Angle Grinder Guard

[scooby074]

As to guards, Bluepoint calls mine a "sander". But it really is a grinder in that it will remove metal pretty aggressively with the right disc.

This is the one I got. No guard.



The new version has no guard either. They arent for stones though.

 

[Jswain]

As to guards, Bluepoint calls mine a "sander". But it really is a grinder in that it will remove metal pretty aggressively with the right disc.

This is the one I got. No guard.



The new version has no guard either. They arent for stones though.

So it would be safe to say that using those discs at that rpm is considered safe without a guard.

Funny that some people would think if you slowed the rpm down by half, all of a sudden you need a guard

 

[scooby074]

So it would be safe to say that using those discs at that rpm is considered safe without a guard.

Funny that some people would think if you slowed the rpm down by half all of a sudden you need a guard

Yes. The backing pads (Walter) are rated to 13,300 RPM and the Air sander max free speed is 13000 RPM. I usually dial mine down a little bit when in use. As long as you use quality abrasives you should have no problem

But thats with discs. Stones (Vitrified abrasive wheels) are where the problems come up. They might be rated for the RPM, but they can explode if cracked. That throws relatively heavy shrapnel everywhere. If a disc shreds, the pieces are light. A stone is like a piece of china. You can (and are supposed to) check them for cracks by making them ring. If they ring they are good.

I know a guy who almost had his jugglar cut by an exploding zip cut with no guard.

 

[Jswain]

Yes. The backing pads (Walter) are rated to 13,300 RPM and the Air sander max free speed is 13000 RPM. I usually dial mine down a little bit when in use. As long as you use quality abrasives you should have no problem

But thats with discs. Stones (Vitrified abrasive wheels) are where the problems come up. They might be rated for the RPM, but they can explode if cracked. That throws relatively heavy shrapnel everywhere. If a disc shreds, the pieces are light. A stone is like a piece of china. You can (and are supposed to) check them for cracks by making them ring. If they ring they are good.

I know a guy who almost had his jugglar cut by an exploding zip cut with no guard.

Yeah I definitely run a guard with a stone, or a cutting disc. Usually even with flap discs more to direct the sparks. But a fibre disc it's not needed

 

[Wamsutta]

Yeah I definitely run a guard with a stone, or a cutting disc. Usually even with flap discs more to direct the sparks. But a fibre disc it's not needed

What you guys call "stone" is what I call resin based because they're made out of a fiberglass mesh impregnated with resin and abrasives.

 

[PoorUB]

As to guards, Bluepoint calls mine a "sander". But it really is a grinder in that it will remove metal pretty aggressively with the right disc.

This is the one I got. No guard.



The new version has no guard either. They arent for stones though.

Calling it a sander versus a grinder is probably how they avoid using a guard. My bet is the owners manual forbids using it with hard grinding and cut off wheels.

 

[no704]

Pretty well covered all ready. But keep things you care about (eyes, face, ****, and balls) out of the plane of any high rpm spinning disk.

 

[Jswain]

Calling it a sander versus a grinder is probably how they avoid using a guard. My bet is the owners manual forbids using it with hard grinding and cut off wheels.

Those "Sanders" are specifically built for fibre discs...

Nobody is recommending using them with grinding wheels and zip discs.

Just applying common sense that if one of those "sanders" comes out of the box from the factory ripping 18k rpm with a fibre disc without a guard, then you can use one on an angle grinder at 10k rpm without a guard too.

 

[Wamsutta]

Here's some screen shots from a 3M video. They're showing their grinder using a sanding disc with both the guard on and the guard off.

 

[dr_clyde]

Whether it's the wheels fault or not, if it comes apart, it can cause pain and injury.

I’ll risk it, thanks for stating the obvious.

 

[The Cobbler]

pneumatic sanders that are designed to use abrasive discs do not have guards, they just come with the backing pads . Based on that , and the fact that angle grinders turn @ less RPM , there's not much to worry about. of course, proper PPE should always be used .

 

[whateg01]

I’ll risk it, thanks for stating the obvious.

You're welcome, I guess.