Dremel: Tonya, Bklyn, NY wrote: Should I buy a drill press for my Dremel, or a router tool?

Both! I have both the router table and router attachment, which I have used for minis. I would dearly love to have the drill press, too. To give you any idea of uses, the router table, with appropriate router bits, will allow you to make some wonderful edges on such things as tables, pianos, to name just a couple of things that I have already done. I tried to make a brass bed, without the drill press - it's still in pieces.

Eileen

Dremel Router Table vs. Drill Press: I use the heck out of my Dremel router table. I love it for making my own moldings (although I still buy Northeastern stuff every now and then). I also have the drill press. It's coated with a heavy layer of dust, if that tells you anything. I found that every now and then, the bits would ride up just a little when I tried to run pieces through the drill-press, whereas with the router table, gravity helps keep the bits pulled down. I also try to make sure I'm always cutting the under side of my board when I pass it along the router blades. That keep it from riding up, too. I haven't yet figured out how to add feather-boards to help hold my wood pieces down and against the fence. That would help add to the consistency of the cut, too. I haven't seen the Rotozip. Hmmm. I may have to find out more.

Geo. Held

Roto Zips: The Roto Zip is a useful tool for windows, doors, etc., but corner cleanup will still be required, so hold onto your Dremel. My personal experiencehas been it's easy to operate, and quickly cuts through material. It's like a rough cut router, without the nice, neat edges. I also found that a controlled cut comes with dense material. Thin material has a tendency to vibrate, so I clamp with a straight edge, then run the base of the Roto Zip along the edge. The draw backs, the edges are rough. You will find that sanding is a must to clean up the edges. Also, it doesn't make a perfect 90 degree cut; the door/window corners have a slightly rounded inside corner. It gets rid of the majority of the material, you'll just need to 'fine tune' the corners with either your Dremel, or with a hand saw. The materials it can cut, Plexiglas, Formica and of course, all types of wood. I primarily use it to cut down larger pieces of material, so they are more manageable. This is the only reason I started using the Roto Zip. Dh thinks I'm too dangerous around large power tools, so one day he 'politely' asked me to rip off the pieces I wanted to work with, and 'he' would run them through the router or table saw. Humph, big boy's and their toys. Added note: They are very noisy, and dust goes everywhere...safety glasses and dust mask recommended.

Rita-Montana

Scroll saws: Hi everyone..... scroll saws are marvelous beasts, they come in all different sizes with their 'up and down prices' too match! I've been using a 'Diamond' scroll saw for the last 5 years and I can offer nothing but praise. It was the saw chosen by the craftsmen (and women) who carried out the restoration work on York Minster here in the UK after the devastating fire. It is at the pricier end of the spectrum, as is the German 'Hegner' they both run quietly and ultra smoothly. Both these saws are ideal for miniatures as they do not suffer from 'chatter' the reason is that all the moving parts that result in the saw blade movement are set in ball bearing races which allow no lateral movement. Most of the cheaper ones have their moving parts set in 'bushes' which usually wear pretty quick. The old English proverb (probably the same in the US)You get what you pay for (I'd personally avoid Dremel) Minicraft make a good one, fairly priced and I think they have a website in the US try http://www.minicraftus.comI know they have a http://www.minicraft.co.uk site who will be able to help otherwise. http://www.hegner.com has a good site, but be prepared to be afraid, very afraid, when you see the top priced model! With regards to the jeweller blades snapping, because they're so fine, they do get hot quickly and the steel re-tempers....then they snap. avoid pushing the wood too hard against the blade and avoid high speed!! Whatever, jeweler blades are really designed for 3 mm or less in thickness, 1mm being the ideal. Again, some blades cost more than others....guess why? The machine you use has a lot to do with it. Our miniature horses are cut initially with these blades, after cutting out 50 legs, I change the blade regardless. (take a look at them at http://www.woodencraft.co.uk ) (If you want to try a super dooper UK blade, I can always send one for you to try)

Peter Cook

Copyright: Copyright office (US) web site. http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

Tom Berkner

Printables: Do you have an inkjet printer? If so, try Presentation Paper by Great White. It's acid-free, a little heavier than regular bond,and has a special coating. The copies are very crisp and clear. Someone on the digest recommended it a while back and I've been using it ever since. It isn't the cheapest paper on the market, but I save up projects and print as many as I can on a page. Then I usually glue each piece to cardstock using a stick-type scrapbooking glue. When dry, I give it a couple of coats of ModPodge. I had trouble with some other finishes smearing the ink.....but that may have been due to my impatience in waiting for the ink to dry. As for fading.....time will tell, but I keep copies of everything I print and if they fade during my lifetime, I can re-do them :o}}} Watch the glue you use. Regular stick glue may yellow or cause other problems over time. I believe serious scrapbookers have developed glues that are also archival.

Jude in ND

French Furniture With Caning: If you want mass-produced furniture, Bespaq has a variety of French styles. Some of the pieces have inserts that simulate cane. If you want beautifully made handcrafted furniture with real caning, get in touch with Nicole Walton-Marble nmarble@srpynet.com. Nicole also teaches her caning technique at shows occasionally. Nicole's French furniture kits are available on Renee Kutcher's site at http://www.miniaturefloors.com/artisan.htm

Judith Adams

Different Stores - for different stuff: Have you ever visited a 'Ship Chandeler' Store? They sell and service the aquatic crowd. Everything and anything for boats, ships and fishermen... I get my casting resin there much cheaper than anywhere else. Comes in some spiffy colors too Gel Coat is useful too. They carry a ton of different rope products, brass that will knock you off your feet. odds and ends of fishing stuff that makes a mini fan go faint with imagination overload... find one in your area and have a ball!

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Hobby Lobby tip: their weekly ads and coupons are posted on their web site. It's a good idea to check what's on sale before you make a run -- last year around the holidays their dollhouse stuff was 50% off every other week! Last week I was in the vicinity and stopped in. Rummaged through the clearance bins, which were reduced another 50%, and got a lot of mini-makings for very, very little: fancy filigree cupids and garlands to gussy up a plain brass bed, gaudy beads for canisters in Mary's tropical condo kitchen, a leaping dolphin ceramic bead which became a Lladro for the curio, Engelbreit-style preprinted woodsies which will be just the thing to disguise the cracked gingerbread on Peggy's Arthur. But of course I'm still looking for what I went in for - royal blue pompoms and felt to make Cookie Monster slippers

Loretta.Sniarowski

Miniature Jigsaws: We read with interest the information on the origins of jigsaws. If anyone is interested, although we haven't featured them on our website, we make jigsaws suitable for a dolls house. Made from wood with a scene of your choice, it could be a family member or perhaps a photograph of the house itself. Usually 1.5 inches by 1 inch our puzzles are in 9 or 12 pieces. While we make just the jigsaw, we also make a box with a lid, to hold the puzzle ready for the table top. We can be contacted through our website. http://www.woodencraft.co.uk/West Sussex Woodencraft

Peter and Annie