Dremel (Rotary Tool)

Dremel is a small, high-speed rotary hand tool whose brand name has, in the pipe maker's workshop, become synonymous with the tool category itself. It works with a bur, stone, sanding drum, or engraving bit fitted to its tip; it's favored not for power but for precision and its ability to reach tight spaces.

A Short History of the Brand

The company was founded in 1932 in Racine, Wisconsin, by Albert J. Dremel. Dremel, who emigrated from Austria to America, held a large number of registered patents; his early products included an electric razor sharpener. The Moto-Tool, ancestor of today's rotary tool, was introduced in 1935 and became the first widely used example of a handheld high-speed tool. The brand passed to Robert Bosch in 1993 and has been made under that umbrella ever since.

The reason the tool has spread so widely in craftwork is that nearly any type of cutting, abrasive, or polishing head can be fitted to the tip of a small motor capable of tens of thousands of RPM. Pipe makers, too, acquire the tool for this versatility; a single body handles a very wide range of very different jobs.

Not the Bulk, the Detail

The tool's place in the workshop is less about removing heavy stock and more about the fine work at the finishing stage. The rough shaping of a briar block is mostly done on a belt sander or wood lathe; the rotary tool comes into play after these stages. Polishing tight corners, cleaning burrs left on rustication surfaces, and touch-ups too small to see with the naked eye can all be counted here.

The engraving bit also serves as a signature: makers who haven't yet had their own metal stamp made can turn to hand engraving to sign a pipe. Since it doesn't give as clean a result as a stamp, it's generally treated as a stopgap.

Mouthpiece and Mortise Work

Two jobs where the tool is considered indispensable lie not in the body but at the connecting end. The first is the slot at the mouthpiece's bite end. If the slot is too narrow, draw is choked; if it's too wide, not enough material remains and the mouthpiece can be bitten through; the work done with the rotary tool is aimed at finding the right measure between these two limits. The details are covered in the article on mouthpiece work.

The second is the base of the mortise. In deeply bent pipes, the airway can't, in many designs, be lined up with the exact center of the mortise base; with the mouthpiece fitted, a pipe cleaner can't reach the bowl. Widening the end of the base into a channel shape with a fine bur removes this obstacle.

Choosing a Tool

Variable-speed models are widely recommended among makers; the speed polishing calls for is quite far from the speed engraving calls for. A flex-shaft attachment is considered decisive for fine work, since it takes the motor's weight off the hand and lets the tip be held like a pen. Bits are also grouped by task: carving and engraving points, stone bits, and small sanding drums.