Hello Gang,
I just wanted to post about my newest purchase of the Rotozip router
(RZ1) by Bosch. (a.k.a spiral saw) for use on my DIY CNC wood router.
I started off using my Dremel tool, as it was on hand and free, so why not?
I only use my wood router for cutting out parts from balsa and 1/8" lite ply.
So, the Dremel worked really well for awhile, but I finally burned up the lower
bearnings yesterday, which left far to much slop and play in the shaft.
So I went out to our local Menards in Marion Ohio to pickup a new Dremel
tool (mine was over 7 years old, so it has served me well) and noticed that
they had the Bosch Rotozip tools in stock.
I had been reading through these forums yesterday looking for another
small router type tool to use on my router, and found a couple of people
talking about the Bosch Rotozip. I actually found it on Amazon where you
can purchase a refurbished version for about $30 or less!
I was placing my order when I noticed that I myself had a couple of more
orders come in yesterday for kits that I produce, so I had to make the trip
today and get a replacement router so I could get to work for these
customers of mine and get their kits out the door.
Otherwise, I would have ordered the much cheaper refurbished version from
Amazon. Anyway, I ended up paying like $62+ including tax from Menards.
This is of course not a refurbished model.
I know there have been questions from new comers about which to use, a
Dremel or something else, so I thought I would post my finding here today
on the Dremel and the Rotozip so people can be better informed.
First off, like I have mentioned above, I only cut balsa and lite ply, and the
occasional 1/4 aircraft ply. I use 1/8" bits with an diamond upcut head of
1/32".
My Dremel worked absolutely awesome for my purposes. It would spin my
bits at 30,000-35,000 RPM, and I could cut all day long at 40 ipm with an
absolutely pristine finish. (balsa, not ply)
I use my Dremel for many things, so I decided to try the Rotozip as a
permanent attachment to my CNC router and keep the new Dremel as a
standard handheld device when it's needed. (which is often, & detaching
from router was a pain anyway)
Because I know it's extremely hard to get a sense of what kind of quality
something is looking at pictures over the Internet, I decided to post my
findings for the rest of use in this post on the Bosch Rotozip.
As soon as I'm finished with this initial post, I will be going out to the shop
to create an attachment device for the Rotozip and give it a few test runs.
I will post my results here after testing and running.
But, for now, here's my initial overview of this product...
First thing I liked when I seen the Rotozip, is it's weight for it's size.
Although it's only 8 3/4" tall x 3" round (@ top), it weighs in at almost
3.5lbs. Now I know, weight doesn't mean a lot, but in most cases, it's
a good sign of quality.
The next thing I really liked about the Rotozip is the fact that I will now
be able to use not only 1/8" bits, but 5/32" as well as 1/4" bits.
There is absolutely no slop or play in the shaft/collet. I'm sure if one was
to test using a micrometer, you'd find some play, but I can find no play
using the finger test, and again, I'm only cutting balsa/lite ply
Specs are: 120V, 5 AMP, @ 30,000 RPM.
It includes an 1/8", 5/32", and 1/4" collets, and two what are known as
"Xbits". One for drywall, and the other is a multipurpose bit.
The power cord appears to be about 6' in length, which will work out great
for attaching to the CNC router.
It's supplied with a depth guide and bracket that uses a finger flip switch
to tighten to the collar of the tool. I will be using this as an attachment
point device for the bottom end of the tool.
I will post more with photos either later on tonight or tomorrow after I have
had the time to get it setup and working properly on my machine if you
guys/gals are interested.
Right now, I give the Rotozip a score of 9 out of 10.
If you've been thinking about grabbing one of these, I would highly
recommend it, especially if you order from Amazon and get one of the
refurbished versions for only $30 or less, I can't see how you would go
wrong.
I will post more as soon as I have the result and some photos.
Peace,
Patrick