DIY enthusiast and passionate hobbyist woodworker, Dan shares his expert knowledge here.