Some time ago I received a desired gift - an engraver. Dremel 4000. The box proudly boasted “65 attachments.” In fact, about 20 of them turned out to be discs for cutting plastic, so the variety was not at all what it might seem. Considering the completely inhumane pricing policy of this manufacturer and its Russian dealers, I had to go online. The original attachments, taking into account the cost of delivery, were overtaking the price of the “go to Leroy and buy” option, and besides, the assortment was frustrating. Therefore, we had to look towards China. There were a lot of interesting things there.

Drilling

The kit included a 3.2 mm collet (and another one, which I never used, because the kit doesn’t come with a single attachment for it). And a drill. The same 3.2 mm. But i.e. It's like we have a tool for fine workmanship and a 3.2 mm drill is included. It's a pity that it's not an eight on concrete.

Jaw chuck 4486:

You can insert 628 drill bits into it:

Or use a set of wood drill bits for a 3.2 mm collet:

The cartridge doesn't have much good design. As far as I understand, the drill is clamped pointwise, the contact patch area is small, the speed is high, and the drill “bounces” is observed. In addition, on the manufacturer’s website there are a lot of reviews in the style of “out of curiosity, I completely tightened the chuck without a drill, and it no longer wants to unscrew back.”

What do the Chinese offer?

For example, these are the sets:

Visually the chatter is unnoticeable, brass drills wonderfully. I don’t know how many thousands of holes in PCB one drill can make before it wears out, I haven’t tried it. But if you need to make several (dozens) of different small holes, this is an excellent option.

I ordered on ebay from the seller sz_butterfly - he constantly has lots with a fixed price and regularly holds auctions with low prices starting price(and not the 15 times increased delivery cost). A plastic box-stand was included.

Engraving

What's standard in stores?

Milling cutters. A bunch of cutters different sizes and (sort of) appointments. A number of diamond-coated attachments. You can open the manufacturer’s catalog or website and look there.

Everything is great, if not for one thing But- price. For example, such a wonderful attachment Dremel 7105 (4.4 mm, 2.4 mm shank - the same second collet in the set) costs only 800 rubles for 2 pieces.

What do the Chinese offer?

To start, I ordered a set of a wide variety of diamond-coated drills. Just to understand what I need. 180 rubles with delivery:

It turned out to be a great thing. you can draw thin (and not only) lines on metal and glass. Probably also on plastic. Something like this:

IMPORTANT!!! When working, be sure to wear respiratory protection. I used a regular gauze bandage and constantly wiped the product with a wet rag. During operation, quite a lot of very fine dust is formed. I doubt that the lungs will be happy with such a gift.

In my work, I really liked the spherical shape of the nozzle, because it is easiest for it to maintain good accuracy of work. So I found these Diamond Round Ball Burr Bit Sets:

Or these (300 rubles, free shipping):

Haven't ordered yet. I don't know why I'm being stupid.

Literally a month ago the choice was exactly this - either you buy original Dremel consumables for 500-1000 rubles apiece, or you order from the Chinese. And about 2-3 weeks ago in Leroy (I have one next to my office, we go there regularly to look for something tasty) and budget consumables for the engraver (for example, mini-sets of diamond drills). So the point of waiting for delivery has dropped somewhat.

Offtopic: In addition, there just as suddenly appeared canvases for what the English-speaking Internet calls an oscillating tool, but in our country it is called anything, even an electric broom

I hope this post will help someone try to make something with their own hands. It's an interesting process.

Offtopic 2: I also encountered the problem of finding metal for work. We needed brass. In Moscow, a bunch of factories are ready to sell wonderful strips or sheets of brass. From 5000 rubles. Preferably a legal entity. from 10 to 17 o'clock. As a result, on the second attempt, I bought what I needed at the non-ferrous metal collection point.

There are just a huge number of them on sale. various instruments, which can be used for machining details. An example would be an engraver. In many ways, this tool is similar in its operating principle to a drill or grinder, but is designed for working with small-sized workpieces. By purchasing and installing various attachments for the engraver, you can carry out grinding, milling or engraving, as well as drilling. It is important to choose the most suitable options execution of nozzles, since they are characterized by different performance qualities and areas of application.

Features of nozzles

Attachments for wood drills can be classified according to a fairly large number of different characteristics. There is a wide variety on the market. Almost all equipment for an engraver is characterized by the presence of two structural elements:

1. The shank is a part of the engraver attachment, due to which it is mounted in the chuck of the equipment used.
2. The working part is responsible for directly removing the metal layer at the time of processing.

