Homebrew Grinder
I wasn't sure which forum to post this, it's my first post, and I'm a noob -- so here goes..
I've recently just purchased my first lockpick set (Sparrows Tuxedo) which I like (I'll post photos once I've polished them), however I'm already looking at doing some homebrew picks, pry bars, etc.
I don't have any power tools, so I'm looking at getting a bench grinder and dremel. I'll most likely be making picks out of hacksaw blades as a starting point because they're cheaper and possibly move on to feeler gauge strips once I increase my toolmaking skills. Based on what I've seen of bosnianbill's videos, I may look at stainless steel knives for pry bars (possibly not necessary to use stainless steel). I was looking at something like this, which I can get for $79 AUD:
http://www.ozito.com.au/c/60-benchtop-p ... le-drive-1
My question is -- would this be suitable for cutting and grinding/shaping to make picks and pry bars, particularly if I decided to try stainless steel (I'm guessing I'd need a diamond cutting wheel)? I did see a thread where kokomolock quickly reviewed a similar looking Harbor Freight 3" mini bench grinder with flex shaft and had been using it for 6 months. I believe the Ozito range is just made up of other brands that have been rebadged for Australia -- so I've been unable to find reviews of the Ozito grinder and instead have just been looking at similar models (Harbor Freight, Neiko, etc) that are available overseas to gauge the quality and suitability.
The alternative is to spend around $50 AUD on a 6 inch bench grinder (which is easier to find replacement wheels for) and around $40 AUD for a Dremel 200. This would only cost an extra $10 and give me two separate tools instead of just the one. I'm only a hobbyist in the early days, however, and I prefer the look of the grinder above as it's nice and small. Would this be suitable? If not, I'd be happy to spend a little more to get the larger grinder and dremel separately.
My main concern is that the smaller grinder with flex shaft might not be good enough for making picks and pry bars, but I would prefer it due to the compact size if it was doable. I searched around a little, but couldn't see any other reviews on similar 3" mini bench grinders with flex shafts or how these are suited to making picks, pry bars, etc. The other option is just to get a grinder OR a dremel, however I've read mixed opinions about this and seem to get the impression both tools would be ideal rather than just using one of the other.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Thanks!