Detailed instructions for use are in the User's Guide.
[. . . ] PROJECTS & SKILLS
The Dremel Dream Workshop
Fixes for Wobbly Chairs, Grout, & More!Scroll saw tips and puzzles Perfect Trim Joints
DREMEL
5
Gotta-have-em accessories
CONTENTS
COVER STORY
PROJECTS & SKILLS
DREMEL
The Dremel Dream Workshop 3
Space, storage and comfort-- it's all here!
3
Regrout Bathroom Tile 8
Replace that ugly old grout in one day.
Scroll Saw Puzzles 10
Take family photos and turn them into great gifts.
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Scroll Saw Hints & Tips 14 Crown Molding Simplified 16 My weekend with the new XPR 18
A day in the life of this new highperformance tool.
Three Furniture Fixes 22
Repairs made faster and easier.
5 for the Shop
Gotta-have-em woodworking accessories.
26
Dremel Saves the Day!28
A true rotary tool adventure.
1 D R E M E L PROJECTS & SKILLS
Welcome!!!
accountants and cars so complex we need to have them analyzed by computer, I find great comfort in tackling tasks I can perform with my own two hands. After a
I
n this day and age where tax forms are so complicated we have to turn them over to
I love standing back and seeing real results. [. . . ] As you cut your puzzle, try to have at least one ball or socket on each side of every piece. A puzzle piece with four sides, for instance, should have at least four balls or sockets.
CUT OUT THE PUZZLE
It's easy to describe how to cut out your puzzle, but it does take practice. Use the test picture you mounted earlier, and perhaps some scrap plywood, for practice. Start by cutting away the excess plywood and picture borders, and any edges damaged by the binder clips. If you decide to random-cut your puzzle, start by cutting the picture into four smaller sections (Photo 4), making plenty of balls and sockets as you cut. Knowing the average size of the final pieces will help you gauge the number and placement of these joints. Then,
13 D R E M E L P R O J E C T S & S K I L L S
FIGURE A Random Cutting
Begin by cutting the plywood into four pieces. Then cut each piece into smaller ones, by eye, so there is a ball-and-socket joint on each side. This method takes practice, but produces a challenging puzzle.
FIGURE B Strip Cutting
With this method, cut the plywood into strips, making a ball-and-socket joint at regular intervals. This method is easier, but so is the puzzle.
working with one section at a time, cut off each puzzle piece to its final size (Photo 5), just cutting balls and sockets freehand. As you cut off the pieces, reassemble them on a piece of cardboard or plywood so you won't misplace a piece. If you break a blade, replace the blade and start cutting from another edge
until you meet the point where the blade broke. Once the entire puzzle is cut, place a piece of cardboard or plywood on top of the puzzle and flip the puzzle over. Put the pieces in a good box, and the puzzle is ready to gift wrap.
Scroll Saw Hints & Tips
Iron On a Photocopy
If you normally use spray adhesive to attach patterns to the wood for scroll sawing, consider this alternative. With an iron set on high and no steam, transfer a photocopied pattern right onto the wood.
Stay-in-place scroll saw patterns
Here's a great way to speed up scroll sawing jobs. Apply all-purpose spray adhesive in a light, uniform layer on the back of the pattern, then pick it up and immediately apply it to the wood you'll be sawing. The pattern remains adhered as you saw but easily peels off when you're done.
14 D R E M E L P R O J E C T S & S K I L L S
Blade Caddy
Here's a handy tote for Scroll Saw blades fashioned from a scrap of 2x6, a piece of plywood, and two pegboard multiple-tool holders. Cut the curved tips off the multiple-tool holders with a hacksaw so they would sit flat against the plywood. Wrap some masking tape around each tube and write the blade size on it.
Sanding with the Scroll Saw
Here's an ingenious way to sand intricate scroll saw work. Take a strip of emery cloth (a gray sanding cloth used by plumbers and machinists), 1/16 to 1/2 in. You may have to fiddle a bit to get the length of the strip just right, but once you do, it works like greased lightning.
Scrollwork Finishing Bath
For all you scroll sawers out there, here's a slick finishing tip. You know how tough it can be to brush or spray finish into all those tiny sawed-out areas? [. . . ] Most large fabric stores carry batting.
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Secure the batting by pulling it tight around the chair bottom and fastening it with 1/2-in. Trim the excess.
3
Mark center lines on chair bottom and fabric, then match them so fabric pattern runs straight from front to back.
25 D R E M E L P R O J E C T S & S K I L L S
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Staple fabric, completing front edge first, back edge next, the two sides last. Start stapling at center and work towards corners.
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Fold fabric at corners, then secure with staples. Trim excess fabric with sharp scissors after all corners are complete.
5 For the Shop
Gotta-have-'em woodworking accessories
O
ur old house doesn't have room for a big workshop with a lot of large stationary tools, but that doesn't mean I can't tackle my favorite pastime: woodworking. [. . . ]