Veritas plunge base for Dremel?

14358 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Rpcarter, Apr 15, 2021

Mycrossover

Discussion Starter · Jan 1, 2018

Has anybody tried this base? It costs more than the Dremel. The non plunge Stewart MacDonald base is popular but does not plunge. The Dremel plunge base is a toy. The Veritas looks nice but is it worth the money? Is it too bulky or heavy? One review said that the accessory rails and fence make it too clumsy to be useful but rhe base was good. Anybody got one?

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Herb Stoops

· #2 · Jan 2, 2018

Mycrossover said:
Has anybody tried this base? It costs more than the Dremel. The non plunge Stewart MacDonald base is popular but does not plunge. The Dremel plunge base is a toy. The Veritas looks nice but is it worth the money? Is it too bulky or heavy? One review said that the accessory rails and fence make it too clumsy to be useful but rhe base was good. Anybody got one?

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First time I have seen that, looks good.
I have both the Stew-Mac, and the Dremel, the Dremal is a lot of plastic ,and looks nice ,but a too flexible and inaccurate.
This one looks good, I am going to dig up another can in the back yard tho.

New Veritas Rotary Tool Router Plunge Base

Herb

Reactions: 1

Cherryville Chuck

· #3 · Jan 2, 2018

I've seen articles in Fine Woodworking where Steve Latte uses one to route the narrow grooves for adding stringing to his Federal style furniture.

artman60

· #4 · Jan 2, 2018

I think Micro-fence makes one for the Dremel.

DesertRatTom

· #5 · Jan 2, 2018

My gosh, that Veritas is a beauty. If it works as good as it looks, I think it would be hard to beat. I think it would be good to use this with a foot switch so you don't have to lift the bit off the workpiece while it's running. I admit to a bias toward Veritas tools, but you should probably check out Artie's lead.

Herb Stoops

· #6 · Jan 2, 2018

artman60 said:
I think Micro-fence makes one for the Dremel.

Now we are talking, https://microfence.com/product/micro-plunge-base/

I will have to did up 2 more cans for that one !!

Herb

hawkeye10

· #7 · Jan 2, 2018

I don't have one but I do know Veritas tools are top quality and I would be proud to own any of them.

Reactions: 1

Mycrossover

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 2, 2018

Herb Stoops said:
Now we are talking, https://microfence.com/product/micro-plunge-base/

I will have to did up 2 more cans for that one !!

Herb

And I thought the Veritas was expensive. There must be a big market for the Microfence LOL!!

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harrysin

· #9 · Jan 2, 2018

6

Whilst the Dremel is a useful tool, I know because I have one, it really isn't a substitute for a "real" router. I also have the Dremel plunge base but bought it for a specific purpose as shown, a fluting jig for what was then my wood lathe but before it was completed I bought a new better lathe. I agree with the remark that it really is little more than a toy. A far better solution if money permits is the Makita RTO700 which has an assortment of bases available including a decent plunge base. This combination will not only do what the Dremel can but heaps more.
A far cheaper solution is to buy an older trim router from Craigs list and make a set-up as shown in the pdf.

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Reactions: 3

TwoSkies57

· #10 · Jan 2, 2018

I picked up a Dremel 8220 several months ago... its great for what its intended uses are. Also picked up the flex shaft...so far. so good with that thing..To call it a router is a bit of a stretch me thinks...But I'm hoping that within certain operations, it will surfice nicely. I also have a colt and the plunge base that goes with it. However, for what I want to do, the Bosch base is a bit clumsy. (line and berry work/inlay). So the search began, looking for a more fitting plunge base for either the colt or the dremel.

Dremel's plunge base............Naaaaaaaaaaaaaa Had one years ago,, it was OK.. but OK is about as far as I'd go... for 35-40 bucks, ya get what ya pay for.

