Angle Grinders and Bench Grinders

[Gberg888]

Hey guys,

I need to get both of these tools and I was wondering if there is anything I need to know to avoid getting crappy ones?

As in can I pick up Harbor Freight ones or should I drop some cash on decent ones from a well known brand (DeWalt/Snao-On) stuff?

I will be using both for mostly automotive mechanical stuff with small carpentry house projects as well from time to time.

Thanks!

 

[PugetDude]

Of course, the only right answer is a vintage Baldor Bench Grinder on an original stand and three $9.99 HF angle grinders...

 

[bobcatdan]

When it comes to bench grinders, its hard to beat Baldor. There is a night and day difference between a Baldor and say a Delta. Classic craftsman "block" grinders are pretty damn good also and can be had for cheap compared to what most guys try to get for a used Baldor. I'd be curious if anybody has any experience with a newer DeWalt and if they think its any good. As for hand grinders, DeWalt is a good option, reasonable priced and damn tough.

 

[Kielbasavw]

We have a harbor freight bench grinder at the shop for several years we use a few times a month. Never had an issue with it.

 

[trackwelder]

The HF hand grinders are tough on the hands, junk in my opinion. Can't say about their bench grinders.

 

[exmaxima1]

When it comes to bench grinders, its hard to beat Baldor. There is a night and day difference between a Baldor and say a Delta.

Not sure what you mean. Older Delta "Triple duty" will kick a Baldor's .......

 

[larry_g]

Good wheels on a grinder will make or break a machine.

In selecting a machine for grinding what are you grinding for what purpose. You may find that a belt or disc grinder would better suit your needs. There are lots of grinder forms and what you do helps you select the correct one. Wood or aluminum perty much eliminates a stone grinder. Precision work requires a different setup than snagging the burrs off of steel after torching.

So tell us what are you doing with these tools and we'll give you a better answer.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[bobcatdan]

Not sure what you mean. Older Delta "Triple duty" will kick a Baldor's .......

I can't give an exact age, but I'll guess 90's vintage made in Taiwan Delta. My last job had one for the shop. Will it grind and wirewheel stuff, yes. Did it have any problems, no. So for general use yeah I guess it's OK, but when you're use to a Baldor of the same size, it didn't compare in how much you could lean into it. Now I have no experience with an older vintage Delta bench grinder so I can't comment on those. It wouldn't be hard for me to believe that one time Delta made something worth a damn.

 

[zkling]

1.) What is your budget?
2.) Do a search

 

[LordPsychon]

For bench grinders, you have several points to consider:
1) Wheel size - 6,8,10" (bigger is better and wears down slower)
2) Speed = fixed or variable (variable is better)
3) Grinding type = silicon carbide, aluminum oxide (harder versus softer)
4) Needs = sharpening/honing, shaving (flap discs may work for you if you aren't honing)

Quality wheels are going to cost you on average $50 a piece. Great wheels won't make a crappy grinder great just somewhat serviceable. Expect to pay around $400 for a good bench grinder new and $100-200 used. A good 36 grit and 60 grit wheel is all most people will need though some may get a wire wheel or a flap wheel to complement the grinding wheels.

Angle grinders are another animal altogether. They can be used for a lot of purposes (concrete grinding/cutting/shaping, metal grinding/cutting/polishing, brick/stone cutting) and corded trumps cordless nearly every time (the new Milwaukee Fuel may change that opinion but it's not out yet). Get one that feels right for you and it's better to get one with a paddle switch because if you put one down that's a standard switch to do something else you may forget to turn it off...won't happen with a paddle switch.

 

[Monte]

A angle grinder is one of the most important hand held power tools so i would invest in a good one. Thank me later

 

[Farmall450]

Newer dewalt bench grinders aren't too shabby IMO.
Craftsman blocks, as previously mentioned, also are solid machines.

Fein makes a wonderful angle grinder.

