New Dremel-based career?

October 21, 2008 4:11 PM

Help make my new cordless Dremel my new career! Can you think of any ways to use a Dremel tool to provide paid services to people? (I promise I don't work for Dremel or whatever company makes the thing)

Okay, semi-silly question here, but I just got a new cordless Dremel and although I'm still a novice, I'm thinking there must be some specialized home repair services, or business maintenance services I could offer with my new tool and an attachment or two.

Dremels sells tons of attachments, and there are some sites selling even more types of attachments and add-ons.

What I need is a catchy niche!

I've been in the tech industry for awhile and am getting a wee bit burned out. What I'd like to do for awhile is some kind of quasi-trade job. Something real straightforward. I promote myself to homeowners or businesspeople, and they come to know me as the guy that really knows how to do X. With his Dremel!

But what is X?

posted by pallen123 to sports, hobbies, & recreation (16 comments total)

It seems a bit obvious, but what about security engraving?
posted by Chairboy at 4:23 PM on October 21, 2008

Trepanation?

Are you artistic? I saw a car where the firewall was a sheet of polished aluminum that had been hand engraved. Leaves, vines, etc. Glass can be engraved or etched.
posted by fixedgear at 4:31 PM on October 21, 2008

Tech industry background + Dremel = case modding
posted by tim_in_oz at 4:36 PM on October 21, 2008

sharping things like unibits and drills :-)
posted by SatansCabanaboy at 4:39 PM on October 21, 2008

Some folks use Dremels to file down dog nails. If you were experienced, I could see myself paying $X once a month for you to come by and file my dog's nails down. I doubt it would take long.
posted by Ufez Jones at 4:50 PM on October 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

You can also get a lawnmower blade sharpening attachment. Add a little small engine maintenance knowledge and some other basic tools and parts, and you've got yourself a door-to-door lawnmower care service.
posted by Roger Dodger at 6:08 PM on October 21, 2008

Computer case modding!
posted by Loto at 6:27 PM on October 21, 2008

You're going about this completely the wrong way.

People aren't going to hire you because you have a (very common) tool, they'll hire you because you're skilled at a some particular craft. So what you need to do is find a craft you really enjoy, and that you can develop some strong skills in, then get the right tools for that job (which almost certainly won't be 'a dremel'), and sell your skill at that craft.

Anyone can buy a dremel. They're a common hobbiest tool. Hiring a someone - who is a self-described novice with a dremel - to do *anything* with a dremel seems like a great way to make things worse than they were when he began.

So, find the thing you enjoy doing (maybe with your dremel), and proceed from there.
posted by The Monkey at 6:40 PM on October 21, 2008 [6 favorites]

Handyman. Door sticking? Deadbolt not throwing properly? Strike plate a bit off? Then grind that sumbitch down! I'd recommend some practice before taking on a paying job, however. Accuracy counts. And of course if you're going to be a handyman, you'll have to learn all about plumbing, drywall, electrical, and the 1,536 other things qualified experienced handypeople know about..so..maybe not such a good idea there.

You can open "high-security" padlocks and other bolt-accessible things (albeit destructively) with a Dremel in just a few minutes. No bolt cutters required! BZZZZt! "Your lock is open, ma'am. That'll be $50.00."

You can do like I did, and build an elaborate positioner (fairly cheaply), then strap in the Dremel and "print" with it from your computer. Then put our your shingle: I'll engrave anything!
posted by ostranenie at 7:05 PM on October 21, 2008

put out your shingle. dremel rul3x0rx!!1
posted by ostranenie at 7:07 PM on October 21, 2008

Maybe trim carpentry? We used our Dremel to make a perfectly-matching curve for the corner of some wood molding we installed in an interior room. Look up best practices for joining inside corners of trim molding to see more about what I mean.
posted by amtho at 8:13 PM on October 21, 2008

Seconding The Monkey. This is rather like falling in love with only a hammer or only a protractor. Employers or clients are going to want a bit more breadth.

But since you're enthusiastic, why not take a jewelry class or a woodcarving class at your local community college?
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:55 PM on October 21, 2008

ostranenie is talking about CNC engraving (or CNC routing). And it's true that a number of craftsmen run profitable small shops using a home-built CNC router.

Start here: http://cnczone.com/.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:58 PM on October 21, 2008

Yeah, CNC mill all the way. Of course, you won't be doing any of the actual engraving yourself...
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:49 PM on October 21, 2008

Give The Monkey a banana. On top of that, as much as all the marketing suggests otherwise, a dremel is a light-duty - almost toy - tool. They're designed for very occasional light working of soft stuff like plastic and aluminium; sure, you can cut the odd hardened lock shackle, but neither the tool nor the bit will last very long. And, for what they are and compared to real tools, the bits are expensive.

A dremel is the Ginsu Knife of the tool world...

I was going to comment on your 'quasi-trade' remark, because a tradesman is a skilled worker. Tech industry (I guess you mean you're in IT?) types tend to lump them in with unskilled blue collar box-lifting and truck driving jobs, and forget that the vast majority of so-called "IT" workers - even most network techs, programmers, etc - are nothing more than tradesmen who don't get their hands dirty...
posted by Pinback at 11:59 PM on October 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

Since you favorited my response, I'm assuming you might have some interest in building a CNC machine. Cnczone is the place to start. If you don't have much experience building stuff I would recommend you buy the machinery and motors and controllers already assembled. Then you'll need software to draw, convert drawings to machine code and drive your system.

Speaking as someone who's done it (and doing it), it can be done for about $800 not including the Dremel/router/whateveryou'reusingtocutstuffwith.

> a dremel is a light-duty - almost toy - tool

So what's your favorite brand of rotary tool? (No, routers don't count.) It may be light-duty but it's sure handy to have. I doubt pallen123 plans on sawing through titanium doors and cutting steel construction beams.
posted by ostranenie at 12:53 PM on November 1, 2008