Just how does the rotary tool work? The rotary tool doesn't work like other tools. Most other tools rely on brute force to muscle through jobs. The Dremel rotary tool uses speed. Very high speed! It actually spins at rates up to 35,000 rpm. That's more than ten times as fast as most drills on their highest setting. In fact, at 35,000 rpm a Dremel rotary tool with a high-speed cutting bit can make an incredible 4,600 cuts a second! Almost a quarter million cuts a minute! It's what we call "The Dremel Speed Advantage!" (Think of it as a Tasmanian devil of power tools.) And that's why we say that the speed does all the work. You just guide the tool.