 

[crewchief888]

i have a cheap ryobi 6" bench grinder, mainly use it to sharpen drill bits and chisels/punches. it doesnt see much use.

angle grinders....

you'll get answers like "HF is great" or "Metabo or nothing at all"

i'd suggest you go to your favorite big box store and pick out a grinder that feels right in your hands. plan on dropping $40- $100 on one.

i have 2 orange HF, a dewalt, a hitachi, and a CM pro...

lots of vibration with the HF grinders, and they get hot, but zero problems for the 7 or 8 years i've abused them.

if you're on a budget the hitachi can be had on sale at lowes for $30. included a blow molded box and 5 wheels. seems like my little ryobi bench grinder was $20-$30 @ home depot a few years ago on sale

 

[Loscaldazar]

Buying a quality bench grinder is important. Newer ones sold in the big box stores tend to be either underpowered (and rated accurately) or overrated (and thus underpowered). Older machines tend to be way more powerful. For example, my 1/3 HP craftsman block (1974) grinder can handle more than some of the 3/4 HP big box store units can. Pretty impressive!

used baldor, craftsman block grinders (do a search to see what craftsman grinders fall under the category of block grinder), Queen City (usually only available in 10" + sizes, very heavy duty industrial units) are all goods brands to look for.

I have a 1/3 HP and a 1HP industrial rated craftsman block grinder. Both are wonderful units. The 1/3 hp cost me $30 and was only missing the eye shields (easy to solve, wear eye protection!), otherwise had the spark guards, tool guards, side wheel covers, the flex light, quench tray, etc. the 1 hp unit was $50 and was missing the tool guard, spark guard, and side wheel cover (and one flange) for the right side. Will cost me about another $50 to get all that. So for $100 I have a massively powerful 1HP industrial grinder with 8in wheels. That is way more than any homeowner will need (honestly, the 1/3 HP 6in wheel bench grinder has more than enough power for pretty much everything). Sometimes used units will need new bearings or other things, so you have to inspect them and know what to look for.

As far as angle grinders, the harbor freight units tend to get pretty good reviews. They all fail eventually, but for $15, quite a few members have gotten a few years out of them of heavy work. Sometimes even a few more years after replacing the brushes.

If you want a nice unit (less vibration, which is great for long periods using it, also more durable and more parts/support for if it does break, Milwaukee has a 5 year warranty vs harbor freights 90 day), Milwaukee and makita are great brands. Metabo is probably the best, but their basic German made unit (the Chinese metabos aren't a anything special) are $120 for a 6 amp grinder, where you can get a 11-13 amp Milwaukee or Makita for the same price. The Metabos are very smooth and durable however (almost no vibration for an angle grinder).

dewalt is good, but after seeing tear downs (on YouTube, forget who the person is) of the angle grinders, the Milwaukee and Makita are built better than the Dewalt (thicker copper windings, better bearings, grease, etc).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[owenst7]

I bought an 8" bench grinder from harbor freight a few weeks ago because I wanted to upgrade to one with a lamp. I turned it on and was able to stall it with it just sitting on the floor, not bolted down. I used one hand and fed a piece of mild steel in to it. I returned it and decided to stick with my no name taiwanese 6" grinder dated 1984 that I bought off craigslist for $25, as it has 2-3 times the torque. I can stall it, but I have to lean in to it pretty hard.

HF hand grinders are OK for the price. I have a couple for keeping wire wheels on/light duty use. My 10 amp Milwaukee is 100x as powerful though. If you're going to be using one heavily, I'd recommend spending $60-$100 on something you won't tear up quickly. Probably something at least 6 amps. If you're just looking for something that's occasional use, I'd go with HF. You Can never have too many grinders.

Good abrasives on a cheap grinder are much better than the opposite. Norton, SIA, SAIT are a few good ones. Some of the Blackstone line at Fastenal is a rebrand of good stuff. I believe Norton make the jumbo flap wheels.

Also with hand grinders, the bigger the motor, the heavier they are. Holding a 10 amp grinder all day can be hard on your shoulder if you really don't need that much machine. They are also harder to get in to tight spaces, such as working underneath a truck frame.

 

[d.mcfarland]

For bench grinder go Craigslist for quality used stuff.

For angle grinders get 2. One ~$50 unit from any brand of your choice and a $10 unit from HF for a dedicated wire wheel / grinder.

The grinding wheel is the thing you're going to want to purchase the best you can. Cheap abrasives don't do well and make a cheap angle grinder a pain.

 

[exmaxima1]

I can't give an exact age, but I'll guess 90's vintage made in Taiwan Delta. My last job had one for the shop. Will it grind and wirewheel stuff, yes. Did it have any problems, no. So for general use yeah I guess it's OK, but when you're use to a Baldor of the same size, it didn't compare in how much you could lean into it. Now I have no experience with an older vintage Delta bench grinder so I can't comment on those. It wouldn't be hard for me to believe that one time Delta made something worth a damn.

