Dremel Tool Up In Smoke!

[tazzdevl1]

My wife gave me a Dremel XPR400 tool with a great deal of accesseries for Christmas last year. I was using same tool with a carbine cutting wheel to cut fin slots into 7.5 diameter phenolic tubes for my L3 project. I was almost finished when the tool got very hot and began to emit smoke from the ventilation port. I shut it down and let it cool. After a while I turned it on again. But, there was very little power and the motor sounded as if it was arcing. I checked the brushes. But, looked ok. I even cleaned them a bit and tried it again. Same thing. SO, I wrote up a letter explaining what happened and shipped it to Dremel for warranty service.

I've never had any problems with Dremel products until now. Now I'm waiting to see how the warranty department handles it. Anyone else had any problems with their Dremels?

Cliff

 

[TWRackers]

Hi Cliff,

I've never had a Dremel tool or similar do that, but it sounds like the rotor and/or stator coils burned up. All that smoke was probably from the insulation (usually a varnish) on the thin coil wires. Once that's burned off, or at least carbonized, it's Short-Circuit-City across many of the windings. Motors can overheat and do bad stuff if they get too loaded down (energy goes into heat instead of mechanical motion). You should get a warranty replacement if it's that new.

Have you got any build pics going on your L3?

(BTW, I might not be on SEARS Rocket Chat this week, have to pick up daughter at Dulles that evening.)

TWR

 

[tazzdevl1]

Hey Tom. That's kinda what I thought happened. I didn't think that I had loaded it up that much. I let the speed of the tool/wheel do the work.

Yep, I have some pics posted on the last page of my section of the SEARS Gallery. Take a look.

Cliff

 

[powderburner]

Keep in mind that Dremel stuff is intended for 'light' hobby-type uses. Short spurts of heavy use, moderate periods of light use. If you feel the motor getting hot (waaay before 'very hot'), then it's time to set it aside and let it cool off.

These little tools are great for the things they are good at but, they are by no stretch of the imagination suitable for heavy 'industrial-strength' applications.

 

[tazzdevl1]

Keep in mind that Dremel stuff is intended for 'light' hobby-type uses. Short spurts of heavy use, moderate periods of light use. If you feel the motor getting hot (waaay before 'very hot'), then it's time to set it aside and let it cool off.

These little tools are great for the things they are good at but, they are by no stretch of the imagination suitable for heavy 'industrial-strength' applications.

I figured the tool/cutting wheel to be suitable for the phenolic tubing. It was cutting fairly easily. It got hot in a hurry. Not a gradual increase.

 

[cjl]

I've cut CF covered phenolic with my dremel many times, and it has no problem. That shouldn't be too much for it...

 

[Sandy H.]

I have the same model (I think) and use the rip-saw attachment to cut cardboard slots. It does get somewhat hot. It specifically states, though, that you must run the saw at full speed, not at lower speeds when cutting. My girlfriend also smoked a Kitchen Aid mixer once when making bread, using too slow of a speed setting. I believe the issue is cooling fan efficiency at lower RPMs. Nonetheless, it seems that when you're loading it fairly heavy, make sure to get cooling air in and let it rest sometimes.

Sandy.

 

[ghost]

I was once using the diamond cutting wheel to cut 1/4" plywood fins (is there a better tool for this?) and the Dremel began to get hot. I set it aside and tried to charge it and it wouldn't charge. OSH replaced it.

 

[blackjack2564]

I toasted one at Southern Thunder grinding down a AMW thrust ring to fit a slimline retainer. Basically same thing happened.I figured I was probably using it for something not intended, and just bought another one. After that....belt sander on thrust rings!

 

[m85476585]

I toasted one at Southern Thunder grinding down a AMW thrust ring to fit a slimline retainer. Basically same thing happened.I figured I was probably using it for something not intended, and just bought another one. After that....belt sander on thrust rings!

That shouldn't be a problem at all. Were you using light enough pressure (so the tool slows down very little compared to full speed)? I grind/sand/cut various types of metal all the time with my Dremel and I never have a problem.

 

[dwmzmm]

Wait!! Where was that Dremel Tool made? Not in China, I hope...

 

[jadebox]

My Dremel shuts off if it gets hot or overloaded. I have to switch it off then back on to reset. I guess this is a feature of some models, not all.

-- Roger

 

[m85476585]

Mine too. I have the 10.8V Li-Ion one.

 

[vicious-peanut]

I was once using the diamond cutting wheel to cut 1/4" plywood fins (is there a better tool for this?) and the Dremel began to get hot. I set it aside and tried to charge it and it wouldn't charge. OSH replaced it.

A jigsaw would be a better tool for that.

