Carol wrote:
> - Rheostat: use a lamp dimmer or (my favorite) a sewing machine foot pedal!
I don't know if I agree with this from a health standpoint. You
had better be sure that the style of power-reduction employed does
not burn out the motor. Without sticking my neck out to say what
works and what doesn't, there are right and wrong ways to do this.
The two general methods are voltage reduction and duty cycle
reduction. I don't know which if either are safe for tools. HOWEVER,
I do know from experience that a poor extension cord can ruin
an electric motor if the voltage is allowed to drop too low.
> - Slide switch for variable speed. My mistake. Thanks for the
> clarification. I've never used or seen the rotary tool in use, and didn't
> notice the positions in the photos on the boxes. Tonight I saw the multiple
> positions when I was circling for "the kill."
My Dremel is the slide. It has infinite speed settings even
though the slide has gradations drawn on it. Perhaps there are
some that have only 4-5 discrete settings, but at least some
have infinite settings like mine.
> -Flex shaft. Got favorable reviews from all who mentioned it.
The flex shaft is nice, but it can mean more things to drag
around if working in a difficult spot. It's a win-some/lose-some
proposition, so it's no biggie whatever you choose.
--
Trevor Boicey
Ottawa, Canada
tboicey@brit.ca
http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
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