Head and shoulders above all of the contenders is the MicroFence rig. Everything I've seen, everything I've read including reviews say this setup is just outstanding. The Microfence is the one I want, but the price tag kinda throws a wrench into this choice: 500 +/- for the plunge base and circle attachment alone for the dremel....close to a grand for a complete package...lil more for the colt package. Your likely to hit the lottery before you can figure out the pricing at the website??
https://microfence.com/

The Lee Valley package seems to be the best deal for the money. Designed specifically for small rotary tools. At 170 you pretty much get everything you might expect. Being a relatively new item reviews are limited as are the number of video's available. An open ended plunge base is ideal for my needs and i'm sure it could be adapted as necessary. Design, construction and materials used all seem to be within the Veritas standard which speaks volumes to me. A small light would be nice, but I'm sure one can be easily adapted as well as some kind of puffer to blow away the sawdust. The circle jig and fence look to be solid enough. All in all, I'm really liking this package.
Veritas® Plunge Base for Rotary Tools - Lee Valley Tools

The StewMac plunge router base and accessories are a pretty close second. A big plus is a proven track record. Several members have StewMac bases and really like them! The plunge base is relatively new to the StewMac lineup, but like Lee Valley...I'd be surprised if it were anything less than excellent. For me the negative is that the circle jig only goes down to 2"s and the fence appears to be somewhat limited. The plunge comes with its own light which is VERY nice!! StewMac also has a mini air pump that is little more than an aquarium pump...should adapt easily to just about any other mfg. uint. Pricing pushes the 275 mark +/-. Designed specifically for the luthier market this unit looks quite versatile!!!
StewMac Plunge Router Base | stewmac.com

Luthiers Mercantile (LMI.com) offers what appears to be a very well made option. For me the pricing kinda takes it out of the race. AT 260 for the plunge base which by the way has a rather unique plunge mechanism makes it kind of the odd man out. The circle jig is a bit odd as well. Not to say either won't work, just different by most standards. The circle jig checks in at 125. I didn't see anything for a fence. There is a blower base available for the unit.
LMI Rotary Plunge Tool Assembly

Right now, I"m thinking, keep the colt a colt. Use it as the "small" router its designed to be and find something to fit the Dremel and use it for what its designed to do. I've done some freehand work with micro carbide bits with great success using the dremel. So I'm thinking the Lee Valley outfit ought to fit the bill nicely.

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Mycrossover

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 3, 2018

The latest issue of Fine Woodworking has an article about eleborate stringing. The author maintains that The 35000 rpm of the Dremel, that he runs at full speed, on his Stewmac base with special bits that he discusses, give a reduction in tearout that a slower palm router cannot match. I guess ther is an up side to using a Dremel.
That Veritas is starting to look like a bargain. I wonder how many of the accessories I really need and whether it warrants buying the combo package or just the base and maybe the fence.

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TwoSkies57

· #12 · Jan 3, 2018

@Mycrossover

I've used my dremel 8220 with a 1/32nd micro carbide bit on Maple, walnut, cherry, butternut and birds eye maple so far. All of them had a small amount of tearout, even at 35K rpm. Nothing more than fuzzies that cleaned up with a sponge sander. There are some VERY HIGH rpm rotary tools out there that supposedly almost virtually eliminate
all tearout. The downside is burning of the wood.

The bits I"m currently using are NOT of the highest quality. Not bad, but not great either. Being relatively happy with the results thus far, I"m going to move up a grade or two and see how a premium bit works out.

Reactions: 1

The Builder

· #13 · Jan 30, 2021 (Edited by Moderator)

If a Dremel is too small to work as a router. And a woodworking router is too large, have a look at the Makita XTR01T8J cordless palm router.

It's a good in-between. If you need to carve more than just engrave.

But the corded version is a bit lighterweight without the battery on top.

Jim Gallo

· #14 · Apr 14, 2021

I own the Veritas Dremel plunge base and I am very happy with it. I use it to route mortises for hinges on small boxes. It works quite well. The only downside I’ve found on the base is the depth gauge is very awkward to use, and is not very accurate. I is just a small ~2+” metal Rod that you tighten with a thumb screw. When in use, it sometimes hinders the plunge mechanism. All in all, I would definitely purchase again and would be lost without it for making accurate hinge mortises.

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Rpcarter

· #15 · Apr 15, 2021

Mycrossover said:
Has anybody tried this base? It costs more than the Dremel. The non plunge Stewart MacDonald base is popular but does not plunge. The Dremel plunge base is a toy. The Veritas looks nice but is it worth the money? Is it too bulky or heavy? One review said that the accessory rails and fence make it too clumsy to be useful but rhe base was good. Anybody got one?

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I recommend the Veritas. I have had mine for a couple of years. Love the micro adjust. I use it mostly for adding stringing and mortising for hinges for veneered boxes

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