sjaguar13 Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 So I got this piece of scrap wood and was practicing for my skull inlays, but I suck. I can't get that stupid thing to move where I want it. The dremal is over 4 years old and am I using an original bit. Is the bit dull, or am I just not gifted? I am guess that I should always move towards the right because that's the way it's spinning. Going the other way, it gets away from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 First of all, are you using a dremel router attachment? you pretty well have to. Secondly, get a new bit, for the $4 they cost, it's not worth messing around with old dull ones. third, if the bearings are worn in your dremel, it will be very hard. and last, how deep are you trying to route? much more than 1/16" is going to make it harder and you don't need to be that deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjaguar13 Posted May 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 By router attachment, do you mean that little base thing the dremal sits in? What kind of bit should I get? I just grabbed one out of the case, but there was only 4 to choose from and two are really big. How would I know if the bearings are worn? How fast should I have it set to? The faster I made it, the faster the wood turned black and I smelled smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 the wood is burning because you have a dull bit. Here are the bits I mostly use for routing for inlays Dremel bits The router base is an attachment that the dremel sits in to use as a router, here is the nice one from Stew mac, dremel makes a plastic one, but it sucks. Router base To check if the bearings are worn, grab the collet of the dremel, if you can move it side to side much, the bearings are pretty worn, it should be fairly rigid, that collet should only turn, not move side to side. I run my dremel at full RPM for inlay routing. In the case of a vine inlay, in ebony, I might use two of those bits on a bad day, but they are very inexpensive. I mostly run the faster RPM simply because the dremel doesn't have a whole lot of torque, so you make up the lack of power with rpm. If you are wearing the bits out fast, or burning the wood bad, you can slow it down a bit, but remember, it will take some time to route the board. Don't use a ton of pressure, but also, keep it cutting, don't let the bit rub or it will burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 man lgm i wish i knew about that base before last saturday!i just bout a plastic craftsman base.oh well i'm only doing routing for pickups for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavin Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 sjaguar13, I use the stew mac carbide downcut bits for all my routing, going from 1/8" to 1/32" near the edges. They cost a little more, but they sail through ebony like a hot knife through butter. Unlike alot of other people here it seems, I do not undercut any edges. I just rout to the chalk line and carefully press the inlay in. I have not had an inlays pop out ever. I do use the stew-mac water thin glue, and it gets into all the cracks, and seals really well. Good luck. Craig Lavin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 I've never undercut either, only time I'll do a slight undercut is in maple, when I need to have a very sharp corner, I'll cut the corner with an xacto knife and then just undercut a bit so I don't have a round bottom that might hold the inlay up. The down cut bits are really nice, for starting out, those cheaper ones I showed the link to work fine though, it takes a while to learn the pressure and depth for routing, it's far cheaper to break those ones than the carbide downcut ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.