electric die grinder vs dremel for rotted wood removal

[dale rex]

Been using a Dremel and Multimaster and various hand tools for rotted wood repair on old homes. I recently started using Advanced Repair Technologies epoxy system and really like it alot. I think its superior to using Bondo like products and much easier to mix and apply. But back to my original question.........my Dremel is rather slow and stalls out easily, so I wondered if anyone who does repairs like this uses an electric die grinder and if so, what are the good brands? I want one with good power and one that will last a long time(no Harbor Freight please!) LOL

[dave_k]

Been using a Dremel and Multimaster and various hand tools for rotted wood repair on old homes. I recently started using Advanced Repair Technologies epoxy system and really like it alot. I think its superior to using Bondo like products and much easier to mix and apply. But back to my original question.........my Dremel is rather slow and stalls out easily, so I wondered if anyone who does repairs like this uses an electric die grinder and if so, what are the good brands? I want one with good power and one that will last a long time(no Harbor Freight please!) LOL

I use a die grinder a lot but not for that purpose. They are very handy, very powerful tools. Does what the dremel's supposed to do but with real balls. I would love to own a Metabo but I own this Dewalt http://www.dewalt.com/tools/metalwor...ers-dw887.aspx which hasn't let me down in 10 years or so. laminate trimmers with the appropriate tooling used without a base can do a lot of what die grinders do in a pinch

[newman]

Rotozip with a high-speed rotary rasp

[hdrider_chgo]

Dale, I'd be interested to hear more about the situations in which you remove rotted wood.

Generally, what I've done with anything that is not soft enough to remove with your hand is consolidate it with thin epoxy consolidant, then fill with epoxy designed to mimic wood. (I happen to use Abatron).

Just curious as to your techniques, and why you grind.

[joseph]

makita makes or made a good die grinder .dremels are cute ,surprised yours is working .with little effort i have burnt two up . got some other brand now from woodcraft -proctol??? anyhow smoother and more expensive ,but not a die grinder . die grinder is the way to go

[Tom Bainbridge]

this tool does my bulk rot removal

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...file=1&jump=44

the die grinder gets where arbortech blade cant

[dale rex]

hrider........I do alot of painting on older homes and in recent years have run into alot of rot. Mostly window trim and door trim(sills and the bottoms of jambs and casings. Were needed I usually replace with new wood, but on alot of older homes the trim cant be duplicated very easily so I repair with filler.. I used plastic filler(similar to Bondo for years along with a wood hardener by Minwax). Last year I started using a 2 part epoxy from Advanced Repair Tech and think its superior to plastic fillers.I think it bonds to the wood better and flexes more with the wood that it is attached to. The company recommends removing all dark colored rot completely down to the bright surrounding wood. (I used to just remove the soft wood and apply the wood hardener and Bondo, but returning to these jobs several years later sometimes revealed separation of the filler and surrounding wood and further rot around the filler.) I started off using chisels, and anything that would gouge out the wood, but found that it was way too slow and tedious. Started using my Dremel which worked way better, but it stalls too easily and it probably gonna burn out soon. Need something faster and more heavy duty for this, so I think a die grinder would fit the job perfectly.

[philthegreek]

Dale,
You can get an inexpensive one from HF. Since i left automotive work, I don't use my air tools all that often because charging up a big compressor is a royal pain. I looked at Makita and a couple of others, but they were expensive. I found one on HF and have used it for nearly 10 yrs. I use it for porting heads and prepping for welding and it seems to run just fine. I think I paid $39 back then. Has a long neck too.

phil

[hdrider_chgo]

I see. Have you tried treating any of these areas with borate-based compounds, such as boracare, to inhibit further deterioration?

I have heard varying opinions on rot removal. Some say remove all of it, others say dry it out, consolidate it, and don't remove any more than necessary. Always curious about what others are doing.

[dale rex]

just doing some research on using borates. want to try it on my next job. found some at the Home Depot in powder form that Im gonna buy soon.

[Tom Bainbridge]

when using repair care, you guys will have similar products

http://www.repair-care.com/uk/

they recommend the rot be cut out entirely

this accords with my way of thinking about rot and anyway with die grinders and tuffcut blades its easy and quick to do the removal properly

i havent looked into borates but have seen dowel shaped borate "pills" that are easy to install into drilled holes

[dale rex]

Tom, repair care looks very similar to the system Im using currently. Its a flexible 2 part epoxy. The nice thing about repair care that I saw on the website is the 1 and 4 hr cure time available. The Advanced Repair Technology system that I am using only has one version available and has a cure time of 6 to 16 hrs depending on the temp and humidity. Like the repair care system ART recommends complete removal of the rot, which I also think is better in the long run. Hoping with the addition of borate treatment I can rest easy in knowing my repairs are permanent. Theres nothing more aggravating to me than going back a few years later and seeing further rot around the repair I did originally. I guess maybe Im too fussy, but I like to do things once and do them right.

[ecarlson]

I just put one of these in my Bosch colt and some times remove the base to articulate the bit better.

http://www.heavydutystore.com/champi...-pr-23026.html

I originally came up with this when I was modifying a steel door for an electronic latch. The bit and router worked equally well in the metal and the wood.

[Tom Bainbridge]

dale

same as that, once and once only

when ART come up with a quicker curing resin or you find another similar product check the specification for the faster versions

i had to use some of the 1 hour resin on a recent job (because i ran out of 4 hour), when it goes in thick, it gets uncomfortably hot and expands slightly

[m beezo]

I just put one of these in my Bosch colt and some times remove the base to articulate the bit better.

http://www.heavydutystore.com/champi...-pr-23026.html

I originally came up with this when I was modifying a steel door for an electronic latch. The bit and router worked equally well in the metal and the wood.

That thing doesn't load up with wood when you use it? I just did some wood repair and also think I need to look at a few different tools. The chisels seemed slow and I had to have several different sizes since the rot started out large and then tapered off to nothing. The other problem I had was the router seemed to block my view quite a bit so sometimes I was not sure if I was getting what I needed or not, sometimes getting more than I needed.

As far as what to fill it back in with I often opt for a combination of a new wood patch and much less epoxy. The area I was working on was over an inch deep at one end and tapered off to nothing. I am not sure I really saved much time buy custom cutting a patch with lots of trial and error and then using less epoxy or not. I know I save epoxy.

I wondered about the router bit system that I know a friend had. It was basically to install dutchmen patches. One bit cut out the old stuff and either a grommet or different bit was used to make the patch to fit in the cut out. May have to look at something like that but wondering if it would work on all the different profiles you might run across.