Carving Tools: That's something I like to do with miniatures, so I thought I'd come out of my semi-lurking and respond. Yes, a Dremel tool is a terrific help in working with miniatures - especially roughing out the basic shapes. If you use some of the tinier cutters, you can do some delicate carving. In those instances, I've found it easier to put the Dremel tool into a small vise which allows me to hold the wood with both hands (much better control for preventing the bit from moving out of control and ruining your carving).
Also, MicroMark has a set of carving knives that are quite nice. I've used the heck out of mine for my ornate furniture carving. Another tool I use a lot is my jeweler's saw. I've found it's easier sometimes to cut out the rough shapes with the jeweler's saw and then glue these appliqués onto the piece I'm making. Another trick is to take an X-Acto knife blade and grind it down to a very small sized blade with your Dremel tool. This gives you a very delicate knife point you can work in and around pieces.
Small drill bits and/or an awl are also helpful for creating starting points from which you can move your Dremel tool. Also, when you want to do pierced carvings, you can drill the hole with your mini drill, thread your jeweler's saw blade through the hole and cut it out.

George Held

Cleaning abrasive belts:   Most woodworking stores and catalogs sell a special belt cleaning eraser.   I wouldn't use a regular eraser unless it is the tan gummy type.  The real thing doesn't cost much. BTW, I never use erasers because, with the hard wood I use, the abrasive gets dull and worn out before it becomes filled with wood resin.   If  you use softwood   which comes from evergreen trees and is resinous, you will get a gummy fill in the grain matrix that can be removed with an eraser.   Bass wood is technically a hardwood,   and although softer than most hardwoods, is not resinous and doesn't fill coated abrasives too badly. Also be aware that burning the belt from too much pressure for too much time can burn and destroy a belt or disk in seconds.   Most little sanders go much to fast for our work and burn easily.   Be gentle.

Pete Boorum

Removing Tool Marks on Plastic: [You are not going to have any luck drilling plastic because it will frost on you. ] The easiest way to get rid of the tool marks (frosting - if that's what you're referring to) is to dip it in acetone or coat it with clear nail polish.

Tom Berkner

Adjustable Work Surface: do you know that your ironing board makes a perfect work bench adjustable height so you can lower it down for good height etc & a washable cover too, what do you need to iron anyway just think another place to spread to. A perfect excuse not to iron. It takes up precious miniaturists’ time anyway.  (don't forget, hide the laundry)

Fran

Adjustable Work Surface: I also use an ironing board as my work table. My reason is that because of back trouble, I can't sit for very long at a time. But I can stand and work at that table (at highest level) for hours. I do have another ironing board for if I actually break down and iron something. I got some pieces of cotton fabric in a box of remnants, and I put a piece over the board and don't worry about getting glue or paint on it. I just throw it in the wash after a while. I apply glue a lot with a needle, and to clean the needle, I just stick it into the fabric and slide it back out again. Works great. Because it's padded underneath, it's great for fragile stuff, almost like working on a long flat pin cushion.

Paulette in IN

Older Single Run Copper tape:  When I bought the shell of my first house, I also bought quite a bit of supplies with it.   In the supplies were single rolls of very thin copper tape...must have been long before the newer tape wire.   Anyway, not knowing any better, I used this older style copper tape wiring throughout my house.  I followed the directions on tape wiring exactly, except I had to make 2 runs instead of one (a parallel run for each side of the tape).   I also papered my house using the smaller prints from a real life sample book (thicker than the mini wallpaper I've seen) and you can't even see where my tape wire runs are.   I drew a plan on paper for future reference, just as the book said to do.  The only thing I had to be extra careful about was crossing the two tapes and causing a short.   I used that magic scotch tape as my insulation, also as directed in the book.  It's about 1/4" wide and you just place a double row of it spaced a little apart.   So far it's still lighting my house.

Rita Pierce

Single Run Copper tape: You do need to exercise some caution in using the copper tape product designed for stained glass.  It comes in different thicknesses/widths, which gives it different current carrying capabilities.   If you try to use a larger transformer and more lights than it can handle, it will overheat and possibly cause afire.   This is the reason that Cir-Kit doesn't offer a transformer larger than 40 watts - or at least that's what Vern Skarr (CEO of Cir-Kit) told me.

Tom Berkner

Single  run   copper tape: To all of you who wondered, don't think that using the old-style single run  tape is going to solve your wiring problems.   I had to repair the electrical   system in a house a few years ago that had that type of wiring.  It was   awful!  The single strand of copper was amazingly brittle--I had to go back over and replace long lengths of it because it had broken apart enough that it would no longer conduct the electricity!  I think I must have used over a tablespoon of solder fixing all the breaks. You can complain, if you wish, about the modern tape wire and the fact that it can show under the wallpaper.   Who cares?  You can find it to fix a problem.  If you are careful and put most of it under carpets or other flooring, you won't even notice that it's there.  You can also hide it behind table legs, under a sofa, etc.  I've even drilled a hole in the top of a credenza so the table lamp wire goes through the piece of furniture rather than having a mess of wire. 

Dottie in Tucson

Copper reaction:  For those considering using the copper window making stuff for wiring, I  thought I read somewhere that you should wear plastic gloves when  working with this material to avoid some kind of nasty reaction.

Linda

The problem with copper,is that it leaves super minute cuts in the skin and those are "infected" with something from the copper so for awhile you lose the feeling in those fingers. Not fun. I solved it by wearing little pieces of tissue paper wrapped and taped to my fingers as I could continue to work that way. That was about a hundred years ago and latex gloves have now been invented so use them and all will be well. If your hands get hot, cut the gloves down a bit...you just want the area touching the copper covered.

Laurie Sisson