With the rising cost of health care, I'm sure you have found yourself wondering about how difficult a kidney transplant could really be. Just like dropping a tranny on a 1989 Ford Tempo right? With this instructable, you can make those DIY hobby knife, health and pet care dreams come true. A DIY vibro-scalpel! Now you too can cut tomatoes like a hot knife through butter, amaze your friends, and run a lucrative cosmetic surgery practice in your spare time. You can't afford to live without this miracle item. Construct and use this tool at your own risk. (Note: Do not use this device to cut living tissue unless properly licensed by the appropriate governing agency)
 
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Step 1: Collect the proper components

Background:

If you are like me, then you are too lazy to brush your own teeth and have relied on the ministrations of an electric toothbrush for years. The trouble with these and any other consumer item is that they become obsolete. Electric toothbrushes are no exception, and the slim, mouth-friendly models of today mock the clunky jaw spreading antiques of yesterday. As the NiCad batteries in my old Philips sonicare (with quad pacer) gave up the ghost, I upgraded to the latest, slimmer sonicare. Not one to throw anything with any remote possibility of usefulness out, I saved my old toothbrush for the day when it could be retasked to a new, more glorious application. That time has come.

These toothbrushes are a marvel of engineering, waterproof, powerful, and oscillating at high frequency the Philips sonicare can cut through plaque and tartar build up with ease. If this unit can cut through mouth funk, then why can't it cut through mouth too? No reason, no reason indeed. So I set out to marry my trusty X-acto knife with my outdated but hard working Philips Sonicare toothbrush to yield an amazing new tool, the vibro-scalpel.

Search for vibro-scalpel on the series of tubes know as teh Internets, and you will find a variety of hits, all of which involve role playing games of some type. So the idea isn't that new I guess, but the implementation appears to be.

Materials List:

To build your own vibro-scalpel you will need the following (quantities in bold).

1x Electric toothbrush motor body (Philips Sonicare HX4511)
1x Electric toothbrush head compatible with the above motor body
1x X-acto knife, the small size #1

Required tools:

Hacksaw (not Jim Duggan)
Hand drill
5/32" Drill bit
13/64 Drill bit
Propane torch

Below you can see the X-acto knife and toothbrush used for this project, as well as a close up of the business ends of both.
DanYHKim says: Nov 9, 2011. 8:05 AM
You should add the fact that Leaf Cutter Ants are known to vibrate their jaws at around 1,000 times per second to better cut through tough leaves.
BorisTheSpider says: Nov 4, 2007. 5:41 PM
I'd like to try it out with a lockpick head. A lot of pickguns use an up-and-down motion, but I have heard tale of some that simply vibrate. Maybe worth a shot.
jmengel (author) says: Jun 1, 2009. 6:38 AM
Thanks for the link, another great use for the toothbrushes. I'll have to give the vibro-pick a shot.
pdub77 says: May 31, 2009. 6:55 PM
up and down motion is used because that is the orientation of the pins in the tumbler. any other motion is wasted energy. any vibration will work, though, if at least some of the vibration is parallel with the pins.
pdub77 says: May 31, 2009. 6:47 PM
http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/lockpick/Overview.aspx

