I am a jeweler by trade, and the most valuable tool I have in my arsenal is a flex shaft drill. I honestly don’t understand how any workshop can exist without one. Sure I know about Dremel, but they are clunky and big in your hand. A dremel’s motor is also located inside the part you hold in your hand, causing torque and extra vibration in exactly the wrong place when you are trying to do precise work. With a flex shaft machine, the motor is isolated from the hand piece. Not only does this allow for the motor to be bigger, and more powerful, it also removes the unwanted properties of such a motor from the work end of the tool.

In later posts I will explain to you the value I have learned of making your own tools. Not necessarily from scratch, but by modifying other tools. You can get cheap Chinese made tools from places like Harbor Freight ,and modify them till your hearts content. If there is a job you find yourself doing over and over, you’re almost certainly going to be able to do it faster and better with a custom tool. This along with a bench grinder will help you in your quest for better tools.

It also makes for much more accurate drilling. It seems brutish to me to try and drill a small hole in a small thing with a huge hand held drill. That’s just me though, decide for yourselves. All tools have a time and a place, and I guarantee with one of these in your shop, you find more time and places for it than you ever imagined.