Metal engraving paste is used to significantly increase the efficiency of the processing, especially if the engraving tool is intended for surface grinding. Descriptions of attachments may be provided by manufacturers, since the cutting edge of some versions may have complex geometry.

Equipment for an engraver can have simply a huge amount distinctive features. Drill burs and other types of equipment can be classified according to the following criteria:

1. Type of material being processed.
2. Purpose of the drill and the engraver attachment used.
3. Areas of use.

An example is diamond cutters for engravers, which can be used to process the end surface and obtain a surface of complex shape.

The use of hard spraying can significantly extend the service life of the cutting edge, as well as provide higher cutting conditions. A mini drill bit for a drill is used to produce blind or through holes with a minimum diameter. The main classification can be called the purpose for which technological task the engraver attachment is purchased. By providing diversity in this indicator, the scope of application of the engraver is significantly expanded.

By type of material processed

When choosing the most suitable set, attention is paid to what materials it is intended to work with. The classification of tools in this case is as follows:

1. Most of the options are designed for working with wood. Let us give an example that widespread received an engraving cutter for wood. It can be used to obtain various patterns. Provides if necessary high accuracy processing.
2. An engraver with appropriate attachments for working with metal is used. In this case, when manufacturing a cutting edge, more wear-resistant and hard alloys. When choosing tooling, it is important to pay attention to what kind of alloy will be processed. An example is the ratio of the hardness of aluminum and hardened steel.
3. Glass equipment is purchased quite often. This type of material is difficult to process. That is why the cutting part is often made of wear-resistant alloys or diamond chips.
4. There are attachments for engravers that are designed for working with stone. The diamond cutter for stone has become quite widespread. The high hardness of the treated surface determines what cutting edge special requirements apply.

The purpose of the type of material being processed largely determines the cost of the equipment. The most affordable offer is considered to be wood cutters, which have become very widespread. There are also often versions designed for working with metals.

By purpose

A tool for engraving on metal or wood can be intended for a variety of operations. Based on this characteristic, they distinguish the following options executions:

1. For engraving work. Very often it is necessary to apply some kind of drawing or inscription on the surface. If the work is carried out in a home workshop, then more suitable tool can be considered an engraver. There is an engraving cutter for metal or wood, artificial or natural stone, glass and other materials. Diamond burs (cutters) are often sold as a set, since to obtain complex drawings and inscriptions may require attachments with different cutting edge geometries.
2. Tools whose attachments are a combination of a solid metal rod and an abrasive tip. In some cases, it is necessary to improve the quality of the roughness of recesses or other complex surfaces. In such cases, this type of equipment is used. Its purpose is to rough and finish the surface, it all depends on the grain size of the abrasive material used.
3. For grinding and polishing work. On sale you can find a huge range of engraver grinding attachments. Various materials can be used in their manufacture. An example is classic abrasive or felt.

When choosing, it is worth considering that there are a variety of pastes for engraving and other engraver attachments intended for grinding surfaces. Their use can significantly increase the efficiency of the operation. The selection of paste is carried out in accordance with the specific tool used for processing and what material the part was made from. Before using any paste, you should pay attention to the instructions for use.

When considering the classification, we will also pay attention to the fact that there are working attachments for professional engravers. They are intended to be a multi-functional tool that can be used to perform a wide variety of operations. The most common set of such equipment is represented by the following combination:

1. Cutters that have different shapes and sizes.
2. Cones made of abrasive, felt or diamond coating.
3. Drills that can be used to transform a conventional engraving machine into an efficient drill for precise drilling work.
4. Wire nozzles, which can be used to clean the surface.
5. Cutting discs designed to remove part of a product.

If desired, the set can be assembled by purchasing all the attachments separately. However, some versions are extremely rare on sale, which makes it difficult to purchase them separately. Let's take cutting discs as an example.

A set of attachments for the engraver is produced under various brands. As previously noted, when frequently processing workpieces with the tool in question, a fairly large set of attachments is required. The following factors may influence your choice:

1. What specific technological tasks will have to be performed. As previously noted, a drill can be used to carry out simply a huge number of technological tasks: engraving, surface grinding, cutting, drilling and others. The choice is made in accordance with what kind of work will be carried out. There are universal sets available for sale, represented by a combination of nozzles of various types.
2. Characteristics, geometric features workpieces and type of material used in manufacturing.
3. Estimated dimensions of workpieces. Tools that are too small are not convenient for processing workpieces bigger size. However, achieving your goals may take much longer.

