Why is my dremel having trouble cutting wood?

[Pengwuino]

Why can't you cut wood...

Ok so i have this dremel... 35000rpm and cordless. I got this mini-saw attachment shown here...

http://www.dremel.com/html/home_fr.html

Now i have this piece of wood and it has holes in it in a neat grid pattern (if anyone knows what kind of wood has that). Its a really light wood and all. The batteries fully charged. Why is it that the stupid thing is just hard as heck to cut. When the saw blade touches the wood, the motor freezes up half the time. I've only used the tool like 1 or 2 times but i never cleaned them. Is the saw not being cleaned causing this? Is there a certain speed i should have the dremel on? (I put it on highest, 35000rpm setting).

 

[Danger]

Is there a certain speed i should have the dremel on? (I put it on highest, 35000rpm setting).

The whole trick to using a Dremel or similar tool is to apply the least possible pressure on the target. Restrict your depth of cut to a few thousandths of an inch and take your time. I used the K7 blades in my locksmith job, and they'll eat through armour plate steel as if it wasn't there, as long as you don't rush it. Those tools have no torque at all, so they don't work if you let them slow down. The only exception that I know of is when sanding (those little drums have to go 10,000rpm or less, else they burn the wood), or when working with some plastics that melt.

 

[DocToxyn]

The pegboard you are trying to cut is a compressed wood product bound with glues or resins, sometimes sold under the name Masonite. It is very dense and, as you said, hard to cut, especially with something like a dremel. If you have a handsaw or fine-tooth circular saw, you'd be better off, there's more torque/inertia involved with these. Just don't spin/push the blade too quickly, the wood will burn and scorch readily. Like Danger said, go slow.

 

[hypatia]

Or do what I did, get a rotozip, a lot more torque for the buck! Tho I still use the dremel for fine detail work.