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Am using an old m.ward dremel tool w/ a dremel rtr base and diy 1/4in metal dowel to rout tight rosettes for ukes.Would like to upgrade to something more acccurate. I get abt .015-.020 error which I/m guessing comes from the shaft of the old dremel.Would like to get it down to .005 and a lot more precision routing setup for the rosettes . What are you using to get nice clean even routed rosette grooves ? .thanks.

I use both a Dremel and a laminate trimmer and both work well for routing rosettes. A lam trimmer is more versitile
in that its more powerful.

New Dremels do not have the kind of run-out you're describing.

I will delegate the old m.ward dremel for less precision tasks.

Stewmac base and Dremel.

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Aaron Craig

I ordered the stew-mac. today.They have a brand new model that will cut a 2 in circle. for ukes It just came out , not listed on website.Orderd a mini die grinder /base from john hall.My old dremel router base 27 yrs old is cracked.Oh well.

I use the Stewmac base, with the Dremel cordless. The twisting cord was quite a hassel. Also , the die grinder unit like John
Hall's, but I get them from Custom Pearl Inlay (unit comes with a "Sioux" die grinder.)

I do not like the dremel for almost everything. Seems like a toy. Rosettes with a laminate trimmer is so much faster and more accurate with the right jig.

Made the one below and couldn't be happier with the precision.

viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=38501

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Thank You and Best To All

Nice!

I made a jig for my colt to that is no where near as elaborate as yours. I don't like dremels too much either.

Ernie, I didn't know about the new StewMac router. When I first started doing ukes, I was using the StewMac precision base and, as you know, it wouldn't go small enough. So I made my own from acrylic that were specific radii. No versatility! Then I bought an inexpensive acrylic one from John Bogdonovich, which allows smaller radii. It was very inexpensive.
I do love the StewMac base though, so may have to invest in the new one. Thanks for mentioning it.

Beth, I looked at bog/s jig , when I called stew- mac they said there is a brand new circle cutter which goes down to 2in, for $80 plus shipping.Sending this one to john hall so I can mount a mini air die grinder with the stew mac circle rig.Am tired of wasting time. Must have spent abt 4hrs fussing to get the circle right .I threw out the old dremel base and used a general circle cutter to finish the hole , getting older haha. I made the rosette from alternate black white an hog .022 veneer simple but efficient ,it/s my first 8 string . Warming up the HHG for the top bracing. There are many ways to do this job.

Actually, even the older ball bearing Dremels (which I prefer) are good. I have a couple of the model 380's that do a great job. I just like that cylindrical body shape and the short nose.
I struggled for years with a cheap single-speed Dremel...a sleeve bearing model made by Dremel for Sears.

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John

Follow up, after spending so many years using a cheapo dremel rtr base and dremel I went hi tech and don/t regret it.Instead of sending the stew mac rig to john I had a local machinest square up the acrylic base of the die grinder , locate with a cnc ,dead center, attach the new stew mac circle cutter an cut a 53mm ring with a 1/8in end mill and there was abt a .002-.004 variance in the cut of the circle. measured with a high quality mitutoyo digital caliper .Now to start designing new rosettes and inlays.