Why didn't you guys tell me?!

Grease

Grease

Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
1,812
Seriously, I've been doing this for 3 months now and I just tried out an angle grinder. Holy cow that thing cuts out blade blanks like a champ. Why is that cheap and useful of a tool not the #1 thing suggested in the stickies?

Anywho, I'm happy. No more wasting time with the hacksaw or making a big tedious mess with the bench grinder or dremel :D
 
Watch your spark trail, it's possible to burn the place down.


I've taken the guards off some angle grinders for better access in some instances, but then every once in a while I lose some flesh as a reminder to pay attention.
 
Not the most recommended tool because of the skin removal aspect. I have only gotten stitches once and I was using an angle grinder to cut teeth off a band saw blade. $2500 ER bill. Be very careful of the kickback and as the count said it can burn your place down, Ask Ray Richard.
 
Yea, what they said...re-read the cautions above. Also, if the sparks hit you in one place too long it is possible to "toast" your clothing without actually setting yourself on fire...but when you go to brush the debris off your clothes, the front of your shirt or pants crumbles and brushes away too. Don't ever try and cut a curve in a way that bends a cutting wheel...this will end with cutting wheel shrapnel embedded somewhere. Don't use anything but the edge of a cutting wheel. Grinding with the side or doing anything that damages the fiberglass fabric can cause the wheel to "blow-up" (see previous comment about shrapnel). Before use, run any new wheel for a minute under no load and with your body out of the plane of the spinning wheel, just in case the wheel is damaged or defective. Don't succumb to the temptation to remove the guard. First, it helps control the sparks. Second, it only takes a second to lose concentration, change your grip on the tool, etc., and grind into a finger or a knuckle. Grinder cuts are wide, dirty, take a while to heal, and leave funky looking scars.

But yes, if you treat the tool with the respect it deserves and use it safely, it is pretty amazing how easily you can cut and grind steel, and how versatile an angle grinder is.
 
This makes me worry. I thought about going this route knowing someone who has one. It almost seems more worth it to wait longer to save up for at least the sears 2x42 as opposed to the safety hazards. Does it remove material all that much faster than a belt grinder?
 
A tucked in shirt is a good idea too. I worked with a guy who basically gutted himself when his unbuttoned and untucked shirt got caught up on the wheel and pulled it in on his belly. Ever since, when I'm using an angle grinder I like to tuck in my shirt and bunch it up at my back if its loose at all.
 
all power tools can be harmful
that saif my steel costs too much t jsut grind ing tot get close i have a band saw and it cuts like a charm
 
Something I never see the angle grinder guys talk about is that as those wheelswear quickly. That wear puts a lot of amazingly noxious and abrasive material into the air. Use a respirator.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Something I never see the angle grinder guys talk about is that as those wheelswear quickly. That wear puts a lot of amazingly noxious and abrasive material into the air. Use a respirator.
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I noticed that tonight. Gotta be gentle on them or the inside circle can strip out and it won't keep traction on the grinder. My nose is full of grey/black residue too :grumpy: definitely wearing a mask when I get back at it tomorrow...

kailand09 said:
This makes me worry. I thought about going this route knowing someone who has one. It almost seems more worth it to wait longer to save up for at least the sears 2x42 as opposed to the safety hazards. Does it remove material all that much faster than a belt grinder?
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It's like a knife, I suppose. Use it wisely and it's perfectly safe. A metal cutting disc is definitely faster than grinding metal away, and I think it's worth it.
 
kailand09 said:
This makes me worry. I thought about going this route knowing someone who has one. It almost seems more worth it to wait longer to save up for at least the sears 2x42 as opposed to the safety hazards. Does it remove material all that much faster than a belt grinder?
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I'm curious if you mean just for profiling the design or for grinding bevels. I don't think anybody would suggest using an angle grinder for bevels, just for cutting out the blade shape from the steel. IMO if you are choosing between the two, go with the 2x42 I hope I wasn't misunderstanding your question, if so I apologize.
 
