I just got my MO LCD (Wide Voltage) today, and I want to set it up, but I'm worried about the power requirements... Do I need to make a 12v adaptor, or a 5v?
I *think* this is the order to put it in:
+12v - none - none - Ground
Almost any cutoff wheel will work in aluminum. Dremel sells standard and reinforced (fiberglass) cutoff wheels. Aluminum is so soft, the standard wheels will work well, and they are somewhat thinner for more control.
Get your workpiece clamped securely to a bench top. Fasten your template securely to the workpiece. Using a moderate speed (about halfway up on an adjustable Dremel) and very light pressure, draw the rotating bit just inside the lines of your template, stopping a quarter-inch or so outside the corners. (So you don't cut through the corners). Move the tool against the direction of rotation of the bit, this will make it less likely to jump off the workpiece.
With each pass you should remove only a very small amount of metal--you are actually grinding a groove through the material rather than cutting it like a saw blade. With each pass you'll deepen the groove by a small amount. If the Dremel motor slows appreciably, you are applying to much force to the tool--let the speed of the bit do the work. As you get the groove deepened, keep drawing the bit across it applying a uniform light pressure. It will tend to stay in the track quite nicely after the first couple of passes, so make your outlines first while your hand is still steady.
After you've cut your grooves through, go back and clean up your edges with a file. Files are either single- or double-cut, meaning they cut on the upstroke, or both the up and downstrokes. Use the file to get your edges square and get the size you need. Again, Aluminum is very soft, so use a light touch.