Rotary sander like Dremel model 866

I am in the market for a rotary sander. A friend of mine has a Dremel model 866 which I liked due to the handle/ergonomic feel. This is discontinued.

My hands hurt hanging on to the standard tube like geometry.
Any suggestions ?

Photo of this tool?

We’ve discussed sanding a bit:

https://community.carbide3d.com/search?q=sanding

esp. see:

Or try using the machine?

That said, I’ve been eyeing:

would that suit?

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Maybe search for “rotary tool pistol grip”?
There are a number of results that look kind of promising, though I’m a Foredom flex shaft fanboy so I’d probably try to cut a pistol grip for it out of aluminum or something silly :sweat_smile:

3D print or just some decent hand carved wood might be nice as well :thinking:

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@HeuristicBishop You nailed it.

You had the correct terminology !

Looks like this attachment is the one.

Oops bad link. Look up Dremel A577 Detailer handle

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So this is not my idea, but something I saw while searching online for mini sanders that I want to try. Unfortunately I cannot find the link. You take an electric toothbrush and cut off the bristles. Then you glue on a piece of EVA foam followed by some hook and loop tape. You end up with a really good mini sander. Just make sure to use a decent quality toothbrush. The motors in the cheap ones I guess get bogged down.

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If you don’t mind using air tools, there is the angle die grinder like the Ingersoll Rand 302B: https://powertools.ingersollrand.com/en-us/surface-preparation-finishing-tools/grinders/302b-308b/

That is a rotary tool, and you can put 1", 2" or 3" 3M Roloc or equivalent adapters on it and use those quick change sandpaper, Scotch-Brite or abrasive embedded bristle discs on them.

Nice thing about the air tools is the body does not get hot like the electric tools do.

Or if you want a small random orbit sander, there is the Ingersoll Rand Mini Random Orbital Sander 3120XPA: https://powertools.ingersollrand.com/en/surface-preparation-finishing-tools/sanders-polishers-buffers/3128xpa/

This one is a great little RO sander that uses a 3" velcro backed pad for any 3" velcro backed sanding discs. I bought a couple of extra 3" pads and trimmed one down to 2" for smaller areas as well. I just had to buy a screw for the pad so I could use my angle grinder to trim it down while spinning it in my drill. I want to say it was 5/16-18 or 5-16/24 threads.

I’ve seen this done in the mini model community to great effect. It’s kind of funny how some folks have adapted the additional tooth brush features as well, like having “hot swappable” heads so they don’t cross contaminate or have to mess with constantly resticking the tiny circular pads :slightly_smiling_face:

Some tooth brush manufacturers have colored rings around the heads, presumably so a family can all use the same body…while I don’t like the idea of sharing a single toothbrush body, they’re great for color coding your grits :rofl:

It’s also worth noting that the circular rotating heads seem to be used more often. The toothbrushes that simply shimy side to side at high speeds aren’t as useful for non-teeth applications :grin:

Yep. Only issue there is that once the paper wears out you cannot easily replace it.

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Check these out. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-FUEL-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-Orbital-Detail-Sander-Tool-Only-2531-20/320268509?g_store=&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D25P-025_009_PORTABLE_POWER-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PortPower_PLATEST&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D25P-025_009_PORTABLE_POWER-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PortPower_PLATEST-22106667029-171942766774-2273393919013&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22106667029&gbraid=0AAAAADq61UeRn5LOATmftZGJOuUBIRX86

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I should clarify, the foam and velcro is still done for each of the swappable heads, they just only use one grit per head. That way going up through your grits is a simple head swap instead of the mildly more annoying paper swap per grit.
If anyone goes this route, the papers do wear out fast, best get yourself some way to punch out your sandpaper pads in advance and stockpile em. Constantly stopping to cut new tiny pads mid-project gets old fast :sweat_smile:

I’ve never seen this little guy before, should be really handy to have around the house for small projects and repairs. Just ordered, I’ll report back on how it goes in a week or so :beers:

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I bought a gasket punch (or arch punch) and use a scrap piece of UHMW plastic for the backing surface to punch out 1" circles.

Do not buy the “General” brand punch. I bought it first and it broke within 100 strikes or so. I then bought a C. S. Osborne punch, and hundreds of strikes later it is still just fine.

I can get 13 - 1" discs from a 5" sanding disc.

I designed and printed a holder for the plastic containers that hold the 1" discs.

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What @fostinoguitars said. That little Milwaukee sanders is great.

If you look for a Dremel replacement: Bosch aquired Dremel AFAIK, and Bosch Professional 06019C5000 is completely compatibel with all accessories, for me was easy since I use Bosch 12V tools.

Flexible shaft makes life easier too.

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