Using an angle grinder for knife making is not safe nor is it the right tool for the job. A lot of noobs are doing it because if is quick and they haven't had a wheel break and embed itself in their flesh yet. Yet. An angle grinder is meant for taking weld beads off of large things that are not practical to bring to a grinder. Do yourself a favor and get a cheap belt grinder or a harbor freight bandsaw

-Page
 
There is a good reason we don't suggest an angle grinder to every new maker.....they aren't a good tool for making knives. I know that a lot of folks use them, but a lot of folks use drugs and do many other self-harmful things. That doesn't minimize the danger or poor choice for these actions.

Just like a skilled lumberjack can carve the Venus de Milo with a 36" chain saw, a skilled metal worker can do many things with an angle grinder....but the key work in that is SKILLED. The best phrase that describes my feeling about using an angle grinder is, "Kids, don't try this at home."

Misused, an angle grinder cuts flesh deeply and in a way that does not heal well. They have burned down entire shops and barns and set the leaves on fire outside several garages. The dust given off by the wheel wear is just about the worst type of lung irritant you can inhale.

One safety note about using any hand held grinder, is that the item being ground needs to have enough mass to not be overcome by the force applied ( like the side of a car being ground during body work), or be firmly held in a vise or clamp. The edge of the grinding wheel delivers many hundred foot pounds of energy, and can send a blade flying across a shop. Anyone who holds a blade in his hand while grinding on it with an angle grinder is an IDIOT.
 
Every machine we use, in making knives, can kill or maim you if used without caution or prior knowledge of what can happen.
If used with skill an angle grinder is an invaluable metal working tool. I have two metal cutting bandsaws, one large and one small but I still use right angle grinders to cut metal in the shop. There are four angle grinders on my welding/cutting bench at all times; two are 4 1/2" two are 7 1/2" grinders. I use the large cup stones to surface billets; I use 6 inch zip disc on th e 4 1/2 inch models to cut anything I can't cut with the bandsaws.
When using any of them I wear a full face shield respirator a double thickness leather apron to shield from the sparks. Clamp the work piece in a vise or to the bench. Have full control of the tool before its turned on. Plan the cuts from beginning to end; have a plan.
If you are prone to accidents don't use power tools.
 
As others have stated there are numerous reasons not to use an angle grinder. Best thing you can do for yourself is save up an get a HF 4x6 vertical/horizontal bandsaw. With a HF coupon you can pick one up for under $200.
 
A portaband (Milwaukee/DeWalt) and a SwagOffroad stand seem (to me anyway) like the most cost effective and space-saving tool for this.

I really wanna desktop waterjet/EDM driven by a joystick and a pantograph myself.

****walks away mumbling incoherently****
 
I can profile a 9" blank in 4 minutes from bar stock with a 36 grit belt and my contact wheel on my KMG. When I pull away, it is just right, to the line, no tweaking necessary. I can do 15 knives per belt before its toast. I think its a lot safer than using an angle grinder, and I'd be willing to wager, more accurate by a mile.
 
Fiddleback said:
I can profile a 9" blank in 4 minutes from bar stock with a 36 grit belt and my contact wheel on my KMG. When I pull away, it is just right, to the line, no tweaking necessary. I can do 15 knives per belt before its toast. I think its a lot safer than using an angle grinder, and I'd be willing to wager, more accurate by a mile.
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I have a little 2x42 and I find it is a little quicker and easier on belts to take off some material by cutting a few straight lines with an angle grinder first, then grind the rest of the profile on the belt sander.
 
synthesist said:
A portaband (Milwaukee/DeWalt) and a SwagOffroad stand seem (to me anyway) like the most cost effective and space-saving tool for this.

I really wanna desktop waterjet/EDM driven by a joystick and a pantograph myself.

****walks away mumbling incoherently****
Click to expand...
I just ordered one of these , im excited. what are the preferred blades? I have heard different stories about whether it will cut handles too since its so slow.
 
Good information here. I had meant for profiling by the way, not the bevel.

I will have to keep my eye out for a cheap belt grinder if I keep up past the first knife. Definitely feel the experience said here proves to skip the angle grinder.
 
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