Cutting body panels with dremel tool?

[Cooper]

I have disc cutting tools but for small hard to reach places would a dremel tool work?

Has any body used a dremel tool and does it have enough power to grind or cut?

[BOXY]

Only if your van is made of tin-foil & filler.

[Aidan]

it's amazing what can be done with a dremmel but I'd say no, cutting through 1mm steel whilst possible would take for ever and the discs are very weak so any side load and they break, you'd find yourself using £10 worth of discs to get 1" cut in a hard to reach place, 1mm 4 1/2" discs will do the job, as they wear you can get into more difficult places, I keep all the old worn ones as sometimes you just need a 2 1/2" disc, you can always cut into adjacent panels if necessary and not remove them just weld up the cut afterwards
a reciprocating saw can be well useful for those hard to reach places

[Dazco]

I used one when doing my bodywork but only for small cuts and inaccessible places. Best discs I found were the reinforced black cutting discs

[ELVIS]

if you have a compressor you can get fairly small cut off wheels quite cheaply for unbranded/named ones off ebay etc.

[max and caddy]

Don't like them cut off tools much...aldi sell them cheap but I prefer air hack saw. Depends on what and where of course.

[LeeME3]

Only if your van is made of tin-foil & filler.

Many are...

[sarran1955]

Hello,

If you have a compressor, then what about an air saw..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AM-TECH-AIR-B ... 33748e04be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One of my bodyshop tools for years...

Use 32 tpi blades for steel body panels...goggles and gloves...knife through butter..

Trim panels off vehicle by using polystyrene sheet as a support...no flexing.

Get into really tight spots on the vehicle by breaking the blade off short in a vice...

Dash and panel holes, drill 1 hole and follow the dotted line...

Trim plastic grilles like this:



Cordialement,

[max and caddy]

I just use bits of broken hacksaw blades in mine...

[boatbuilder]

Or just use a wood chisel. Never had much luck with dremel discs, they break too easily and it takes forever to cut anything.

[Plasticman]

tis about all a wood butcher sknife thing is fit for
just buy really good discs not the silver purple line rubbish, i use them for the last bit of a snip out if its a delicate area and im trying to do a silly repair...
mm

[lloydy]

i just used my dremel to cut a small (1 1/2") bracket off a ally inlet manifold. It took four battery charges and 3 discs to do it! I'd be suicidal if i had to cut a body panel