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Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 09 Nov 2012, 19:20
by 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?
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 09 Nov 2012, 19:26
by BOXY
Only if your van is made of tin-foil & filler.

Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 10 Nov 2012, 07:25
by 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
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 10 Nov 2012, 18:20
by 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
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 10 Nov 2012, 19:25
by ELVIS
if you have a compressor you can get fairly small cut off wheels quite cheaply for unbranded/named ones off ebay etc.

Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 10 Nov 2012, 21:02
by 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.
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 12 Nov 2012, 19:50
by LeeME3
BOXY wrote:Only if your van is made of tin-foil & filler.

Many are...
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 13 Nov 2012, 20:51
by 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,

Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 13 Nov 2012, 22:31
by max and caddy
I just use bits of broken hacksaw blades in mine...
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 14 Nov 2012, 17:04
by 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.
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 15 Nov 2012, 01:20
by 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
Re: Cutting body panels with dremel tool?
Posted: 15 Nov 2012, 18:19
by 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
