Cutting Plywood with a Dremel Tool

The excellent Dremel rotary tool has been with us for almost a century. Invented in 1932 by a man named… you got it, Dremel; this compact rotary tool mimics the work of more extensive, more cumbersome tools, such as drills, grinders, routers, and scroll saws. Its compact size and light weight make it ideal for detail work, whereas a larger, heavier tool may make it difficult to maintain accuracy.

Many people think of the Dremel tool as something for model makers and hobbyists, nothing more. But this compact tool is a powerhouse, able to do many woodworking tasks, especially when detail work is needed. 

A large part of what makes the Dremel tool so effective is that it packs a lot of power into a tiny package. For a tool that’s considered “pencil” size, Dremel tools rotate at up to 35,000 RPM and have motors up to 1.8 amps. While that’s not anywhere near as powerful as a full-size drill or router, it works with much smaller bits, too, so 1.8 amps is quite a bit of power. The tools are available in either corded or cordless varieties. 

The other thing that makes the Dremel family of tools useful is the wide range of quality bits designed to work with them. Dremel’s bits allow you to work with just about any material, doing a wide range of cutting, grinding, engraving, and shaping tasks. You can probably do anything you can do on a large scale with more significant tools with a Dremel on smaller projects, as there is perhaps a bit made just for that task. 

The Best Way to Cut Wood with a Dremel

More than one Dremel bit can be used to cut wood. Dremel tools have long been used for cutting small pieces of wood, especially for model making. While I would never recommend cutting off a 2”x 4” with a Dremel tool is an excellent if you’re trying to do detail work, like inlays or delicate trim. 

Initially, the Dremel bit most helpful in cutting off pieces of wood was a simple circular saw blade, like the 546. Of course, that was somewhat limited, as the diameter of the saw blade was less than that of the tool. So, if you wanted to cut off the end or perhaps cut a small mortice, it worked well, but that was it. 

The Dremel company recently introduced the 543 and the EZ544 cutting shaping wheels. Both work the same, with the 543 being mandrel mounted and the EZ544 designed to be used with the EZ Lock, a quick-change collet system. 

The 543 and EZ 544 wheels look somewhat like one of the more complex “combination” circular or table saw blades. They have small teeth interspersed with large chip removal areas. This allows the blade to cut quickly, as it doesn’t get clogged up with chips easily. That makes it ideal for cutoff work on wood, assuming you’re trying to make a straight cut. 

Spiral Cutting Wood

There are many times when a straight cut isn’t what you want. But that’s okay, as the Dremel tool can handle those cuts, too. All it takes is a change of bits and adding an accessory base. 

A number of the Dremel tool kits come with a router base attachment. While there are more complicated router bases available for Dremel rotary tools, including a plunge router attachment and a router table attachment, I’m referring to the simple one, model #565. It replaces the front locking nut and provides a stable 90-degree base with some depth adjustment. 

This tool can be used exceptionally well with a spiral cutting blade. These blades are different than drill bits in that they are designed to cut along the entire length of their flutes, not just at the tip. In this, they are like an end mill. Such a bit can be moved laterally through a piece of wood, cutting as it goes. You could use it as a cutoff tool for one-dimensional lumber, but it’s best used for curved cuts. 

The router base and spiral cutting combination make the Dremel tool work even better than a scroll saw or jigsaw for intricately cutting curved lines. It can plunge cut, and you can easily follow any contour that is at least as large as the diameter of the spiral cutting bit. 

Working with this combination allows you to cut out intricate shapes, circles, or insets for hardware. If you don’t have a hole saw the size you need, just lay out the circle with a compass and cut it with your spiral cutter. This particular combination is highly versatile. 

Cutting Drywall with the Spiral Cutter

The same spiral cutting bit can cut drywall, especially for electrical outlets and switches. But there is also a particular bit for use in drywall. The main difference is that the flutes of this bit are spaced farther apart than the typical spiral cutter, helping to reduce the chances of the bit getting clogged with packed dust from the cut. 

Tile & Grout Cutting

Just as there is a particular spiral cutting bit for drywall, there is one for ceramic tile. Rather than having the flutes farther apart, this tool has them closer together, allowing more cuts per minute, a necessity for that more complex material. This tool can make intricate cuts in tile, allowing you to cut profiles around hardware or molding. 

Grout removal tools are also available for the Dremel, making it possible to remove grout for replacement without having to demolish the entire wall. 

Using the Dremel Tool as a Router

The Dremel can also be used as a router, either with the simple base I just mentioned, the plunge router base, or a router table. Dremel produces seven different router bits, covering the most common routing needs. In addition, several aftermarket companies provide router and engraving bits that can be used with the Dremel system. 

The Dremel Rotary tool uses a collet system rather than a chuck, making it easy to fit several aftermarket bits into the tool and hold them securely. Overall, collets hold more securely than chucks because of the more significant surface contact. 

When using the Dremel as a router, you can make rabbet cuts, cut molding onto the edges of boards, cut slots into pieces of plywood, and chamfer and round edges. These are smaller cuts than you would normally make with a router, as the size of the bits is smaller. Nevertheless, they are ideal for detailed work. 

Carving and Engraving with the Dremel Tool

The place where the Dremel shines is when you want to do carving and engraving. The tool’s small size and light weight make it ideal for carving detail work into your woodworking projects. A wide variety of high-speed steel and tungsten engraving and carving bits are available, allowing you to do various cuts from 1/32” up to 5/16”. Of course, larger cuts can be made in multiple passes with a more significant size bit. 

In past times, one sign of quality woodworking was the amount of detail put into the piece. Detailed carving on any part of a piece of furniture made it clear that a master craftsman made it. 

With a Dremel tool, it is easy for anyone to do this relief carving. The rotary action makes it possible to do highly accurate cuts, significantly reducing the training and practice time needed for relief carving. Compared to working with various chisels, as our ancestors had to, carving with a rotary tool like the Dremel is more like drawing out the relief design you want to create. 

Keep in mind that not all Dremel carving bits are designed for woodworking. The diamond point and structured carbide carving bits are designed to work with more rigid materials. However, all the others can be used for cutting wood. 

Dremel also provides various sanding options, including drum, disk, and flap sanders. Grinding wheels are also available, but these are not recommended for use on wood. For a complete chart of all Dremel bits, click here.