Dremel (rotary tool) for righthanders?

[John Doe]

Is there some reason why a rotary tool spins so that dust/shavings
are sprayed back towards a right-handed user?

Or maybe I'm using it wrong? Seems that either I need to use the
cutting tool with my left hand or to put the project on the right
side of my right hand.

Thank you.

[Rex B]

...or move to the Southern hemisphere so it will turn the other way.

[Jeff Wisnia]

John Doe wrote:

Maybe because 90% of humans are right handed (dexterous) and most of the
remainder are left handed (sinister).

Somewhere there's probably a reason why drills and threads are mainly
right handed, my WAG is that came about because it's usually easier to
apply a clockwise twisting force with your right hand than it is to
apply a counterclockwise one (at least for me it is.) *

So, if most drill bits have to rotate clockwise viewed from their tail
ends, it makes sense to make the Dremel spin that way.

I've never seen a reversable Dremel, but it wouldn't take rocket science
to add a DPDT switch reversing switch in the two motor brush leads so it
spins either way.

Rigged like that you could spin cutting disks, diamond burrs and stones
the "other way", but if it's toothed burrs you're using, they gotta go
clockwise.

HTH,

Jeff

* So how come screw top containers don't use left hand threads? It's
usually harder to open them than to close them, and I'm pretty sure
being right handed that I could twist 'em clockwise harder than
counterclockwise. The only left handed opening threaded cap I've
encountered is the one on the storage can for my Curta Calculator, and
I'm pretty sure that was done deliberately to prevent inadvertently
turning the crank clockwise when closing it. [Or maybe some diemaker in
Lichenstein screwed up and they didn't realize it until they'd made
10,000 cans. :) ]

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

[John Doe]

Jeff Wisnia <jwi...@conversent.net> wrote:

>
> I've never seen a reversable Dremel, but it wouldn't take rocket
> science to add a DPDT switch reversing switch in the two motor
> brush leads so it spins either way.
>
> Rigged like that you could spin cutting disks, diamond burrs and
> stones the "other way", but if it's toothed burrs you're using,
> they gotta go clockwise.

Unless the collet screw comes out?

Oh well.

[Eric R Snow]

On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 23:08:00 GMT, John Doe <jd...@usenet.love.invalid>
wrote:

I think it's because the Dremel uses tools originally developed for
stationary machines. And the reason the chips fly at you is because
you are using the wrong side of the cutter. What you should do is hold
the part in your left hand, but have it inverted so that the cutting
action takes place on the bottom of the part and the chips fly away
from you.
ERS

[Robin S.]

"John Doe" <jd...@usenet.love.invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns976CAE4B1...@207.115.17.102...

We do a lot of work with die-grinders at work. We frequently don't get to
choose how we hold the grinders because space within the dies is very
limited. I'd recommend changing the way you hold the grinder or setup the
work. It seems like a pain, but with a bit of practice, you can get very
proficient in virtually any position.

Regards,

Robin

[Enoch Root]

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

> * So how come screw top containers don't use left hand threads? It's
> usually harder to open them than to close them, and I'm pretty sure
> being right handed that I could twist 'em clockwise harder than
> counterclockwise. The only left handed opening threaded cap I've
> encountered is the one on the storage can for my Curta Calculator, and
> I'm pretty sure that was done deliberately to prevent inadvertently
> turning the crank clockwise when closing it. [Or maybe some diemaker in
> Lichenstein screwed up and they didn't realize it until they'd made
> 10,000 cans. :) ]

I can grip something harder palm down then palm up:

1. Grab lid w/right hand palm down
2. Grab jar base w/left hand palm up. (easier grab,
since there's more to grab.
3. Hold it about a foot from the chest
4. Grip and draw it into your chest. *pop*

That keeps the wrist stiff.

er
--
email not valid

[Ken Sterling]

1. Smash glass container with hammer.
2. Pick out all pieces of glass, small and large.
3. Scoop remainder of contents into plastic bowl.
4. Throw glass scraps and lid into trash.
Ken.

