Considering how critical I am of some other people’s attempts at practical knife sheaths, it’s a little hypocritical of me that I never had the balls to try it myself. This is my very first such effort ever, with no rivets or belt attachment. I hope to move on from here, but this one ends my long career as a virgin.
One advantage of bachelorhood: If I want to grind plastic in my kitchen, I grind plastic in my kitchen.
And having said that, a word on tools: Several-going-on-many years ago, a dear friend gifted me with a basic Dremel kit. I’ve kept it all these years, adding to it as need and whim commanded. I don’t use it very often, but it has gotten me out of jams beyond number.
A Dremel tool is a wonderfully useful homestead gadget if you have house power. It doesn’t do anything perfectly well, but with the right attachments it does a helluva lot of things well enough.
I bought a dremel tool kit (not the brand name) years ago, but have never figured out how to use it. No instructions came with it, just the endless mantra of “safety” warnings. Guess I’ll go looking for some instructions on line. The ceramic knife sharpening information was rather discouraging. Seems the only reliable tool to sharpen them is a machine that costs roughly twice what I paid for the knives. 🙂 I might not live long enough to use it twice. LOL
I can only agree. I might only drag my Dremel out once or twice per year. But when I need it, nothing else will do. I won’t be without one.
Yep. A Commentariat member gave me her Dremel and kit years ago. I rarely use it, but when I do, it’s just the thing. I’m just now about to go use it to cut off three bent, stripped screws in a spot too small for an angle grinder with a cut-off blade to reach. Hooray, Dremel!
I only noticed the knife. You have good taste for a hermit, Joel!
I think the worst abuse I gave my dremel was when I had to expand the mounts for larger strut rods in an early Falcon. I was working for myself so I did this over the course of a few weeks in small doses. Most of the time I was on my back eating sparks and I burned through a lot of stones – but it was the only tool I could get in there that would do the job.
Found out then that the link between the motor and the arbor on the dremel is sacrificial. Fixed it with heat shrink and I expect another 25 years outa’ mine! BTW – the heat shrink is tougher than the material dremel uses – so the operator has to limit themselves as to how much they lean on the motor.
I saw a knock-off at a discount store for a good price and picked it up as a sacrificial. Haven’t killed it yet but It’s already earned it’s keep!
@Plug Nickel Outfit:
You say the link is sacrificial. Is that link a mechanical or electrical part? What is the arbor? I have a dead Dremel that might be repairable…
Steve – I guess I should have said the ‘chuck’ or spindle – the shaft and collet pieces that hold the various bits and heads.
The symptom of the problem is that one can hear the motor turning but the spindle doesn’t. Dremel uses a lightweight bit of plastic tubing to join the motor to the spindle and time and abuse will turn it to crumbly bits.
here’s a diagram and parts list to my model:
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/dremel-395-type-corded-multitool-parts-c-15440_15456_202529.html
The part is number 5 on the list – and Dremel usually recommends replacing number 19 with it. Dremel may not have used the same set-up on all models – here’s a listing of models that links to diagrams and parts list:
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/dremel-corded-multitool-parts-c-15440_15456.html
The right sized tubing will do the same repair as the heat shrink – fwiw.