Playing with the Dremel
I used my Dremel 4000 for the first time to do a simple project, attaching a brass nameplate to the cherry wood cradle I made back in 2003. I spent many months building the cradle and got it done just in time for Laurel’s birth — we picked it up from the workshop on the way home from the hospital!
 |
 |
I considered doing the engraving myself, but I was able to get an engraved plate from Woodcraft for only $4.99 including shipping. Silly to do it on my own in that case. All that was needed here was to drill some small holes for the screws. I didn’t want the nameplate to be too visible, this is too nice a piece of furniture for that. I decided to put it on the bottom. When my grandchildren inherit it, they will know who made it.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to use the workstation / drill press stand I bought along with the Dremel. After trying it out, however, I have decided to return it. (Fortunately Amazon makes this easy, although I will have to pay the shipping.) The main problem is that it doesn’t fit my model (the numbers are confusing) but it also seems flimsy, no clamps, and hard to put together. I’d rather pay a bit more for a real drill press.
In the end I simply laid the panel on a special mat of rubber balls that I use for woodworking. There was no need for a vise because the piece is very large, and the holes to be drilled very small. I simply held the Dremel in a vertical position. I could have done the job with my DeWalt instead, but the Dremel did have a slightly nicer feel. No use of specialized accessories for this project. The final result:
The cradle nameplate, installed.