dbrazelt

I make it a practice to dress up all the tabs and square up the holes before I begin dry fit. It makes the whole project go along more smoothly. I square up the tab ends and widen the holes to the tab widths as well as squaring the ends of the holes. A hint: Those large fingernail sanding boards are just the right thickness for the holes and do well for squaring. A couple fo licks through the holes is all it takes. Dave

My current workspaces are distributed around our house. Most of my activities are conducted in the airconditioned spaces. That is one of the constraints for crafting in Florida. Being retired with the children grown and out of the home provides lots of space many of the younger folks don't have. The obvious starting point for a task is located in the normally least used room in the house, the living room (we actually live in the den.) The drafting board is used to layout scratch built items and occasional designs. As you can see, the room also houses some of our dollhouses. Next, we have dedicated one bedroom to our computers and craft work. My computer, on the the left, is invaluable for the many graphics required. The desk on the right is used to work on small items. There is also a TV and stereo to keep me happy as I work. House and model assembly is done on this roll-around table. The turntable solves the problem of getting the next tool which always seems to be on the other side of the table. When not needed, the table rolls into the room's closet with all the other craft storage. The doors can be closed to make the place pretty when guests come to visit. Construction of bases and installation of landscaping finally drive me out into the hot garage. Here, I have my power tools and storage for paints, landscaping materials, and scraps from previous projects. Here's a hint, if you haven't seen it before. A section of eave-trough downspout can be cut into pieces of varying lengths and glued/taped together onto a base to hold all those pesky little chunks of left-over strip wood. It holds them securely out of the way and makes it easy to select the ones you want to use. <script type=text/javascript> <script src="/~site/Scripts_ExternalRedirect/ExternalRedirect.dll?CMD=CMDGetJavaScript&H_SITEID=RTK1&H_AltURL=%2F%7Esite%2Frealtracker%2Frt_s90022.js&HSGOTOURL=http%3A%2F%2Flayout1.realtracker.com%2Fincludes%2Frt_s90022a.js" type=text/javascript> <script type=text/javascript>

The Mini-Mite has been updated and is still available as the model 750-02 tool. I have seen them at Lowe's and I am sure that the Sears version is available. Batteries and charger for the the original 750 are still available also. Contact the customer service folks at www.dremel.com. for sources. Dave

I am fortunate in that I spent 6 years demonstrating the Dremel Rotary tools and possess and have used just about every one that is currently available. Being a miniaturist, I look at them from that standpoint also. I think the new cordless tools powered by the Li-Ion battery are the best and most useful for our purposes. The wonder of the Li-Ion battery is the fact it does not self discharge as does the Ni-Cad batteries used before for cordless tools. I have one stylus that was charged in January and still has enough power in it to run without immediate charge. The new Stylus is a beauty and I now have three of them. It will take all the accessories but none of the attachments. It is just right for all cutting, sanding, shaping, activities we encounter. As you use it, place it in the docking station between uses and it will be available and charged through the tasks your are pursuing. For more versatility, the model 8000 10.8V Li-Ion Cordless is the answer. It will take all the attachments (except those specific for the 400XPR) and still maintains the joys of cordless operation. Plenty of power and speed. A bit larger than the Stylus. Although Ni-Cad powered, I won't do without my Mini-Mite because of its smallsize. As for the corded tools, your choice should be based on how much capability you actually want. My basic recommendation would be the model 300 tool. It is an updated midline tool and more than adequate for all our uses. The Cadillac of the line, however, is the 400XPR which is a great tool if you do a lot of work around the house and on other larger projects. I suggest you surf around in www.dremel.com. There is a world if information on the tools, attchments, accessories and uses in there that I am sure will help you. Dave

