This is the first part in what will be an occasional series on tools for modding. For this first instalment I’m covering the holy grail of tools – anything with a motor in it !
YouÂ’ll see IÂ’ve added an approximate cost for each item, just in case you want to add it to your Christmas, birthday, or (in extreme cases) wedding list.
IÂ’ll leave it to you to decide how many of them you think you need!
The prices are for the low end of the price range in the UK, from that IÂ’ve applied the usual 1.5 multiplier to get US prices Â… IÂ’d be surprised if the prices are directly equivalent though, readers in the US can probably expect to pay much less.
No pics – I haven’t got the space to host them myself – but I’ve put links in for examples.
Goggles / Safety Glasses
I’ll put this first so you are more likely to read it: whenever you are doing any sort of work with powertools, goggles or safety glasses with side “wings†are a must to protect your eyes.
Top Tip: keeping them out of the way in something soft (like the sleeve of an old sweatshirt pinned up at one end, or a large sock) when youÂ’re not using them makes them last a lot longer.
Cost: irrelevant, but typically from 5GBP (7USD).
Gloves
Ideally youÂ’d wear heavy gardening gloves or welderÂ’s suede gauntlets to protect yourself against cuts, but in practice, unless they are a particularly good fit & youÂ’re doing some fairly crude work, the loss of fine control makes it easy to justify to yourself that theyÂ’re not worth it. In some cases, the loss of grip can actually make it more dangerous.
In general, unless youÂ’re actually carrying metal with sharp edges, the metal youÂ’re working on will be clamped down & the tool will have a handle, so you can go ahead & do without gloves as long as you proceed with caution.
Top Tip: bring them indoors when youÂ’re done. Here, leaving them outdoors tends to lead to them filling up with snails, and leaving them in the shed, with spiders.
Cost: from 4GBP (6USD).
Dremel
The most overrated power tool out there – it’s overpriced, and the bits are stupidly fragile and extortionately priced. Despite this, it’s _the_ aspirational tool for modders. I blame their advertising.
I’m not totally anti-Dremel, I’m glad I’ve got one as it can be very useful – you just need to be aware that in reality, it’s an extremely specialised bit of kit, in almost all cases there is a better tool for the job.
If you use one of these for anything but the most detailed and intricate work, and instead insist on using it for cutting out windows and blowholes instead, then frankly, youÂ’re a deluded fool.
Top Tips: leave it in the cupboard for 99% of jobs, use _reinforced_ cutoff wheels when you do use it, and don’t by a cordless one – they’re just too wussy.
Cost: 70GBP [100USD] for a mains powered model with “40†accessories … probably better to buy a “bare†set (for about half as much) & just get the bits you need.
Example:
http://www.dremeleurope.com/cgi-bin/...uct/View/395PS Jigsaw
This the correct tool for cutting blowholes & 99 percent of windows, so itÂ’s pretty much essential for modding unless you want to foolishly delude yourself that a Dremel is better.
Top Tip: when cutting tight curves, cut one eighth of an inch forward, pull the tool back slightly, angle it for the next part of the cut & extend the cut a further eighth of an inch. This is slower than ripping straight round, but does mean your circle doesnÂ’t end up egg-shaped.
Cost: from 20 GBP (30USD)
Example:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...40261&id=11932 Mains Powered Drill
Your basic, standard tool for making holes in things. Go for a drill with a half inch chuck: it wonÂ’t cost that much extra & you can get bigger drill bits in it, this is useful as a lot of the time the hole you make is just a starting point for a Jigsaw or files.
Top Tip: make sure you know whether youÂ’re buying a drill with a 3/8ths or half inch chuck when making price comparisons: they look the same on the box!
Cost: from 15GBP (22USD)
Example:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...40261&id=15316 Cordless Drill
Not a powerful as a mains powered drill, but still fine for small holes and/or thin metalwork. The fact that they spin slower means they can also double up as an electric screwdriver.
Top Tip: go for a tool with torque control to avoid stripping threads.
Cost: from 15GBP (22USD)
Example:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...40261&id=46130 Drill Bits
Obviously not a powertool, IÂ’ve put them here as youÂ’re going to need a drill to spin them (does anyone actually use hand drills any more?).
Use HSS (high speed steel) bits – these have a black finish, rather than the silver-coloured “multipurpose†bits, which are not suitable for use on metal.
Given how often I break drills bit, especially 2mm and smaller bits, IÂ’ve never felt itÂ’s worth going for anything more expensive, like the gold-coloured Titanium Nitride coated jobs.
Top Tip: buy cheap ones & replace them when they get blunt: IÂ’ve never found a decent way of sharpening them.
Cost: from 6GBP (9USD) for a 19 bit set
Example:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...39968&id=15046 Note on Holesaws
Basically, theyÂ’re _not_ a metalworking tool, theyÂ’re for woodwork. Unless youÂ’re cutting a paper thin cheapo case, youÂ’ll ruin the saw in no time. Use a jigsaw instead.
Top Tip: _Duh!_ Bench Pillar Drill
We’re into “luxury†modding tools here … although a pillar drill does make drilling multiple holes easier and less tedious (as when chain drilling). The main advantage of a pillar drill is you have precise control over the angle the drill bit goes in at, so no wonky holes – important on thicker materials.
Top Tip: make sure the hole in the plate is lined up with the drill bit.
Cost: from 50GBP (75USD)
Example:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...50902&ts=40067 Angle Grinder
Another “luxury†modding tool here, not something you’re likely to use regularly. In my current project, I used it to grind the sticky out bits from the inside of the bottom of the case, + the standard built-in “waffle†fan grilles, but to be honest I could have used something else just as easily and effectively. Not worth buying one if all the metalwork you do is case modding.
Top Tip: attack a bit of scrap steel with a cutting disk at night – Yowzer!
Make sure you know how to switch it off – most angle grinders I’ve used have decidedly odd switches…
Cost: from 15GBP (22USD)
Example:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...17899&ts=39793
Next time (Saturday the 31 st), IÂ’ll cover metalworking hand tools.