# Best way to use a Dremel tool? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-use-a-dremel-tool/118670 "2002-07-12T18:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-use-a-dremel-tool/118670/1 "2002-07-12T18:44:06Z")
Hey handyman Dopers: what’s the best way to use a Dremel tool? The deal is that I’m working on my Halloween costume and I’m cutting pieces of armor from a large sheet of PVC foam (1/8" thick, if that matters). There’s two problems I discovered when I cut a test piece last night: 1. The plastic doesn’t cut so much as **melt**. I should have seen this coming between the high speed of the Dremel and the amount of heat it creates. I can make pretty decent cuts, but it does spew a decent amount of liquid plastic onto the edge that it has to be sanded down (which ruins the smoothness I had). I could try a thinner blade, but I don’t know if it’ll go through the material as well. I could try a slower speed, but again, I’ve found that only the highest speed really gets through this stuff. 2. I need to cut pretty straight edges. I’m wondering if I should clamp an aluminum ruler along the edges I’m cutting as a guide. However, I’m worried that the Dremel will cut through the ruler if I angle it wrong, thus ruining both the ruler and the whole point to begin. :smack: Other than that, I love my Dremel and think it’s the coolest tool ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-use-a-dremel-tool/118670/2 "2002-07-12T18:51:03Z")
The right tool for the job is important. For 1/8 PVC foam, a utility knife or exacto knife is probably the preferred implement. It’s straight-edge friendly and won’t melt the PVC. You could also consider a hot-knife (essentally an exacto knife screwed into a soldering iron). It might be a bit slower, but you did say this is a Halloween costume… If you want to use a Dremel tool to cut a straightline, you should get one of the different kinds of guide attachments (some of them are essentially just hollow tubes) and use the guide against the straightedge with the appropriate offset. ---
**Author:** ![Oak\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Oak\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oak_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-use-a-dremel-tool/118670/3 "2002-07-12T20:23:19Z")
Man, I’m bummed out! Here I was all set to discuss do-it-yourself root canals . . . ☹ Oakie ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-use-a-dremel-tool/118670/4 "2002-07-13T05:33:50Z")
ditto the utliity knife w/ straight-edge - you’ll find other uses for the Dremel toy 🙂 (I have 4 of them…) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-use-a-dremel-tool/118670/5 "2002-07-13T07:03:31Z")
I also have a Dremel. It’s great for mixing cocktails. Though my most frequent legitimate use is as a high-speed drill through light steel. I’ve used it to install extra fans in my computer case. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-use-a-dremel-tool/118670/6 "2002-07-13T11:57:11Z")
I had the same problem. IIRC I made the cut then snapped it to break the melted joint.