Dremel vs. laminate trimmer vs. router: which jobs for each?

Keith Vance - 01:22am Apr 14, 2000

I noticed in a catalog, "Stewart/MacDonalds Guitar Shop Supply" that they have addon things for a dremel to use it as a router. I have yet to get started on making a guitar yet, but I was wondering if there are any major disadvantages to using a Dremel tool as a router as opposed to using a router as a router.

I am looking at power tools like this, you could probably do anything a power tool can do without the old fashion way, a.k.a the hard way. It just depends on how much time you want to spend doing it. I want to buy tools that I will use for other things as well. I am not going to be a professional guitar maker, not this year anyway, so I don't want to spend too much money on a router and a band saw and a table saw and a table sander and on and on. I would love to have all those tools, but I would then need to build a shop to keep them in. A shop would be nice, but I have to draw a line somewhere.

Thanks, Keith Vance

Keith, the Dremel is a useful tool, but if you're doing anything more than routing shallow, small cuts (rosette, binding/purfling channels, etc.), it's underpowered for your needs. At the very least, you'll want a laminate trimmer. Yes, you could use it, but it would somewhat like trying to scrub a floor with a toothbrush rather than a scrub brush: it takes longer and the results aren't as good. If you check the Library for tool discussions, you'll find some that deal with the uses of Dremels, trimmers and routers.

Keith, I second Tim's suggestion that you consider a laminate trimmer. A much more substantial tool, managable to hold, good mass, and many are reasonably priced. Although I have a full-sized router and Dremel, I use the laminate trimmer most frequently.

I have a full-sized router and Dremel and wish I had a laminate trimmer. A birthday is coming up, so maybe my wife will take the hint if I drop it enough.

Keith, the other factor with the Dremel is that you will go through bits more quickly; you'd be asking them to do more than they're designed for. I did hollow out a rock maple fretboard for a mountain dulcimer using one.

Keith, we have three or four routers, seven or eight dremels and I did buy sweetie a laminate trimmer for his birthday. Here's our basic breakdown, Router-neck cavities, pickup cavities; Laminate trimmer- saddle slots, smaller cavities, expanding existing pickup cavities on a finished instrument; Dremel- inlay inlay inlay. Always tape up your instrument, do a super accurate layout-remember that the router cuts in one direction better so do some test runs, don't hog the cut in one pass-use say 1/4 to 5/16 increments of depth and wear eye and ear protection or you'll be going around like me saying "huh, what'd you say?" all day.

I just bought a new Bosch laminate trimmer. I have been using the Dremel with the little aluminum gizmo sold by Stew-Mac, but I find it a bit awkward to hold it against the guitar side. Also, I don't like the idea of having my fingers so close to a spinning blade. Know what I mean??? I'd like to be able to continue PLAYING guitars as well as building them. I am going to build one of those funky devices that holds the router, while the body is held in a frame that you rotate past the bit with bushings (like what is shown in LMI catalog). BTW it has WAY more power than a dremel, but the dremel is better for other tasks like inlay work, especially since it is variable-speed.

The dremmel is OK for bindings, rosette channels and saddle slots but forget it when it comes to cutting the channel for the truss rod. My first few guitars were made with a standard router for the truss rod and the dremmel for everything else. It's not too hot on the binding channels though - needs care and patience. I've just bought a laminate trimmer for this purpose but the dremmel will still be useful for all sorts of jobs. Go with what you can afford.

That Olsen fellow (I think it was him) did a very nice slideshow presentation at Northwoods a while back and what impressed me the most was that he hates so much to change router bits that every time he needed a router set up for a different job he got another one! He must have had forty routers each set up for a different part of his building! It was nice 'cause he didn't have to fiddle with height adjustment each setup. On the other hand, maybe I better collect doilies.

If you buy a dremel, you'll wish you spent the money on a router. The laminate type trimmer/routers are much more versatile, have more otions as far as building bases and adapting them to jigs, and cut much, MUCH, more accurately. I've had problems with dremel bearings getting loose, (not the best bearings in there to begin with), power couplings which are made of some kind of soft plastic, and shafts that wobble like crazy. The one think I love about dremels are the flexible shaft attachment which I use for carving. Hope you find something that works for you!

I dunno if I'd give up on the lowly Dremel, just yet. I LIKE the Dremel for the biggest reason most others don't ; the lack of power! The little Dremel forces you to go slower, and you can hear what's going on better, IMHO. I've tried my laminate trimmer for bindings more than once, but always return to my beat-up old Dremel. I've got two of them, and both run true, no wobbles, and the bearings are good. Never had a problem with either one. I've got a handful of home made bases for them, all made of maple; once you have the proper tap, it only takes a few minutes to make up a new base for a specialty situation. To each his/her own, but don't discount the little guy too soon.

I also cannot give up the Dremel's. I have about a half dozen of them, some new and some old, some with wobbly shafts and some nice and sturdy. For routing binding channels I do most of the hogging out of wood with a laminate trimmer - which cuts very rapidly! I then use a Dremel to do shallow finishing cuts to the final width I want. I have made up clear plastic replacement bases and edge guides for the Dremel. Since the Dremels are so low powered and light weight, I feel more confident using them for the final finish cut after initially cutting most with a laminate trimmer - far less likely to get "out of hand" and cut more than you want to cut.

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