[VaKraVaK]

Jeff Wisnia wrote:
> counterclockwise. The only left handed opening threaded cap I've
> encountered is the one on the storage can for my Curta Calculator, and

So you have a Curta Calculator? :-O

[Steve W.]

"VaKraVaK" <Gree...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140152231....@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

Small world I have a pair of them myself, a Type 1 and a Type 2. Really
loved the look on a guys face a couple of years ago when I told him I
use the Type 2 to check the math on my taxes. Told him I just didn't
trust the computer. Almost put them on ebay but thought about it and
decided that since they don't make them any more I might want to keep
it. They are a marvel of engineering, I'd love to own one of the cutaway
demo units that show all the parts in motion when you crank them, but
until I strike gold or oil that isn't going to happen.

--
Steve Williams
Near Cooperstown, New York

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[Max Mahanke]

"Jeff Wisnia" <jwi...@conversent.net> wrote in message
news:pbidneo9pIByjWje...@conversent.net...

> John Doe wrote:
>
> > Is there some reason why a rotary tool spins so that dust/shavings
> > are sprayed back towards a right-handed user?
> >
> > Or maybe I'm using it wrong? Seems that either I need to use the
> > cutting tool with my left hand or to put the project on the right
> > side of my right hand.
> >
> > Thank you.
>
> Maybe because 90% of humans are right handed (dexterous) and most of the
> remainder are left handed (sinister).

Everyone is born right handed, only the gifted overcome it.

[lja...@diversify.com]

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 06:25:15 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Max
Mahanke" <maxwm...@earthlink.net> quickly quoth:

>
>"Jeff Wisnia" <jwi...@conversent.net> wrote in message
>news:pbidneo9pIByjWje...@conversent.net...
>> John Doe wrote:
>>
>> > Is there some reason why a rotary tool spins so that dust/shavings
>> > are sprayed back towards a right-handed user?
>> >
>> > Or maybe I'm using it wrong? Seems that either I need to use the
>> > cutting tool with my left hand or to put the project on the right
>> > side of my right hand.
>> >
>> > Thank you.

Hey, John, try operating a circular saw left-handed. (Wear a mask and
goggles, though.)

>> Maybe because 90% of humans are right handed (dexterous) and most of the
>> remainder are left handed (sinister).
>
>Everyone is born right handed, only the gifted overcome it.

Left On, Brother! But I read an article last year that indicates our
gifted breed making up nearly 1/3 of the population nowadays. All
other stats have been shown as 10%. I wish I'd bookmarked it.

>> Somewhere there's probably a reason why drills and threads are mainly
>> right handed, my WAG is that came about because it's usually easier to
>> apply a clockwise twisting force with your right hand than it is to
>> apply a counterclockwise one (at least for me it is.) *

The SWAG is with you, Jeff.

Just curious: has anyone else here developed the dexterity of their
feet? I constantly amaze friends by nonchalantly doing something with
my feet. It's as if they never thought of using their toes as fingers
and thumbs.

-
- Let Exxon send their own troops -
-------------------------------------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Programming

[Boris Beizer]

"Eric R Snow" <et...@whidbey.com> wrote in message
news:6g6av1t9b8hm0de2e...@4ax.com...

Wow, Eric. You must have some of them Superman genes that gives you X-ray
vision that lets you to see through the part to gauge how much you are
cutting off. Nope, I have it wrong. You are right after all. The idea is
to hold the work over your head, Then the chips fly away from you and you
can see the cut as it progresses. Maybe one should stand on their head???
The reason for the rotation direction as said elsewhere, is that not
only drills, but burrs, reamers and other cutting tools are designed for
that direction. Futhermore, arbors for cut-off discs, grinding stones,
abrasive discs, etc. would all come undone with counter-clockwise rotation.
So it's not just the motor, but much of the tooling that has to be made
left-handed.
The direction choice probably originated with ancient lathes. You
use the right hand to control the tool and turn the lathe with the left
hand, pulling the wheel toward's you. The idea is that the work should
force the tool against the ways rather than turning away from you and
thereby forcing the tool away from the ways and greatly increasing the
likelyhood of chatter. Now once you have the lathe set up that way, with
the headstock on the left, you could still opt to make right-hand or
left-hand threads (as do the Germans). With a right-hand thread, the work
is pushed into the chuck (towards the headstock). With a left-hand thread,
the work is pulled out of the chuck. So the right-hand thread is
inherently a safer and more rigid set up. Once you have a dominance of
right-hand threads on things, the clockwise rotation is set.
This may be yet another just-so story, but it makes sense to me.

As for the "dust in your face" problem. I've got three flex shaft
machines. I've been using them for years. I've never had a problem with
dust in my face from the rotation direction. On those very rare occassions
where it was potentially problematic, I've used my face shield. Perhaps
the poster's problem is not with his tool, but with his glasses. Your nose
just shouldn't be that close to the work.

Boris

--

-------------------------------------
Boris Beizer Ph.D. Seminars and Consulting
1232 Glenbrook Road on Software Testing and
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 Quality Assurance

TEL: 215-572-5580
FAX: 215-886-0144
Email bsquare "at" earthlink.net

------------------------------------------

[Eric R Snow]

Greetings Boris,
Yes I do have x-ray visioin. How'd you know? Actually, my post above
was tongue-in-cheek. I should have said so. It's hard to get across
tone of voice in text.
ERS

[John Doe]

"Boris Beizer" <bsquare sprintmail.com> wrote:

>
> The reason for the rotation direction as said elsewhere,
> is that not
> only drills, but burrs, reamers and other cutting tools are
> designed for that direction. Futhermore, arbors for cut-off
> discs, grinding stones, abrasive discs, etc. would all come
> undone with counter-clockwise rotation. So it's not just the
> motor, but much of the tooling that has to be made left-handed.

Yup, that's the reason already given.

>
> As for the "dust in your face" problem.

That is a misquote.

>
> I've got three flex shaft
> machines. I've been using them for years. I've never had a
> problem with dust in my face from the rotation direction. On those
> very rare occassions where it was potentially problematic, I've
> used my face shield. Perhaps the poster's problem is not with
> his tool, but with his glasses. Your nose just shouldn't be that
> close to the work.

Your experience doesn't fit everyone else.

I like getting close to the work, but in fact I have no trouble
whatsoever with using protective gear.

>
> Boris
>
> --
>
> -------------------------------------
> Boris Beizer Ph.D. Seminars and Consulting
> 1232 Glenbrook Road on Software Testing and
> Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 Quality Assurance
>
> TEL: 215-572-5580
> FAX: 215-886-0144
> Email bsquare "at" earthlink.net
>
> ------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>

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[John Doe]

lja...@diversify.com wrote:

>
> Just curious: has anyone else here developed the dexterity of
> their feet? I constantly amaze friends by nonchalantly doing
> something with my feet. It's as if they never thought of using
> their toes as fingers and thumbs.

Yup, all the time. And I'm mostly ambidextrous.

Have you ever tried spreading peanut butter onto a slice of bread
with your other hand? You'll realize how coordinated your
non-dominant hand is (or how uncoordinated your dominant hand is).
That's assuming you hold the bread in your hand.

Have fun.

[Roger Haar]

Hi,

I once had my dremel in parts, After reassembling
it I tried to use a cut-off disk, but its
mounting screw kept coming loose. I had the
dremel running backwards.

Thanks
Roger

[Jeff Wisnia]

lja...@diversify.com wrote:

>
> Just curious: has anyone else here developed the dexterity of their
> feet? I constantly amaze friends by nonchalantly doing something with
> my feet. It's as if they never thought of using their toes as fingers
> and thumbs.

Every year we send out holiday cards from our little company which have
paintings of winter scenes on them created by mnembers of an american
mouth and foot painting artists association in Atlanta:

http://www.mfpausa.com/

If you didn't know who the artists were, just by looking at them you'd
never suspect that they weren't painted "by hand".

Jeff

[Jeff Wisnia]

VaKraVaK wrote:

Yeah, I still have my Type 1, but I sold the (larger) Type 2 when we
sort of got tired of sports car rallying some years ago.