The set of cutters and other attachments can be minimal or include several dozen units. In this case, the choice depends on the budget allocated for the purchase of equipment and how often the work will be carried out.

When choosing, attention is also paid to the classification according to the purpose of the sets:

1. Professional level. The high cost of such a proposal is primarily due to its long service life and exceptional performance. In addition, the cutting part retains its shape over a long period, which ensures precision processing. It is advisable to choose such equipment only when the relevant work is carried out frequently.
2. Budget proposals. This group can be divided into simply a huge number of categories. The most affordable tool will be an offer from Chinese manufacturers, but it will not last long and often does not meet the stated characteristics. Some well-known manufacturers also produce instruments of this class, but at the same time they withstand quite high level quality. That is why, when work is carried out infrequently, attention should be paid to such a proposal.

When purchasing a tool, you can inspect it. There should be no obvious mechanical defects on the surface. In addition, a lot of attention is paid to symmetry, which is quite difficult to check without special equipment.

Making your own nozzles

For some surfaces, it is difficult to find a more suitable nozzle on sale. That is why many are considering the possibility of making them themselves. An example is Dremel cutters for wood, which have also become quite widespread today.

You can make a cutting disc or grinding head in your home workshop. A primitive cutter is represented by a grooved cylinder from a conventional lighter. The sanding attachment is made of a wooden drum to which sandpaper with the required grit value is attached.

Do-it-yourself engraver attachments are made because they can replace completely purchased versions. However, it is very difficult to make wood carving attachments with your own hands. This is due to the fact that the working part of such a tool has a complex geometry, which can only be replicated by a real professional using special equipment.

When making equipment yourself, you should pay attention to the fastening features. The corresponding element from a broken tool can be used as a shank.

An engraver, or bur machine, is a very necessary and useful thing for those who like to carve wood, stone, metal, and so on. But the engraver is good for more than just carving. It can also be very helpful when assembling or repairing something miniature, in order to cut out the necessary part from metal or plastic that cannot be cut with scissors. You can also use it to polish minerals, or just beautiful stones. There are a huge variety of attachments for an engraver: saw blades, grinding discs, stones of various grain sizes, brushes (both simple and metal), felt discs, various cutters for wood and glass, and also, of course, drills.

Buying such an expensive thing as an engraver is only half the battle (however, making it yourself is also not a tricky matter). During the entire period of use, it is also advisable to update and replenish existing stocks of drills, cutters and other attachments, which are also not cheap. In any case, they (for some reason!) cost more than consumables and attachments for the same standard-sized tool. But you don’t have to buy them all - some attachments can be made quite easily yourself. Of course they are complex instruments, like a wood cutter, a drill or a diamond gimlet for engraving on glass, is unlikely to be made, but, for example, small saws for cutting wood and plastic, grinding and felt discs can be easily made with your own hands.

Even if you have no skills. I think that anyone can cut out the correct circle drawn with a compass on a workpiece with scissors. In addition, some Consumables You won’t find them in regular stores selling this kind of goods. You have to order and wait a long time for them to arrive, and whether they will come at all... And even if they do come, it is not a fact that they will be of high quality and reliable. The sanding discs I recently received in the mail were so fragile that one of them broke with a little pressure... In general, if you want something done well, do it yourself! Today we will look at several options self-made more durable tool.

Saw blades for wood and plastic

You will need:

• Metal circle or piece sheet metal, no more than a millimeter thick.
• Compass and pencil.
• Scissors.
• Drill and drill bits.
• Emery machine with cutting disc.
• Metal bolt with nut from children's construction set, or from a prefabricated electrical plug.

First you need to draw a circle on a sheet of metal with a diameter of 3-5 cm using a compass and a pencil. I had ready-made metal circles from a chandelier, only with a large hole in the center. In order to fit the hole under a small bolt, we cut out (or take ready-made ones, if available) two washers so that they cover the hole in the future saw blade. We make a hole in the center of each washer for a bolt, squeeze the disk hole on both sides with washers, align it in the center, and tighten it with a bolt and nut.

Next, you need to cut the teeth of the disk.