this has been around for quite a while.
jeffconnelly says: Dec 1, 2007. 4:21 AM
Nice idea, if it works you should make an instructable about it!
BorisTheSpider says: Dec 1, 2007. 8:42 AM
I was thinking about it, but the main idea of making your own is saving money. This toothbrush doesn't look cheap to begin with.
countable says: Mar 3, 2009. 5:56 AM
I have the exact same toothbrush as the authours, and lemme tell you they aren't cheap. I got mine for about £100 i think. Also, using this as a pickgun would be pretty effective since all you need to do is rattle all the pins in the tumbler until they lock into place.
jmengel (author) says: Mar 3, 2009. 7:26 AM
The toothbrush is not cheap, as pointed out. However, the sealed nature of the unit and the eventual decline of the internal batteries gives you a cheap source for these as people throw them out. There is an instructable on here somewhere for opening and replacing the battery cells, but most people will just buy a new one. When mine went south I bought a newer, easier to fit in your mouth model myself if that is any indication. I will give the pick gun idea a try one of these days.
fallenspirit123 says: May 4, 2009. 5:15 PM
great idea
urbangleaner56 says: Sep 13, 2007. 12:53 PM
What would be way WAY cool, would be something like this (a vibro-saw) that could be used to cut rough stone into usable size and shapes for use as building materials. Same with a vibro-drill. All made out of easily aquired, cheap materials. If you'er not sure what I'm talking about, read Robert A. Heinlein's "Farmer in the Sky". Leigh
evanwehrer says: Mar 8, 2009. 9:26 PM
hammer drill? rotary saw?
Yerboogieman says: Mar 3, 2009. 6:40 AM
I ask you, Why?
jmengel (author) says: Mar 3, 2009. 7:22 AM
Try Bud Dry.
Mother Natures Son says: Feb 24, 2009. 8:48 AM
This thing is terrific, in that it inspires terror. I'm getting images in my head of the vibrating components of a sex toy being integrated into a sword... This can only end in tears.
Tachyon says: Oct 11, 2008. 3:46 PM
I bet this would be amazing with a real scalpel blade on it instead of the much heavier, stiffer xacto blade.
Noodly0ne says: Jun 12, 2008. 8:50 PM
Great ible! I thought of this when I saw my first electric brush. Shot down by Mum. Lol. I loved the 2001 reference too. ( I'm afraid Dave. Dave, my mind is going....)
jmengel (author) says: Jun 12, 2008. 10:17 PM
Appreciate the comment, but where is the 2001 ref? Great film BTW. I'm pretty sure I wrote this, and I can't find it. My mind is going.... -Jon
SFHandyman says: Sep 21, 2008. 1:07 AM
Were you saying you couldn't find your own reference? It is in photo 1 step 1. There is a comment box around the LED switch. I love this knife. Thanks for putting this up. Also your technique of drilling the hole by going through the top, inside the threads, is one of those "duh why didn't I think of that" moments for me. I probably would have struggled putting a pilot hole in the bottom and hoped the bit didn't slide off the flat edge while I was getting it started (no drill press).
Noodly0ne says: Jun 13, 2008. 8:31 PM
You know the part where Bowman(?) is disassembling HAL? HAL is all like "I'm afraid..."
tippmannphreak says: Jun 12, 2008. 9:38 PM
Wow. I figured the blade would be vibrating wildly. Good instructable. 5 stars. Can you make a ible about what to do to a "patient" after his kidneys been harvested erm I mean donated. And can you do it in like the next 5 minutes. I dont have a bathtub and im all outta ice : ( Any maybe how to break outta jail.
jmengel (author) says: Jun 12, 2008. 10:13 PM
Sorry not in 5 minutes. The secret is to use more powerful narcotics that can immobilize the patient for a longer period. I strongly suggest you procure a doctorate in anesthesiology first in order to reach your goals. Not to mention the fact that the base pay for such a position is well into 6 figures. -Jon
masterochicken says: May 17, 2008. 2:28 AM
It's organ harvesting time!
glassspider2142 says: Nov 23, 2007. 3:08 AM
pic for last post, hope it work this time :(
C:\Documents and Settings\admin\My Documents\pig skinner.jpg
glassspider2142 says: Nov 23, 2007. 3:07 AM
briliant idear. would work great with larger blade for butchery but the vibration would give you the hell RSI if used commercialy. be great for skining wild boar to leave the fat on for the extra yummy roasting. my uncle used old cutthroght razors.
callmeshane says: Nov 15, 2007. 5:09 PM
I drugged, bound and gagged my wife before I tested it. First I cut out all the bits that needed cutting out, then I fixed up all the bits that needed fixing up.. and after remebering that I didn't have anything to sew up all the cuts and to stem the blood loss, I figured what the hell? It's working so good, so why stop now? We now have enough meat in the deep freeze to last a month or more. The vibro-scalpel works very well.
FreakCitySF says: May 20, 2007. 7:42 PM
This is scary! haha I've heard of people performing medical jobs without liscenses and this instructable makes me wonder about all the other tools that could be easily fashioned out of ordinary items. good stuff
Shyrric says: Jul 11, 2007. 3:23 PM
You could also make a fair replica of an ESU ("Electrosurgical Unit", "Electro Cautery") out of a lightbulb, a portable power source, and some heat-resistant wires, I suppose. They work on the same principle; electricity flows through the circuit, causing a loop of wire to heat up. I've never built one, though, so I won't vouch for it being simple, safe, or effective. . .
jtobako says: May 23, 2007. 1:00 PM
Now to find a large enough motor for that sci-fi vibro-survival-knife : )
kishida says: May 21, 2007. 9:57 PM
You've made a nice useful tool.
Now, do you have any ideas to adapt another sonic or vibrating device to a pet hair de-matting comb? In case you're not familiar with the de-matting comb, it has about 8 curved blades attached to a handle and only the inner curve is sharpened. The tip of the blades are dulled. Here's an example: http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_images/7/742583320129C.jpg
austin says: May 20, 2007. 6:48 PM
thats quite cool. im going to try this.
PetervG says: May 20, 2007. 8:08 AM
Good idea. It's like those knife commercials. The sonic blade thing.
jmengel (author) says: May 20, 2007. 9:49 AM
Crap! I had no idea such a similar product existed. Bummer. Sonic Blade. Thanks for the heads up.
theRIAA says: May 20, 2007. 4:26 PM
it's NOT the same thing, it doesn't "vibrate", it is just a normal electric knife that has two blades that reciprocate next to each other
PetervG says: May 20, 2007. 9:51 AM
Lol, your next Instructable? With a knife? Maybe not.. I don't know
MvP1292 says: May 20, 2007. 12:15 AM
this..is...awesome
CameronSS says: May 19, 2007. 11:52 PM
Hey! Don't call my toothbrush obsolete! I have a Sonicare Quad-Pacer! Great idea, though. I've often wondered what else a rapidly vibrating, handheld thing could be used for. Now I know.
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