Delta was a great company in the 40's-50's, and still excellent up until the 90's when they were still part of Rockwell. Then they took a dump...

 

[malibu101]

On bench grinders-----
Of course they need to have the power to do the job and some are more powerful than others in the same wheel diameter size/class.
Also of course, the wheels (where the metal meets the road) must be of quality too.
That being said--

What does a guy gain by using a new industrial Baldor versus an old Craftsman block?
As long as the machine is powerful enough for your needs, duty cycle, and the wheels are the same-What else changes? Besides the cool factor.

I have a Cman block that I use once in a great while. Most of my grinding is with the 4.5" or air tools so I'm not too savvy on stationary bench grinders.

 

[Loscaldazar]

HF hand grinders are OK for the price. I have a couple for keeping wire wheels on/light duty use. My 10 amp Milwaukee is 100x as powerful though. If you're going to be using one heavily, I'd recommend spending $60-$100 on something you won't tear up quickly. Probably something at least 6 amps. If you're just looking for something that's occasional use, I'd go with HF. You Can never have too many grinders.

This is very true. I started with one angle grinder (Porter Cable 20V MAX cordless) and after the first welding job I picked up a second. Way too difficult to switch between grinding, cutting, wire wheel, etc. I now have the porter cable for cutting wheels, a 4.5in 13 Amp DeWalt for grinding (frickin beast of a grinder with 13 amps for a 4.5 wheel) and need to pick up one more for the wire wheel. Probably will be a harbor freight one.

 

[larryq]

On bench grinders-----

What does a guy gain by using a new industrial Baldor versus an old Craftsman block?
As long as the machine is powerful enough for your needs, duty cycle, and the wheels are the same-What else changes? Besides the cool factor.

I have a couple of mid 1960s-early 1970s Craftsman block grinders and a CL find 1/2 HP 7" Baldor. The block grinders are very nice, much better than what you get at the big box stores today, but I must say the Baldor practically screams 'industrial' and feels like it could grind a steel bridge to powder. And that's for a midrange 120v unit.

As for the OP, keep an eye on the local CL for a block grinder, they last forever unless abused.

 

[Rock Hound]

I have an old bench grinder from Montgomery Ward that I really like. It does not have the electric motor directly connected to the grinding wheels (uses a belt drive) so it is quite a bit slimmer that most grinders.

This one isn't mine, but is the same as I have.

 

[sberry]

Start simple. I am a general mechanic, I rarely use a bench grinder andf have a "good" one in my storage I might hook up one day but have a simple 6 or 8 inch with a stone on one side to touch up a tool and a wire wheel on the other to clean the occasional bolt, other than that its a 4 1/2 hand held which I do 99% of it with.
There is a lot of debate about this and I seen it near every way it can be done, so,,,,, go cheap first, get a BD 4 1/2 from Walmart and go from there, they go on sale on occasion at Menards for 10 less but this is a very good grinder and a home/hobby type would have trouble wearing one out in decade and maybe more. IF,,, later you want to pay another 70$ for the same unit in a yellow jacket go for it. 2 men in the shop all yesterday,,, bench grinder 0,, hand held about 20 times.

 

[IndyGarage]

I have a few of each.
Newer 8 inch Ryobi bench grinder - not that good - takes forever to spool up, low on power.

About a 20 year old black and Decker "professional" 6 inch grinder - small, but works great.

Big old industrial 8 inch grinder "queen city" brand - no comparison to either of the above- it's a beast.

Angle grinders - I have them from HF, Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, Dewault, Porter Cable, Hitachi, and Metabo. So I can probably render a legitimate opinion.

If you just need to do occasional grinding, the Harbor Freight ones are fine. Their switches are weak and they don't have a ton of power, but other than that the machine is OK. If you are going to do something that needs more power - like wire brushing, then I would move up from HF.

For a little more money I really like the $40 Porter Cable Grinder they sell at Lowes. It's a tough grinder for the money. Hitachi also makes a nice one around that price. For around $70, my money is on Makita - they make the smoothest running 4 1/2 inch grinders. I'd pick them over comparable Bosch, Milwaukee and Dewaults.

For top dollar, Metabo is it. As smooth as Makita, and more powerful. The quick nut is worth the price of their grinder alone. It makes grinding wheel changes a snap.

If you grind a lot, then you want a 7-9 inch grinder - they are much more powerful, run smoother and can get a lot more work done. In big Grinders I have an all metal Makita, a Hitachi and a Dewault. They all say they pull 15 amps. I often run a big knotted cup wire brush or a 7 inch flap wheel with them.

The Dewault is a brute - heavy, heavy, and not very smooth, but powerful as all get out. It wears me out in just a couple minutes, and often blows a 20 amp breaker (so it's pulling more than 15).

The Makita all-metal grinder is built like a tank and a little more smooth and refined, but not quite as powerful as the Dewault.

The Hitachi is my favorite of the bigger ones - it's a little lower on power, but also lighter weight and runs smooth as glass. It has a softer starting motor, that doesn't jar you as much as the others. It doesn't wear my arms out as fast. It was also by far the cheapest of all of them - I think I bought it brand new for $89.

 

[Fugio]

Man I want one of those belt drive bench grinders!

My angle grinder died a few days ago and I found a brand new DeWalt for 40 bucks. It's the cheap HD one with only a 7 amp motor, but it's working fine so far.

I do like that it's VERY easy to change wheels on. It says no tools required, which is funny because it actually comes with the tool required for changing wheels. It's just a big hex wrench which is WAY more convenient and easy to use than the old spanner wrench type.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

The budget bench grinders with the "tinnish" tool rests may be ok for lighter projects; but a good old heavy duty unit such as a Baldor would be my choice..

For "some reason", the way underpowered 8" HF unit I bought 3 or 4 years ago is still not mounted on a stand, and gets a dirty look whenever I walk by it..

The 4 1/2" angle grinders are handy tools for me, along with their bigger brother; my 7" Dewalt. With the endless list of brushes and wheels available; these are tools than can be adapted to so many tasks.

Dewalt makes three different "levels or grades" of 4 1/2" angle grinders.. So do your research on all the various brands....

 

[theknurl]

when I came back from Europe in '75 I started setting up my shop in a 2 car garage

Baldor #7307 7" still on the original wheels trued with a diamond

Bosch #0-603-255-034 4 1/2" 11k angle head still running strong

Milwaukee #6088 9" 15amp *** kicker 6k

used Apex 16" 1 1/2HP disc grinder (don't know how I got by without it)

2 used Dotco 1/4" air angle heads ( 1- 3" sanding discs the other has a wire brush)

they've been used for almost 40years with zero issues



dot't buy cheap ****

 

[Gberg888]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the information. Its been a real educational run here.

So far I have come up with the following, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong:

Bench Grinders: Baldor, Craftsman, Queen City (GO OLD)
Baldor is $$$ but worth it
6,8,10 inch sizes
Fixed or Variable speed
Grinding Type: silicon Carbide or Aluminum Oxide
Wheels to get: 36, 60 Grit, Wire wheel, Flap Wheel

Questions about Bench Grinders I still have:

1) I am basically going to be using it for tool sharpening, grinding down wrenches to fit in the stupid spots that VW/Audi/Porsche puts nuts, and cleaning rusty bolts and whatnot. Figure on a few other light duty uses as well. So which do I go with, Silicon Carbide of Aluminum Oxide? What is the difference?

2) How does the Variable speed affect doing work? What are its advantages? Does it make that much of a difference?

3) What is a flap wheel? (haven't searched yet)

Angle Grinders: Makita, Milwaukee, Metabo
More is better, it seems like everyone has 2 or 3. I figure I will start off with 2, a low powered wire wheel one and a higher quality and powered cutting/grinding wheel one. They will most likely be used for cutting heads off bolts when they are too rusted to save, cutting random things, and grinding down random things like exhaust work and stuff.
- Get one with a paddle - no switches
- Corded are more powerful, but cordless may be easier to use
- Vibrations are something to be aware of
- 4.5" is the size I need - VW/Audi/Porsche doesn't give a lot of room
- Quick Change setups are a huge benefit
- One for each of the following:
-- Cutting - High Power?
-- Grinding - High Power?
-- Wire - Low Power?

Questions about Angle Grinders I still have:

1) What kind of power range should I be looking for?

2) Which one should I get corded and which cordless if I want to get one of each?

 

[trackwelder]

7-8 amp grinder and would I would get a corded one. Buy good name brand wheels for it. Another nice feature is an adjustable shield to get the Sparks away from you.