Oscillose - electric mini-saw and multi-tool

This weapon is the Jedi Knights. Not as clumsy and inaccurate as a blaster. An elegant weapon of a more civilized era ...
(Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi, a brief description of the blue Jedi sword, given here solely for word of mouth)

The desire to invent or improve something is as natural for a man as to have a relationship with a woman. At least, I consider this statement fair for the lion’s share of the audience of a respected portal. We do not saw so much as mechanics, auto mechanics, builders and public servants do, but we do it very intellectually, because we have such work. Almost like surgeons, only their responsibility is of a different order.

When creating a computer chassis for “smart” furniture, it took me somehow to cut a thin aluminum profile, many times and in some places it was figured. And then I saw the fifth corner of a small hand saw on metal, quietly cursing myself and thinking: I'm not a monkey, I must somehow solve the problem of automating manual labor. Indeed, in addition to electric jigsaws and angle grinders ("Bulgarians"), the market now abounds with circular, trimming, saber and other types of saws of varying degrees of high cost and slaughter. But I don’t provide emergency services for replacing radiators, it’s not possible to grind the grinder at all, and it’s inconvenient to cut small parts. Does not go out of my head and an accident with a "grinder" from a neighbor (about safety techniques separately). It was here that I remembered about a hand-held power tool with strange attachments, similar to the one in the picture, just from another manufacturer.

DISCLAIMER

I ask the distinguished audience to abstract from the brands seen (or not seen) in the pictures. I don’t want to turn a publication into an advertisement of a specific producer, it’s important for me to bring the principle of action together with the advantages and disadvantages, and I don’t have any doubts in the ability of a respected reader to make the right choice without my hint.

The second important point - corrosion as a consequence of metalworking. I recommend to study permissible and unacceptable contacts of metals in accordance with GOST 9.005-72, excerpts from which I put in a separate publication , providing a convenient color cheat sheet.

Modus operandi oscillating instrument

This unconvincing gizmo uses high-frequency pendulum oscillations (oscillations) with a small amplitude, literally into several saw teeth, instead of rotational energy. It seems that the instrument was borrowed from surgeons who have to cut and saw in hard-to-reach places without hitting anything extra. Of course, the electric wire is not a femoral artery, but power cables also require respect. Probably, it was for IT specialists that a hand tool was invented without a specific trading name, which we are talking about here.
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Some sellers call it correctly, but vague: an oscillating tool . Others are just an electric chisel . Someone prefers sonorous renovator , under the name of one of the trade brands. You can also find the term "multitool", which, however, is overloaded from a manual folding tool. Surgeons have this sagittal saw *, physicians cannot do without their Latin ciphers. I decided for myself to use a simple and capacious: oscillorez , or pendulum oscillorez .



UPD: History of Invention
As suggested by the author of the publication, the first MFI, aka “renovator”, he is an oscillating instrument, etc. invented for medical purposes in the company Fein in 1967. I thank user pbw for comments and links (both positive and tragic), as well as UFOs for cosmetic edits.


In the photo: a group of surgeons is going to remove a circular (i.e., a continuous circular) plaster bandage with an oscillating tool from the recovered boy's leg. There were no semicircular saw tips for the oscillosis, therefore at first it seems as if the leg is going to be amputated along with the plaster. This is not the case; the oscillator has a “magical” property to cut hard plaster (or bone) without injuring * soft * fabrics. However, if the fabric under the plaster is not soft and pink, but dry and scaly, you will have to get scratches, the user Loki3000 shared his experience). But first things first.


Immediately make a reservation: no miracles. The interviewed experts do not like the oscillating tool at all because of its low productivity (the chief engineer of the construction company and the owner of a small furniture business participated in the survey). Oscillose is a lightweight option for homework and eliminating small shoals with a variety of interchangeable tips.

Nozzles

DISCLAIMER: when buying, carefully check for what material is this or that nozzle, consult with the seller.








UPD:

If any dear reader used an oscillating tool, you can participate in this publication, here are the options:

• describe the experience of using the nozzle, which I did not specify; Photo attachment is very desirable
• think up your version of the nozzle for an oscillating instrument
• look at the advantages and disadvantages of the oscillose, which I gave below, add

In addition to the gratitude of other readers, the most creative residents of the portal, I personally will thank you with karmic points. But only once in a life, the UFO does not order more.

pros

1. Acceleration of small but tedious manual operations (automation)
2. Cutting, grinding in hard to reach places (special functions)
3. Oscillating wedge chisel (special features)
4. Turning nozzles under the left or right hand, with any angle (special functions)
5. Easy, one-handed (convenience)
6. A single tool with a large selection of nozzles, including grinding and special-shaped saws (low cost of ownership)
7. There is no risk of shrapnel damage from an "exploded" saw blade (safety)
8. UPD: There is no risk to get the "kiss of the grinder" (security +) - cosma , NoRegrets , littorio , pbw
9. UPD: There is no risk of cutting soft tissue even with a working nozzle (safety +) - RedSnowman , Gazirov , special thanks to Ariez for the pictures
10. Smooth hole edges (engineering aesthetics)
11. Cutting "deaf" holes-pockets of polygonal shape (special functions)
12. UPD: Less dirt, no sawdust fountains (home comfort, safety) - usego
13. UPD: When cutting soft metals such as aluminum and copper, the metal is not “pressed” onto the teeth of the sawhead (non-ferrous metal processing) - video sent by Barafu
14. UPD: Processing of fiberglass and carbon fiber: the composite does not break and does not burn, is quickly cut (special functions) - romanpro