We make oblique cuts along the entire edge of the disk, 3-4 mm deep, and in increments of 2 mm. You can use it.

We do the disk for cutting plastic in exactly the same way, repeating the procedures described above, with the exception of sharpening the teeth. Here the cuts should be made at right angles, two mm deep, and also in increments of two mm.

The teeth should be short and wide. This disc can cut plastics of different densities, as well as plexiglass and textolites.

Sanding and felt discs

You will need:

• A thin grinding disc (can be used, or even a piece of debris, but not thicker than a millimeter).
• A piece of felt, 7-10 mm thick (from a felt boot - just right).
• Compass and pencil
• Metal scissors.
• Emery machine.
• Thin bolt with nut.

Here, too, the production is not much different from the first two options. We also draw a circle of 3-5 cm using a compass.

But it’s probably better to cut the felt with a sharp knife, since it’s quite thick, and I crushed all my fingers with scissors. It is better to cut the grinding wheel either with metal scissors or on an emery machine with the same cutting wheel. Next, we make holes in the centers of the circles, and tighten them on both sides with bolts and nuts.

An engraver, otherwise called a mini-drill, dremel, straight grinder or drill, is multifunctional tool. With its help, not only engraving is applied, but also drilling, grinding and performing other operations for processing various materials, for example, wood, metal, glass, stone. The device is widely used both in everyday life and in various industries, in jewelry, and in the creation of advertising and souvenir products. All variety functionality equipment is due to the fact that there are different attachments for the engraver.

Attachments for frequently performed types of work are supplied complete with the tool. Milling cutters for more specific operations must be purchased separately. In order to work correctly and efficiently with a Dremel, while achieving high quality processing of parts, you need to know existing varieties equipment, as well as for what work each type is used.

Exists a large number of varieties of equipment for working with a mini-drill. The wide range on the market allows you to select attachments for wood and many other materials that engraving equipment can work with. Also, individual craftsmen make them themselves.

Structurally, the attachments (burs) consist of two parts;

• tail, clamped in the tool chuck (diameter from 0.8 to 8 mm);
• worker who processes materials.

Equipment is classified according to two main criteria:

• by the type of material from which they are made;
• by area of ​​use (purpose).

By type of material processed

Based on the material, engraver cutters are of the following types.

There are also combination burs that have a steel shank and a carbide working part. Their area of ​​application corresponds to the material of the head.

Carbide equipment is of high quality, durable and is one of the most expensive consumables for Dremels. The shape of the tips determines the features of its application. With the help of such peak burs, it is good to process bone, plastic, and make tracing (indicate the contours of the picture). Diamond bits They are also distinguished by their quality, even if the kit they are included in is classified as cheap consumables.

On the market you can find a set of burrs, all the elements of which marked with any color– it indicates the level of sharpening. Those marked black are the most productive burs, while the sharpness of green or blue ones is worse. Labeled yellow nozzles are optimal choice by doing finishing blanks

By purpose

You can use an engraver with attachments not only for engraving, but also for performing other work operations. The breakdown of consumables used in the operation of straight grinders is presented in the table below.

Work performed	Nozzles used
engraving	the varieties discussed above are suitable
drilling	performed using steel or carbide drills
polishing	circles made of felt, cotton, felt, sandpaper, leather, and also special devices(holders) that can be wrapped independently (for example, with felt)
grinding	grinding stones (of various shapes and from different materials) and wheels (of sandpaper), diamond rings, rubber cylinders
tongue and groove	burs with a spherical working part
cutting	cutting discs
milling	cutters
cleaning surfaces (for example, from rust, scale)	wire (steel), thread, fabric brushes
finishing of holes or cavities	diamond cutters
creating grooves	cone burs

Consumables from each group can be used during processing various materials. Wherein milling equipment used mainly by professionals.

Dremels, which have a flexible shaft installed, are equipped with any types of consumables that fit the diameter of the tool chuck.

Review of the most popular attachments for working on wood and metal

Wood is one of the most commonly processed materials for engraving, along with glass, metal, and stone. Dremels are often used for carving wood, drilling miniature holes in it, applying images to the surface of a given material, sanding, and creating small grooves or tongues. Therefore, popular types of attachments for woodworking are:

• wood cutters;
• drill;
• cutting circles;
• polishing, grinding wheels and cylinders;
• spherical and cone-shaped burs;
• diamond and carbide bits of various shapes;
• felt balls.