I may well have built the world's first motor driven Curta. And if
memory serves me I built a copy of it for some fat cat in Connecticut
who just HAD to have one too. Those days were prior to the ubiquitous
solid state portable calcuator takeover.

Circa 1961 I built a DC motor driven worm gear reduced "cranking box"
for the Curta which coupled to its operating shaft through a hole bored
in the Curta's bottom plate. A one direction roller clutch in the drive
allowed also using the Curta's crank in it's usual fashion without
having to take it off the cranker box. I still have that rig kicking
around somewhere in my basement.

We used it for rallying. I coupled a geared down microswitch to the
car's odometer cable so it closed once every hundredth of a mile of
travel and triggered the motor drive into cranking one turn of the
Curta's shaft. A little relay, microswitch and transistor in the drive
unit insured it would only make one turn each time the odometer switch
closed. It had to wait for the odometer switch to open and close again
to trigger another turn.

Setting a "minutes per mile" factor for the average speed of the rally
leg we were on into the Curta made the Curta's "product" output number
tell me how much time it "should" have taken to get to that point on the
road. Comparing that number with a stopwatch let me know whether to tell
SWMBO (Who was the quite aggresive driver of our team.) whether to speed
up or slow down.

I've often thought that if some folks put as much time and energy into
their "real" jobs as they do for thier "hobby" ones, they'd be captains
of industry before they were 30. <G>

I kept some photos of those halcion days. Forgive me if I've posted this
link here before, but the years are taking their toll on my short term
memory...

http://home.comcast.net/~jwisnia18/temp/rallying.html

Thanks for the mammaries...

Jeff

[lja...@diversify.com]

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:27:50 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, John
Doe <jd...@usenet.love.invalid> quickly quoth:

>lja...@diversify.com wrote:
>
>>
>> Just curious: has anyone else here developed the dexterity of
>> their feet? I constantly amaze friends by nonchalantly doing
>> something with my feet. It's as if they never thought of using
>> their toes as fingers and thumbs.
>
>Yup, all the time. And I'm mostly ambidextrous.

The most fun I had with my quadradexterity was to pick up a friend's
dropped cigarette between my toes, put it to my mouth, take a drag,
and then "foot" it to him. That was a long while back. I haven't
smoked in 17 years and it was way before that. Of course, back then I
was nimble enough that I could put either foot (or both) behind my
head. The benefits of Yoga!

>Have you ever tried spreading peanut butter onto a slice of bread
>with your other hand? You'll realize how coordinated your
>non-dominant hand is (or how uncoordinated your dominant hand is).
>That's assuming you hold the bread in your hand.
>
>Have fun.

I practice my ambidexterity by scrambling eggs in a bowl. I'm nearly
as fast with the right fork as I am with the left now. Being able to
use both hands came in very handy threading nuts and bolts in so many
blind places, such as exhaust manifolds, underdashes, inside doors,
etc.

I recently impressed a new girlfriend by tying a cherry stem into a
knot in my mouth with my tongue. Girls love that one. <bseg>

- - -
Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
---
http://diversify.com See our NoteSHADES(tm) privacy/glare guards

[earth3rd]

replying to John Doe, earth3rd wrote:
I have noticed it myself. I'm a retired tool and die maker and all my hand
grinders (air) spun the other way. I was just looking for a reverse button on
mine. I guess we are screwed.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodworking/dremel-rotary-tool-for-righthanders-80876-.htm

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2018-08-20, earth3rd <caedfaa9ed1216d60ef...@example.com> wrote:
> replying to John Doe, earth3rd wrote:
> I have noticed it myself. I'm a retired tool and die maker and all my hand
> grinders (air) spun the other way. I was just looking for a reverse button on
> mine. I guess we are screwed.

You can open up the Dremel and swap the two brush wires to get
it to rotate CCW -- but this may increase the chances of the collet
unscrewing.

Good Luck,
DoN.

