Paddle Bit v.s. Hole Saw

[ViciousXUSMC]

My joysticks are here!  Buttons on the way.

Time to start cutting holes and things to mount the stuff.

I have some cheap paddle bits already I used to use them most of the time (or one of those auger bits for tough jobs) as an electrician to drill holes for wiring, but when it comes to precision work like an arcade CP.  Does one have any advantages or disadvantages to the other?

Paddle bits are way cheaper, I remember looking for a 120mm hole saw back in the day to cut holes in my computer case for fans and I was O.o at the prices. (I ended up tracing a CD onto the case and using a dremel with a cut off wheel to do it and it came out great but LOTS of work)

Also I hate to start a new thread over something thats probably common knowledge here but anybody know the mounting depth for a Happ Comp joystick?  Im hoping it will fit right under my 3/4" board with no issues and just a hole is all I need.  I have no tools like a router to thin out the mounting area.

I guess an attachment for the dremel may not cost too much but I wonder how well it will work and how much it will cost.  I already have the jigsaw attachment and I am not too enthusiastic about it so I expect about the same if there is a router add on for the dremel.

[Blanka]

The paddle bit is more precise. If you have them, go ahead and use them. Best is to use them in a drill tower, so they are at a perfect angle.

[ViciousXUSMC]

I do not have anything like that, but I can barrow a drill that has the built in levels, so if I go nice and slow and keep the bubble centered on the level it should be a pretty good hole.

[Chadwick]

Try a Forstner bit.

[opt2not]

Try a Forstner bit.

Seconded!

See this thread: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=87993.0

[StarControl]

Forstner bits are the most flexible and they come in handy when you need to drill partial holes, but for what you are doing a paddle bit will work perfectly and you'd be better off saving the money towards a used drill press or router.  I don't think you can stay in this hobby for long without a router.

[ViciousXUSMC]

Im gonna go walk around Lowes today and see what kind of stuff they have.  This is just one very small project, its only a CP not a whole cabinet.  Maybe just getting a router attachment for my dremel will work and let me get away cheap.

Edit: there is one: http://www.mytoolstore.com/dremel/router.html
The top one looks perfect, has depth stops and stuff too making it easy to do my joystick.  But at $32 thats getting close to the price of a(cheap) full blown router isnt it?

[StarControl]

You could get a cheap trim router here:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44914

or a cheap real router here:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43585

The Dremel thing is a piece of crap.  Dremels are useful tools and I wouldn't be without mine, but they are a Dremel -- not a router and not a drill press.  They simply don't have the power to be used as a router.  They might be good for inlay work, but that's about it.

[wbuschman]

For my CP I used hole saws for everything just because I have just about every size under the sun.  My CP holes came out beautifully.

One suggestion with hole saws: Drill half-way through from the top, then drill in from the bottom to finish the hole.  There will be a little lip in the middle where the two holes don't line up perfectly, but it will keep the wood from splintering.  Same works with paddle and auger bits.

[ViciousXUSMC]

Meh I got a Forstner bit (Porter Cable) at Lowes for like $10, they had a set of 8 for $20 and it was a great deal but it was lacking the 1-1/8" bit I needed

The 12bit set had it but it was $50

I used it to drill holes in a cardboard box today to test my button layout   as my buttons came in today.

So now just waiting on my mini router, and the brain and I can do almost all the work.

[SavannahLion]

The Dremel thing is a piece of crap.  Dremels are useful tools and I wouldn't be without mine, but they are a Dremel -- not a router and not a drill press.  They simply don't have the power to be used as a router.  They might be good for inlay work, but that's about it.

I wrote this response one way and after thinking about it, you're right. They keep marketing the Dremel as an end-all-cure-all with too expensive bits that burn out if you use them in the same manner as a high torque tool. They're good tools, especially for detail work. I bought mine when I used to build scale models.

I confess that now, I get into the mentality of "Hey! Let's use a Dremel!" when a different tool would be so much faster, more efficient and cheaper. 

Oh well, Dremel has been sucking ever since they sold out. You used to be able to get any part for any Dremel almost all the way back to the first tool. Now, I can't get parts for most of my Dremel tools. I have a really nice sander and I can't find any any drive belts that fit. None of the "accessories" fit my Dremel without modification. I have the router attachment and my GF has the drill press accessory and neither fits my old model Dremel without removing the tool collar and fitting extra modifications. 

I don't foresee any future purchases to replace my Dremels when they die.

