Angle Grinder

T

timbit

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Jul 21, 2011
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Just wanted to brag about my newest purchase.

A brand new 5" Master Craft angle grinder for $10 :) Got it from craigslist. Value is $50. I am going to make some sort of jig for bevel grinding.

Timbit
 
tryppyr said:
That's a really, REALLY bad idea.
Click to expand...

+1

I more often than not use a wire wheel on mine for removing scale, but putting lateral pressure on even a thick grinding wheel is a bad idea. Those things like to explode on occasion, never with good results.

Pick up a copy of the $50 dollar knife shop and look at the grinder section, lots of ideas for grinders on the cheap. I would rather see you get a 3x21 belt sander and put it upside down in a vise than use an angle grinder.


"You'll shoot your eye out" is the least of your worries with that....


-Xander
 
oh yah? Thanks for the tip. I guess i'll use the angle grinder for shaping, and do the bevel the old fashioned way by draw filing.
 
You can use angle grinders with the 36 grit - 80 grit flap style grinding wheel without the explosion problems. I will do this to remove some bulk material before I use my 3" x 21" belt sander.(waiting on my kmg clone build to get finished) It saves a lot of time and 3" x 21" belts.
Doug
 
Being some one who has used up a lot of 4.5 angle grinders let me say this. Lots you can safely do with them. With the .045 thick cutting wheels you can do a fair job of cutting steel close to shape. Always wear safety glasses and a face shield and gloves. I prefer an old style Jackson welding hood with the big lenses and leave out the shaded lenses. Wrap around coverage. Always clamp the steel securely and cut in straight lines. I am sure I could rough in bevels with a new 1/4' thick wheel. I would leave the handle end in its flat bar shape until the bevels are done and firmly clamp flat by handle end. Same safety rules apply. Holding the wheel at a slight angle to the length and the angle of the bevel to the width of the bar, I would make strokes up the bar towards the handle end taking material off the edge side of the bar as the bevel approached the spine I would go to a new wheel and flatten the disk to the blade, get the plunges close then flip over and do the other side. Couple things here, go slow and be aware that as you are mostly using sharp angle to the face of the wheel the edge will thin out, when it gets real thin little pieces will begin to fly off the wheel as the fiber reinforcement in the wheel is worn away, before that point run the edge of the wheel against a piece of secured scrap to wear away the thin edge. When you use the wheel flat against the steel to smooth it you will wear away the face and will get down to the reinforcement across the face of the disk. That is why I say use a new disk at that point and when it begins to wear the reinforcement away switch to a new disk and save the old disk for use at an angle. You can do a lot with a small angle grinder, it just takes practice and safety. Go slow or you will have divots and dips. Finish by draw filing and sandpaper on a bar.

Always be aware of which way the wheel is turning and will shoot the sparks. The crap in the sparks will ricochet of things and come back at you so watch what is around your work. The sparks are of course a fire hazard so use somewhere where easy combustibles are not present. That includes paper, rags, and your thin shirt.

One of the problems with the flapper is that although the bigger grits are aggressive the flappers are moved by the material and they round things, which would be OK for a convex blade, They also are more apt to hide your dips than a rigid wheel held flat.
 
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