tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075588475569330095.post772581289612213468..comments2023-09-27T08:36:50.771-07:00Comments on The Paleo Lounge: Speaking of field jackets....iPreparatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13998682923423320978noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075588475569330095.post-32690829490365826412010-11-19T08:47:40.692-08:002010-11-19T08:47:40.692-08:00Meh, I still prefer a Harbor freight 4 1/2" a...Meh, I still prefer a Harbor freight 4 1/2" angle grinder with a diamond wheel. Nigh disposable equipment, and the blade works a good long time. Also handy for getting through ironstone concretion!Maltesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17302603284748193525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075588475569330095.post-23458934420141712952010-11-09T17:40:12.745-08:002010-11-09T17:40:12.745-08:00The curved wood/drywall blade actually does wonder...The curved wood/drywall blade actually does wonders getting through the plaster and burlap, it is essentially the same thing that Homer Stryker patented in 1947 for use in opening plaster casts. Toothed curved blades will be the safest route to attack 95% of field jackets. Piranha has one of these for sale for $10, but their shipping cost is $12 per order, while Home Depot stocks the Dremel blades for $10. Remember, the goal <i>is</i> to cut through the field jacket slowly, every time. Always. <br /><br />Now, I've got a well publicized personal policy against shopping at Harbor Freight. I feel like I'm cutting enough corners by eschewing the undoubtedly well constructed and long lived German tool and halving the price to the Dremel (I'll probably buy a Fein soon anyway), I've got no desire to have yet another pewter bodied Chinese P.O.S. Harbor Freight tool irreparably break after an hours use. However,YMMV.iPreparatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13998682923423320978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075588475569330095.post-83714598505940511552010-11-09T14:39:00.608-08:002010-11-09T14:39:00.608-08:00I have a Dremel Multi-Max at home for remodeling w...I have a Dremel Multi-Max at home for remodeling work. The blade selection for the tool is quite limited and blades are relatively expensive. For cast cutting, I'd guess you'd primarily use the crescent-shaped drywall/wood blade. That blade doesn't cut drywall very quickly, so I doubt it's capability cutting harder plaster and burlap layers. <br /><br />Here's a source for less expensive aftermarket blades (mostly carbide-grit blades):<br /><br />http://www.piranhablade.com/Home.html<br /><br />I picked up some bimetal blades from another source —Imperial Blades, but their website isn't operational so I don't know if they're still in business. The blades are much more robust than any of the Multi-Max blades. Suitable for cutting nails, albeit slowly with the Dremel tool.<br /><br />Frankly, I think the really cheap Harbor Freight oscillating tool (usually under $40) would be a better choice for opening field jackets. The blades are cheap, the tool's body is cast metal, and I'd bet the tool lasts longer with constant exposure to plaster dust than the more lightly built Dremel.<br /><br />Another tool that's in the ballpark of the Multi-Max price is the Rockwell Sonicrafter, now sold at Lowe's. It gets good reviews on Amazon.BJ Nichollshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04525256614467299544noreply@blogger.com