[StarControl]

I don't foresee any future purchases to replace my Dremels when they die.

Do Dremels die?  I thought it was a once in a lifetime purchase.  I've never known anyone that killed a Dremel.  If mine did die, I'd have to replace it.  There are too many things that it is just perfect for.

I bought the drill press attachment.  What a waste of money and space.  I think I'll toss it tonight when I get home.  Maybe if I worked on scale models and I lived in an apartment it would be useful, but otherwise I'll stick with my real drill press.

[ViciousXUSMC]

My dremel has done many jobs, its good for grinding down screw heads or putting a new notch in one that has been stripped, it cuts things for me, im going to use it with a wire wheel for my controller hacks to get to the copper on the pcb. It carves and engraves, it can cut locks.

Still its just a mini tool.  It can do almost any job if you did it slow enough but when you have a big job you need a bigger tool

the only things I really use on mine for attachments is I have the extender thing that turns it into a mini dremel I use that to engrave stuff for arts & crafts.

2 tools that I would never replace with a dremel no matter how small the job are a drill and a router.  Drills are cheap and better at what they do than a dremel and a router is just something a dremel is not really good enough at and the lack of bits and cost of bits too really make it a bad idea.

[SavannahLion]

I don't foresee any future purchases to replace my Dremels when they die.

Do Dremels die?  I thought it was a once in a lifetime purchase.  I've never known anyone that killed a Dremel.  If mine did die, I'd have to replace it.  There are too many things that it is just perfect for.

Indeed they do. About six months or so ago, the sound my Dremel makes made a distinct change. Without taking it apart and without remembering where the hell I put my parts diagram, my best guess is there's a bearing that's about ready to give out. In any case, I wanted to buy a few extra parts and Dremel doesn't even sell them for my model anymore. IIRC, I believe they still sell the brushings, so there's that. 

I also have a Dremel sander (like the one featured here). Just about any disc can be applied, but the sanding belts and the drive belts can't be found anymore. This was an amazingly useful tool, especially for removing small bits of material after rough cutting parts. I still have extra sanding belts, but the last drive belt disintegrated and I have no idea what it looks like. I can replace the entire tool, but it won't be from Dremel.

I also have a scroll station (My GF's actually). It's only about five or ten years old so it still functions just fine. If and when it dies, I'll bet money that'll be the end of that tool.

The Dremel and Sander are so old, they're not even featured as a retired product on their website. The Scroll Station is however.

When Dremel was sold to Bosch, Dremel pretty much killed their entire line and "started over" with new products. I guess the availability of parts is dependent on how many they still had in their warehouse? 

So yeah, at this point, I find I'm using my dremel less and less and using some of my father's old ass death dealing power tools more. When my Dremel dies, I don't know if it would be worth it to reinvest in a Dremel again.

[Lecithin]

Spade bits (speed-bore, paddle, whatever you call it) will work fine as long as you avoid blow out. Same with a hole saw or Forstener bit (although they're technically to make flat bottomed holes). As long as you have sharp tools you'll be ok.

[ViciousXUSMC]

Spade bits (speed-bore, paddle, whatever you call it) will work fine as long as you avoid blow out. Same with a hole saw or Forstener bit (although they're technically to make flat bottomed holes). As long as you have sharp tools you'll be ok.

I bought a forstener bit and what I did was drill a guide hole (pilot hole) with a small standar drill bit for the tip of it to sit into since I had no drill press or anything I figured it would help me keep centered and level holes.  I did get a very small bit of blowout on the back side but so minor it does not matter, I just realized the other day with that guide hole going thru the entire way it would have been possible to drill 1/2 way or so and then flip the board over and drill from the back using that hole and it would have been perfect with 0 blow out.

Next time I will try to do this.

I was supprised how slow a forstener bit went through the wood being brand new and sharp it looks like a mean bit but it removes very little wood in each pass, so do not use one with a cordless drill

[MrMojoZ]

I use Forstner bits with cordless drills, no problem. The key I've found is that since it is shaving the wood layer by layer you want your drill to spin fast, so use the high speed mode. Goes right through solid wood and MDF.

[ZEN]

I used a paddle bit on all of my buttons, worked fine.

If you plan to put plexi on top of the CP, I used a paddle bit in reverse on my drill, it will melt right through the plexi with great ease and no cracking, just a thought.

[Lecithin]

if you want to avoid blowout you can clamp another piece below the piece you're drilling and voila!