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[Phil Kangas]

"DoN. Nichols" <> wrote in message

> On 2018-08-20, earth3rd <> wrote:
>> replying to John Doe, earth3rd wrote:
>> I have noticed it myself. I'm a retired tool and die
>> maker and all my hand
>> grinders (air) spun the other way. I was just looking for
>> a reverse button on
>> mine. I guess we are screwed.
>
> You can open up the Dremel and swap the two brush wires to
> get
> it to rotate CCW -- but this may increase the chances of
> the collet
> unscrewing.
>
> Good Luck,
> DoN.

All air driven die grinders turn CW from the users
perspective.
All die grinder burrs are intended for CW rotation. Why
would a Dremel turn the other way? There's something
fishy here....

[whit3rd]

On Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 7:16:03 PM UTC-7, Phil Kangas wrote:
> "DoN. Nichols" <> wrote in message

> > You can open up the Dremel and swap the two brush wires to
> > get
> > it to rotate CCW -- but this may increase the chances of
> > the collet
> > unscrewing.

> All air driven die grinders turn CW from the users
> perspective.

All the ones I've seen do (that's how you want 'em for a right hand
twist drill). But, it means a lot of accurate grinder-cutoff operations
fling sparks onto my best full-face-shield.

> All die grinder burrs are intended for CW rotation. Why
> would a Dremel turn the other way? There's something
> fishy here....

You want the cutter to push the work into a fixed item (a fence); you can't see
through the fence, so holding a Dremel in your right hand, and with the work on a table
with nothing blocking your view, there's NO fence there. If the wheel spun CCW
instead of CW, you could view the cut and the wheel would push the work back
against a fence without blocking the view.

And the full-face-mask would accumulate fewer flyspecks.

[unk]

On Wed, 22 Aug 2018 01:04:41 +0000, DoN. Nichols wrote:

> On 2018-08-20, earth3rd
> <caedfaa9ed1216d60ef...@example.com> wrote:
>> replying to John Doe, earth3rd wrote:
>> I have noticed it myself. I'm a retired tool and die maker and all my
>> hand grinders (air) spun the other way. I was just looking for a
>> reverse button on mine. I guess we are screwed.
>
> You can open up the Dremel and swap the two brush wires to get
> it to rotate CCW -- but this may increase the chances of the collet
> unscrewing.
>

I did this to a clone and it sortof worked. The collet did not unscrew,
but the motor was not quiet and may not have been as powerful. I think
it may have been either or both of the

a) brushes having developed a profile matched to the armature that got
messed up when they were reversed;

b) the motor may be timed to favour one direction.

[Leon]

On 8/21/2018 8:04 PM, DoN. Nichols wrote:
> On 2018-08-20, earth3rd <caedfaa9ed1216d60ef...@example.com> wrote:
>> replying to John Doe, earth3rd wrote:
>> I have noticed it myself. I'm a retired tool and die maker and all my hand
>> grinders (air) spun the other way. I was just looking for a reverse button on
>> mine. I guess we are screwed.
>
> You can open up the Dremel and swap the two brush wires to get
> it to rotate CCW -- but this may increase the chances of the collet
> unscrewing.
>
> Good Luck,
> DoN.
>

And prone to overheating.

[Gerry]

On Tue, 21 Aug 2018 23:41:33 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd <whi...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 7:16:03 PM UTC-7, Phil Kangas wrote:
>> "DoN. Nichols" <> wrote in message
>
>> > You can open up the Dremel and swap the two brush wires to
>> > get
>> > it to rotate CCW -- but this may increase the chances of
>> > the collet
>> > unscrewing.
>
>> All air driven die grinders turn CW from the users
>> perspective.
>
>All the ones I've seen do (that's how you want 'em for a right hand
>twist drill). But, it means a lot of accurate grinder-cutoff operations
>fling sparks onto my best full-face-shield.
>

and burn little holes in my shirt, not to mention the smell of singed
chest hair; maybe not so much with dremel, but getting there.

[Josh Guyette]

replying to Roger Haar, Josh Guyette wrote:
So they didn't want to break righty-tighy for the screw! I knew it had to be a
stupid reason.