I am one who likes tape wiring and have had very few problems with it. My Beaumont house is fully tapewired, 15 years old, and still working even though the lights are turned on at each showing to friends and guests (Probably 1000 off on cycles by now.). I use brads and have been taught by experts how to insert brads to stay. I use folded corners, even though they add bulk; however, if it will be unsightly, I may try an overlap. All ceiling mounted lights have their wires extended through holes in the ceiling to the floor above and the tape that supplies them is located there. Again, I use a couple of round turns of each wire on a brad and drive them home to make the connection. (Note: The floor splices are easily covered with carpet, or other flooring that can be picked up if there is a problem.) Actually, troubleshooting tape is easier than hard wire, although the logic is the same. Using the little test lights the tape can be sampled at any point rather than the several few points hard wire emerges. Someday, I might try to write a troubleshooting guide; but, sorry, not tonight. Dave

Nice photo of a good job. Keep them coming. Dave

Congratulations on the new Dremel. You will learn to love it. The 300 series is a good basis for all the accessories and the attachments that are not specific for the 400 tool. You can shape some moldings with the accessories included in the kit. I did for years before the larger family of attachments became available. I suggest,however, that you will be a lot happier with the molding job if you invest in the model 231 shaper/router table and the 600 series router bits. These make the job quicker, better, and safer. Dave

I always read the instructions all the way through before I start any project. There is a good reason for this. I was associated with a jet fighter airplane, a number of years ago, that had a placard on the left hand canopy rail with the seven steps required to operate the ejection seat. If you waited until you needed to eject to read the directions, you would be shocked to see that at step 3, the canopy was ejected along with steps 4 through 7. OOPS! :lol: I always read all instruction through at least once before I begin to avoid an "OOPS!" Dave

It would work quite well if you are careful to avoid the tool guide slipping over the thin ruler. Try it on some test pieces and let me know how you did. Dave

I agree that the Dremel Multipurpose kit with the multipurpose bit will make short, easy work of this project. I have used it several times for door and window openings. I avoid the tendancy the bit has to wander by taping a straight edge on to the surface to guide the tool. The bit cuts so easily that the tool doesn't push too hard on the straight edge, so taping it down is practical. Another advantage to this tool is you can adjust the cutting depth so you have little or none of the bit poking through the backside. This is specially useful in a case such as described here where the wall is already installed and finished. I suggest a few practice runs on some scrap wood is a good idea so you get the feel of the cutting rate and bit behavior. Dave

Welcome! Ask away, that is what we are here for. We help each other and from expert to novice, there are always questions to be addressed. In my humble opinion, the only stupid question is the one you already know the answer to. Dave

You can see photos of my Beaumont at this link: http://davesminiplace.homestead.com/dollhouse.html It is a great house and worth any of the prices folks have mentioned. Dave

Tiffany, What I see from your photo is that, from this angle, the left side of the house is biased towards the left as it progresses to the bottom. I think this is an optical illusion because the house sides below the windows do not look equal to the impression the windows give. Also the right side shows almost the same problem,except there are no windows to aggravate it. It may be nothing more than a perception caused by the high contrast of the window frames with the rest of the house. Before you start ripping things apart, I suggest you paint the window frames in white, as suggested, or to the basic house color at least. Then walk about and see if it still gives you the same impression. It looks OK to me; but, what do I know? I know this: This is going to be a showcase house when you get satisfied with it. Dave

Kelly, I have this item already built that has been holding the workshop's window sill in place for a while. I will be happy to offer it you and and him to help get the job done. All I ask is $2.00 for the package plus the postage to send it to you, which I will be happy to wait for until after you get the item and see the cost of the stamps. Let me know, offline, your snail mail name and address and I am sure it will be a done deal. Dave

I second that! You have done so much more with "Fluffy" in the few weeks you have been working with it than I did in several years with my scroll saws. Of course, the names I often ascribed to them were much less elegant than "Fluffy." Maybe the saws were offended. Of course, it might have been that I spent too much time using the saws as demo items and the idea was to show quickly what could be done with the saw from an agility aspect rather than beauty. It tended to make me sloppy. I guess my work is cut out for me to settle down and use your great stuff as incentive to use my saw properly. A question: I noticed that the table has a small hole for the blade. This makes me ask if you will let us know the easy way to place the blades through the holes in the work for your elegant inside scroll work. Do you have to fully remove the blade or canyou do it by disconnecting only one end? Also, are you using a standard blade or a spiral? Dave