There are also specific types of wood cutters, but they are used very rarely even by specialists. Purchase consumables to process wood different breeds using directly grinding machine, recommended as a set. Thus, everything that may be needed when performing work manipulations will be collected immediately in one case.

Review of professional attachments for engravers

Professional tools constitute a separate (high-quality and expensive) category of equipment that can withstand significant operating loads without negative consequences. Such devices are usually equipped with appropriate consumables.

Professionals do quality work the smallest details blanks That's why they need such a wide variety of consumables to get the job done.

Experts who engrave various materials professionally recommend purchasing sets of attachments from well-known brands, such as "Dremel" or "Dexter". The significant cost of products from these companies is fully justified by the fact that their products are reliable, high quality and durability. The use of burrs for wood, metal and other materials produced by these companies increases the accuracy of workpiece processing.

Often, specialists have several sets of equipment designed to process different materials and perform various operations. Also, the individual elements included in their composition have their own design features. Typically these sets include:

• cutters for metal, wood and other materials, of various designs;
• drill;
• felt, diamond, and abrasive cutters;
• wire brushes for cleaning surfaces;
• engraving rods;
• cutting discs.

The kits also include a straight edge cutter.

Straight edge cutter Topfix

Replacement equipment of the Dremel and Dexter brands can be used not only by workshop specialists, but also by home craftsmen who want to improve in the art of engraving.

According to professionals, one such tool can last as long as 10 low-quality attachments from an unknown manufacturer.

Some engraving artists recommend products "Zubr" company, lower quality than Dremel or Dexter, but cheaper. The set can include up to 180 units of consumables of popular varieties. But products from Zubr, in general, fall into the semi-professional and household categories.

Typically, a milling attachment for an engraver is included with the purchased tool. But with constant use, it wears out over time. Also, cutters may be needed for specific operations - then you need to buy new burs in order to continue working with the Dremel.

The ideal option is to purchase products recommended by the engraver manufacturer. In such cases, the warranty from the companies for the device in use is retained. But it happens that original consumables cannot be obtained for some reason, or they will be very expensive given the small volume of upcoming work operations. Then you will need to purchase analogues or even use homemade ones. In this case, the main rules of choice are as follows.

1. You should focus on a Dremel chuck that fits shank diameter: most often it is 2.4 or 3.2 mm.
2. You need to purchase attachments for metal and other materials depending on the type of work you plan to perform.
3. To engrave, you can use inexpensive sets, for example, Chinese or Russian production.
4. During constant, prolonged work with a mini-drill (especially with hard materials) it is recommended to purchase high-quality, professional sets, and for occasional engraving, household ones are sufficient.

When learning various Dremel operations, inexpensive products are suitable. Over time, they should be abandoned in favor of better quality equipment.

Homemade attachments for the engraver

You can buy attachments for the engraver not only factory-made, but also make them yourself. Workshop specialists and home craftsmen have come up with many options that are suitable for performing various operations with different materials.

To make your own polishing, grinding, milling, drilling consumables for a Dremel, as well as cutting devices, use the following materials and parts:

• plywood;
• sandpaper;
• remnants of abrasive wheels different thicknesses from an angle grinder (grinder);
• felt;
• felt;
• various fabrics and rubber;
• steel wire;
• a wheel from a cheap lighter;
• old burs and drills (they are sharpened);
• electric razor knives;
• hacksaw blades;
• metal caps, for example, from beer bottles;
• champagne corks;
• an ordinary dowel (its head has teeth) and others.

The photos below show some ready-to-go practical application homemade devices To engraving device milling type.

Additionally used with homemade products special (for example, diamond) pastes. At the same time, specialists achieve the result of finishing processing of workpieces of different densities, comparable in quality to the use of factory analogue burs.

Homemade attachments suitable for engravers to perform a variety of jobs in domestic conditions. They will also save you money cash through the use of available, cheap materials and parts from improvised or broken (unnecessary, old) mechanisms.

A wide variety of different attachments allows you to perform a wide range of tasks using a Dremel various works with different materials. It is better to select consumables that comply with the recommendations of equipment manufacturers. Professional kits- This is a guarantee of product quality, but they are expensive. To save money, you can make the necessary devices yourself. Just keep in mind that in this case the warranty service for the mini-drill is lost, and during operation the load on the tool may increase.