 

[ghost]

I know a jigsaw would, but I don't have any room for big power tools. Is there any better Dremel tool?

 

[vicious-peanut]

I know a jigsaw would, but I don't have any room for big power tools. Is there any better Dremel tool?

A big power tool? You must be thinking of a band saw. This is a jigsaw.

https://images.lowes.com/general/c/C100070/08838102815800.jpg

 

[ghost]

I know, but I literally have minimal room. I work indoors (there is no room outside or in the garage).

 

[tazzdevl1]

I returned a call this morning from Jean at Dremel Tools and she told me they had repaired the tool and were shipping it back today. Man, that's fast work and great customer service. I didn't think to ask what happened. Doesn't really matter at this point. It's fixed and coming home.


Cliff

 

[TWRackers]

I returned a call this morning from Jean at Dremel Tools and she told me they had repaired the tool and were shipping it back today. Man, that's fast work and great customer service. I didn't think to ask what happened. Doesn't really matter at this point. It's fixed and coming home.


Cliff

Crikey! :surprised:

 

[jj94]

Well that's good to hear. I have the same thing, and I use it alot, and I didn't have any problems with it. Was your hand covering the air vents? Usually, when my hand covers the air vent for a little less than a minute, the motor starts to get hot, so a few minutes can cause the whole thing to heat up and break down.

 

[jj94]

While we're talking about Dremels, does anyone have one of their scroll saws? I was thinking of investing in one, but was wondering if it's worth the money. Sorry to hijack the thread.

 

[tazzdevl1]

Well that's good to hear. I have the same thing, and I use it alot, and I didn't have any problems with it. Was your hand covering the air vents? Usually, when my hand covers the air vent for a little less than a minute, the motor starts to get hot, so a few minutes can cause the whole thing to heat up and break down.

Nope. Hands were free of the vent. from now on I'll work for a while. Then, let it cool completely before continueing on.

Cliff

 

[jj94]

Did the guys at Dremel tell you what caused the failure?

 

[Kevin]

My dremel hates me. I use it for literally everything, and my latest project, my cnc mill, has seen it cutting through 1/2" MDF. The thing heats up after a few minutes and Ihave to lt it cool down. And for cutting out fins, if it is 1/8 or 3/16, you should be o.k. with the otary cutting bits. A guide is necessary but that could get you close enough to where you just have to do some hand sanding to finish it off.

 

[rokitflite]

While we're talking about Dremels, does anyone have one of their scroll saws? I was thinking of investing in one, but was wondering if it's worth the money. Sorry to hijack the thread.

I have two, an older black, small one that Ive had since the early 80's, and a newer, larger, more quiet 2-speed one I got about 10 years ago... Both work great and I would be in a sorry state without them!

 

[tazzdevl1]

Did the guys at Dremel tell you what caused the failure?

No, they just said it "burned out" and sent a new one. But, get this........the new one DOES NOT WORK!!!!!! Plugged it in, turned up the dial and nothing. So, I called them back. Now they are sending another tool and a shipping label for this one. Dremel has always been a good tool/company in my opinion. I guess I'm just caught in a Murphey's Law Warp. Just like a time warp. But, different.


Cliff

 

[TWRackers]

No, they just said it "burned out" and sent a new one. But, get this........the new one DOES NOT WORK!!!!!! Plugged it in, turned up the dial and nothing. So, I called them back. Now they are sending another tool and a shipping label for this one. Dremel has always been a good tool/company in my opinion. I guess I'm just caught in a Murphey's Law Warp. Just like a time warp. But, different.


Cliff

Cliff, did you try rotating the shaft manually a little bit, just in case the brushes happened to be sitting on the little gaps in the contacts on the rotors? Pretty unlikely, but it's a simple test. For that matter, does the shaft rotate freely in the first place?

 

[jj94]

No, they just said it "burned out" and sent a new one. But, get this........the new one DOES NOT WORK!!!!!! Plugged it in, turned up the dial and nothing. So, I called them back. Now they are sending another tool and a shipping label for this one. Dremel has always been a good tool/company in my opinion. I guess I'm just caught in a Murphey's Law Warp. Just like a time warp. But, different.


Cliff

Did you check the brushes?

 

[tazzdevl1]

Yeah, rotated the shaft, checked the brushes, tried another power outlet, shook it, cursed and screamed at it. Nothing. It's back in it's little box waiting for the brown truck to take it back.

Cliff

 

[TWRackers]

Yeah, rotated the shaft, checked the brushes, tried another power outlet, shook it, cursed and screamed at it. Nothing. It's back in it's little box waiting for the brown truck to take it back.

Cliff

A-ha! Shaken Dremel Syndrome. :surprised: