A friendly reminder to respect your Angle Grinder

[Fender1325]

Doing tile with my wife in our bathroom. I have a few angle grinders but borrowed my father inlaw's makita with the stone cutting diamond blade.

I'm no stranger to angle grinders......he prefers his without blade guards. Well low and behold my thumb just happened to get too close for comfort.

I honestly dont know what happened it happened so quick....sliced right down my thumb longways into the tip and through the front of the nail.

I was more angry than anything else. I immediately put some of my wifes hair ties around my thumb base tightly to control the bleeding and went to urgent care for stitches. I lucked out as they took so long to treat me the bleeding dried up and they opted for glue.

Leave the damn blade guard on, anchor your work, and use two hands.

In my case I had one little trim to make on a tile, held it in one hand and the tile in the other.

It couldve been much worse but that diamond blade isnt too aggressive.


I'll never use an angle grinder again without the blade guard, even if I'm borrowing someone else's. Buncha ********! Carry on.

 

[MoonRise]

Yeah, respect the tool because ...


The tool don't care.

And it can and often does happen in less than the blink of an eye.

Hmmm, 4 or 4-1/2" angle grinders usually run around 10k-13k rpm. Which means in just one measly second, the blade will spin 166 - 216 times. In just one second. And the blade 'tip' speed is running about 120 mph (for a 4" diameter blade).

Glad you're mostly OK. It could have been worse. <shudder>

 

[ford33]

It's good to remind me to be careful. Take my time to do the work. I hope you heal quickly.

 

[tlevan03]

I run mine without guards, have been for years. A few months back i was grinding the frame down on my truck and it slipped and went right into my knee cap. Hurt like hell. Complacency kills

 

[firworks]

 

[bad_idea]

Metabo makes a very adjustable guard for their grinders. Milwaukee started putting a good guard on theirs too. Too easy to adjust to bother taking off.

 

[Richard Cranium]

If you think about it, many of our machines will hurt or kill us very fast.

 

[Farrier]

Pics?

I used my index finger last year to stop my 5" grinder wheel. It took months to heel. My wife said I need stitches and I responded, "Stitch what?"

 

[dutchgray]

Metabo makes a very adjustable guard for their grinders. Milwaukee started putting a good guard on theirs too. Too easy to adjust to bother taking off.

Metabo's guard is awesome.
I hate the cheap ones, they either move on their own or are too tight to be turned when you want to move it, or they are so badly made the blade rubs.
I have caught my knuckles once with a sanding disc edge and that hurt enough.
There is also always the risk that a disc will explode.

 

[ryan20021982]

I have a nice Porter Cable grinder but to put cut off wheels on it I am forced to take the guard off due to the blade hitting the guard. I am always worried I am going to cut my finger off.

 

[owenst7]

I have a nice Porter Cable grinder but to put cut off wheels on it I am forced to take the guard off due to the blade hitting the guard. I am always worried I am going to cut my finger off.

You probably are running too large of wheels.

 

[firworks]

I actually got zinged by an exploding cutting disc on my Dremel tool about a month ago. It was one of the reinforced EZ-CUT discs that you use with the special mandrel and it exploded, pinged off my left safety glass lens and hit me right on top of the left nostril. I never even found any of the disc so it was booking it when it hit me.

 

[C_F]

Pics?

I used my index finger last year to stop my 5" grinder wheel. It took months to heel. My wide said I need stitches and I responded, "Stitch what?"

Exactly, there's nothing there to stitch!

 

[gnpenning]

Glad your okay.

Years ago I had a wheel on a 7" come apart leaving a nasty cut on my hand and arm. While I have a great deal of respect for every tool I use, I gear up more when using my grinders than anything. Including my Radial Arm Saw.

 

[countryroad82]

Yeah they can get out of hand rather quick. I was once grinding the floor of a car prepping it for paint on the inside with a 9" grinder I call Bertha. Well it caught and came flying toward the family jewels, went through my pants and nicked me on the inner thigh. Talk about being glad it just got me there...... Still hurt like a b$&@h though.

 

[Jazz1]

at home you only lose a finger or two, on a job site you lose your job for working without the guard on grinder.

 

[ryan20021982]

You probably are running too large of wheels.

No they are the proper wheels, the guard curves down the farther away it gets from the center. It is very close to the grinding wheels but the cut off will hit.

 

[MagKarl]

I'd be lying if I said I've never done the exact same thing. And not just once.

Guards are generally a good idea, but a guard won't keep your hand safe if you're holding the work piece in your hand.

Guard or not, two hands on the grinder.

 

[CNGsaves]

Wrong tool for the job . . . . should have used wet tile saw.

+1 that angle grinder is 2 hands only . . . . and with extreme care.

 

[steel 35]

5" Makita high Amp ******* got me good. Cutting an Exhaust out when it pinched broke the blade then cut my thumb to the bone 3 curfs, Half way around; at least one stitch was able to pass through three pieces of meat so it took a lot less of them.
(Still have a phobia)

 

[1redTA]

I love wire wheels! they are really excited to grab your tucked in shirt, get wrapped up and stop on the nice flesh of the stomach

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Maybe 20 years ago, I identified the angle grinder as likely the most dangerous tool in my shop, I usually wont go near one of them if I dont have stick welding gloves on.

Ive been accidentally bit too many times, all very minor, all with the potential, for far greater accident. And as pointed out here, by the RPMs, you only know you had an accident, long after its over, seconds later...

RESPECT THE GRINDER...

Then there are the wheels that come apart, and something called centrifugal force. Glasses are a great idea, and all this comes from a guy that thinks safety is #3 !

 

[lakeroadster]

I'll never use an angle grinder again without the blade guard, even if I'm borrowing someone else's.

You say that now... but you'll venture back to The Dark Side....

Sometimes The Dark Side is the only method that works.

 

[crucible]

I bought a full face shield to use when angle grinding just because of the horror stories (and pics!) I encountered here over the years.

 

[Farrier]

I had the guard on when I zipped my finger in the above pic. Guards don't prevent anything.

I did however run my grinders without guards for many years. I only put them on after a cutting disk pinched and blew up. I might have pee'd a lil.

 

[AndrewDouglasBird]

I've had a few close calls. Once I was sanding a steel plate with a 7" grinder, no guard. Plate was sitting about crotch height. I swept a bit too close with the grinder and the disk sliced through my pants without touching any skin. Damn near neutered myself.

Twice now in the EXACT same spot I bumped my index finger knuckle into the spinning grinding disk on my 4-1/2" grinder, similar to what Farrier did, though not as bad.

 

[97fordsuper]

Angle grinders will remind you when your getting to comfortable. I was cutting something one day and thought hmm that felt kind weird.

 

[Fender1325]

Heres a pic from mine.....

And yes I also was using a wet tile saw but that doesnt get into all the little spaces being a 10 inch wheel.

 

[bry@n]

That looks like it could hurt. Speedy recovery.

 

[kkroger]

Just a friendly public service announcement

Wear your PPE, Eye, Ear and Hand... some gloves would help, but can get sucked into power tools.
I use a LOT of grinders, Two of them have guards, one does not, it runs a 36 Grit Type 27 Flap at all times... Cut Wheels and Grind Wheels have the guard... Have never hurt myself on a grinder... yet... but there is plenty of time for that!

 

[steel 35]

3M hook and loop pad's only fly toward your nuts, while being used at table height.
Lost count how many times I have been tagged.

 

[TLCObsession]

Heres a pic from mine.....

And yes I also was using a wet tile saw but that doesnt get into all the little spaces being a 10 inch wheel.

Interesting. I have a 10" tile saw and have touched the blade (intentionally) and never been cut. I haven't pressed hard on it, but I guess I shouldn't do that...

 

[Fender1325]

Interesting. I have a 10" tile saw and have touched the blade (intentionally) and never been cut. I haven't pressed hard on it, but I guess I shouldn't do that...

Right, they spin at a slower RPM i believe. This was a small spot I was trimming with an angle grinder with diamond blade.

 

[Fordguy1964]

I love wire wheels! they are really excited to grab your tucked in shirt, get wrapped up and stop on the nice flesh of the stomach

I did that exact thing cleaning the undercoating off of my 64 Fairlane floor. I was using both hands and it still ripped the damned thing out of my grip! Stomach hurt for weeks. Didn't learn my lesson. I was using a flap disc and it got away from me. Ended up hitting me in the right leg right above the kneecap. Took a large chunk of meat out. Good size scar that reminds me all of the time! Still tender to the touch and if I wear shorts in the summertime the sun hitting that scar burns like crazy!

 

[PoorOwner]

I am not saying this will stop all danger but I prefer paddle switched grinder. They cost more ...
Doesn't mean protection and guards can be omitted.
Just made sure you don't accidentally turn it on when grabbing it.

 

[ff4500]

I had a sawzall metal blade snap yesterday while I was cutting some tube steel. Flipped up and hit me squarely between the eyes. Luckily I was wearing my glasses, since I usually don't when I'm in the shop.

Almost took many bits out of fingers with angle grinders for sure over the years.

 

[Fender1325]

All these bad stories make me want to white knuckle death grip my angle grinders.

Honestly, they should make paddle switch ones with a blade brake, so when you let go the blade stops immediately. Would probably save a lot of accidents.

 

[Kevin54]

Yep...respect the grinder or this could happen

 

[Fender1325]

Damn. HF brand cutoff disc get pinched?

 

[Showkey]

Ouch.........That's when you wish you had not removed that guard and used the full face mask.