Minuses

1. Low cutting speed relative to the "grinder" (performance)
2. Workpiece vibration incompatible with most electronic equipment; required assembly and disassembly of the device (performance)
3. Limit the depth of the holes (limiting the oscillator)
4. UPD: Some models are quite noisy (home comfort) - littorio , androude

Safety engineering

I am not a builder or an auto mechanic, I don’t keep my own “Bulgarian” at home. In general, I don’t really trust , I strongly don’t trust the cutting of the angle grinder . Yes, who does not know, "Bulgarian" is intended for grinding, and cutting (not sawing!) Is its side property. Why - read the instructions for angle grinders, spoiler and comments. Cutting discs are available for angle grinders, and saw blades are designed for circular saws. You can dispute this postulate, but then you have to challenge the laws of Natural Selection at the same time ...

UPD: Dear colleagues in the IT department, modders of buildings and all the rest!


UPD:
In the comments they gave a link to special trident saw blades, which, they say, can still be used on angle grinders. But I wouldn't :)

Safety precautions when working with angle grinders and similar tools: when working, always hold on to the protective cover, preferably outside the plane of rotation. Insert the tool into the part as shown by the instructions of the specific device, do not look at other pictures! Believe me, it is better to stream sawdust in the face than an ax that makes 200 revolutions per second! Study the manual, find out how to avoid both. Watch for turns, do not overheat the disc, cut strictly at 90 °, destruction or seizure of the disc is deadly .

I apologize to the experienced builders and experienced Jedi, but I want to draw the attention of the intellectual elite to a completely logical, but not quite expected kinetics. When the disk is jammed, the “Bulgarian” jumps in the plane of rotation, but the most likely direction of the “throw” (recoil) is opposite to the jet of sparks and sawdust flying from under the disk. This is probably the reason for such a frequent and disastrous injury: an unprepared operator tries to get away from the sheaf of sparks, substituting his head and neck for a chopping power of about 1 kW. When working with the “grinder”, there are only a few * goggles *, we need a mask for the whole face, a hat and clothing made of thick and durable matter, especially in the area of ​​the head and neck. And in the summer too: it’s better to sweat for half an hour than to lie in the fridge later. The easiest way, by the way, to owners of two-wheeled vehicles is that they have practically all the equipment, an accident on a motorcycle and “the kiss of the Bulgarian” I personally consider to be fairly similar in terms of probability and consequences.

Reciprocating saw is a great alternative for cutting and sawing.


So, the oscilloresis does not have fast-rotating parts, it has nothing to explode and cripple. Moreover, the representatives of medicine confirmed in the comments that with a sufficiently low amplitude of oscillations, it is possible to rest the working tool into one’s own flesh without fear of cutting ... No, no, I meant removing the “circular” plaster bandages from the extremities, and not what some thought readers.

But the circular saw of errors does not forgive, either a real Jedi fitter or an idiot can stick their fingers under the casing. Fans of sawing with a grinder (LBM) are arguing with Natural Selection, and this is too strong a player, I would not even play a normal roulette with it.

First sensations

And now, I finally take the oscillose in the manner of a Jedi sword, turn it on and militantly swing at the aluminum corner clamped in a vice. I start to cut with a semicircular nozzle. The detail is trembling, but not from fear, but from vibrations, along with a vice and a table.And while I am drinking, all the nearby contents of the table come to life and start dancing: light garbage leads round dances around more massive pieces; hardware sneak to the edge of the table with the clear intention to fall to the floor and violate all conservation laws, bouncing to the farthest corner; without leaving the case, a pair of files joins them unhurriedly. And here the hammer reached there, obviously aiming to fall on my foot.

All this vibroshow distracts attention. Remove from the table everything that is not fixed, especially heavy and sharp. It may be worth removing the expensive mechanical watch from your hand. To cut the PC case with hard disks with an oscillating tool is undesirable, especially when turned on. Why are there spindle disks, civilian “iron”, in principle, does not like vibrations, this is not industrial electronics for a drilling station.

Comparison with other tools

To stop the clumsy grinder or drill of a drill exactly on the edge only real Jedi are capable. You can’t take a deep crown detail. Large rectangular holes can be approximated by drilling in a row, but there will be an ugly edge sampling. Jigsaw does not make blind holes at all, they must first be drilled.

UPD
It turns out that a jigsaw under certain conditions is able to make a deaf pocket using a trick known as “plunging”: although it requires some spatial scope, it looks quite affordable. Thank users Ezhyg and realraven for comments.

But if one small, round hole is enough, do not show off, take the drill and drill it. Use feather or crown accessories of different diameters. Take a jigsaw. Simple edges and profiles can be (carefully) cut cut with a grinder. There is, by the way, a saber saw - a powerful, relatively safe tool for household and country work, two-handed and mini. It will all be much faster. Perhaps, "one-handed" mini saber saw I would have bought myself.

UPD:
Colleagues often mention a mini-drill, known as “Dremel”, also a kind of common name, derived from a well-known brand. The tool is good for small and jewelry works, but still it’s rather an engraver drill than a locksmith saw. However, see the comments of dear readers, especially in terms of the choice of a particular manufacturer.

Summary

As for me, oscillorez is a great tool for IT engineers and home craftsmen. Not as clumsy as the Bulgarian. An elegant tool for the information age ...