angle grinder what do I need

[PugetDude]

Sure.... you keep your guard and work and I'll keep throwing them in the garbage and keep getting my work done quickly.

Yeah. You do you.

 

[cherrybomb]

Like the previous poster,Puget Dude clearly explained,without a guard or any other hiccup that could happen with a power tool such as a grinder and possible metal vibrating and jumping around,disc shattering,in the eye of safety,I would do the bolt cutter.That picture of a nasty injury should be a reminder for all of us to ,pause and think of what we are trying to accomplish

 

[garfunkle24]

Sure.... you keep your guard and work and I'll keep throwing them in the garbage and keep getting my work done quickly.

In all honesty my grinders rarely have a guard on them but I certainly wouldn't disparage another person for working more safely. Power tools are no place for bravado.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

PPE and caution. Take your time and secure your work. **** happens but lower the odds injury. Buy good tools and blade, throw away worned out blades. Going cheap can be expensive with health issues.

 

[partsguy5768]

Yeah. You do you.

It's a somewhat gm h

Yeah. You do you.

Ouch!!! Nasty. Stuff happens but still not changing my mind after 40 plus years of using grinders with a guard. A good glove and control goes a long way to preventing a injury like that. Its a somewhat free country and one can choose what works best for them. I do a lot of metal fab/ car building/ heavy equipment and guards are at the minimum non practical to absolutely worthless in getting a job done. Hope you healed well. Take care.

 

[PugetDude]

That wasn't my picture. Just an internet example, one of thousands. I run guards on my grinders.

 

[partsguy5768]

That wasn't my picture. Just an internet example, one of thousands. I run guards on my grinders.

Lol very good!! Glad it wasn't you. It looked painful.

 

[mikedodge]

I always use the guard. Part for safety part because it keeps the sparks, hot metal flakes and whatever else it throws out from getting everywhere.

 

[whateg01]

It seems like people who refuse to use a guard on an angle grinder do so in an attempt to seem more manly. I don't really get the correlation though

 

[nutsandbolts]

What ever size cut off wheel you get I'd recommend getting the solid ones with a diamond edge, much safer than the cheap cut off discs. Additionally you have far less material going into air so safer on the breathing front and they keep their diameter size.

I've used this one https://www.bunnings.com.au/lenox-1...81zLVr_YeIdOxfTnvaUuDrhjdHujqnpYaAiSaEALw_wcB

 

[whateg01]

I've always wondered how those diamond wheels worked with metal. Diamond grinding wheels for sharpening, I was always told, aren't to be used for steel, only carbide, because reasons. Iirc, something about the steel pulling carbon from the diamond

 

[PCustoms]

It seems like people who refuse to use a guard on an angle grinder do so in an attempt to seem more manly. I don't really get the correlation though

Stupidity

 

[partsguy5768]

It seems like people who refuse to use a guard on an angle grinder do so in an attempt to seem more manly. I don't really get the correlation though

Lol... it simply works much better in many applications..

 

[partsguy5768]

What ever size cut off wheel you get I'd recommend getting the solid ones with a diamond edge, much safer than the cheap cut off discs. Additionally you have far less material going into air so safer on the breathing front and they keep their diameter size.

I've used this one https://www.bunnings.com.au/lenox-1...81zLVr_YeIdOxfTnvaUuDrhjdHujqnpYaAiSaEALw_wcB

You haven't done much metal work especially car building. Junk!

 

[partsguy5768]

I've always wondered how those diamond wheels worked with metal. Diamond grinding wheels for sharpening, I was always told, aren't to be used for steel, only carbide, because reasons. Iirc, something about the steel pulling carbon from the diamond

Junk... and yes I've used. Correction tried to use. Junk

 

[partsguy5768]

You tube etc loads and loads of car building shows. A common thread no guards. Why? Not ideal to worthless nothing to do about geing manly , cool or whatever. It's simply about what works best for one. Guard best for you, guard away.. happy grinding all.

 

[tarbellb]

Those diamond blades create a ton of heat and take longer to cut
Safer, maybe, but there is a definite performance advantage to 035 cutting disc

If you haven't noticed then you aren't maximizing the performance of either

 

[PugetDude]

You tube etc loads and loads of car building shows. A common thread no guards. Why? Not ideal to worthless nothing to do about geing manly , cool or whatever. It's simply about what works best for one. Guard best for you, guard away.. happy grinding all.

YouTube. Where truth, common sense, and safety go to die, all for a few likes.

 

[AA/FC]

I bought this grinder last month for $69.99. I am very impresses with it so far. Lot's of power and it runs VERY smooth.... Well, it's much smoother than my previous HF angle grinder, anyway. lol. It comes with 3 guards for 3 different size grinding wheels. I typically do use guards unless I absolutely need to remove the guard to complete whatever I'm doing. (for clearance reasons) But the guard goes right back on as soon as possible. I don't do much grinding but when I do, I try to be safe about it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/grinders/angle-grinders/4-1-2-in-corded/13-amp-4-12-in-to-6-in-trigger-grip-angle-grinder-57348.html

 

[seber]

I am a guard fanatic but I readily admit, it slows down the work. I have therefor gradually upgraded my angle grinders to models that allow the guard to be rotated to new positions very quickly. Push and turn.

 

[B_Bimmer]

I can't fit 6" blades on my 4.5" grinders with the guard on.

 

[American Locomotive]

You haven't done much metal work especially car building. Junk!

I am a guard fanatic but I readily admit, it slows down the work. I have therefor gradually upgraded my angle grinders to models that allow the guard to be rotated to new positions very quickly. Push and turn.

I've built a few off-road rigs, and just about completed a frame-replacement restoration project on a Toyota Land Cruiser, that involved a tremendous amount of body work on just about every panel.

All my angle grinders have guards, and the guards stay on. The Dewalt guards have a quick turn locking lever, and the Bosch has a tension screw you just keep slightly loose so you can turn the guard by hand.

 

[Joemctag]

Yeah. You do you.

Doesn’t look at all like it’s from a grinder.

 

[Hohn]

Yeah. You do you.

‘Tis but a scratch.

 

[Hohn]

A 4.5” wheel on a 6” grinder is not just OK, it’s probably safer than a 6” wheel because any grinder setup for 6” wheels will have a much lower RPM than one that is 4.5” only. There’s no way milwaukee would allow a tool to spin a 6” disc up to 4.5” RPM ranges (~11,500)

These days, I’m quite partial to actual cutoff tools vs the angle grinder. The grinder works, of course, but the plane of the wheels is always such that my hands aren’t well-positioned.

The contrast in safety vs a cutoff tool that gets your hands out of the plane of rotation is just striking.

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-amp-3-in-high-speed-electric-cut-off-tool-59248.html

The inevitable wheel explosion on a fully guarded dedicated cutoff tool is inconvenient, but rarely dangerous if you aren’t sticking your head in the plane of rotation.

I find angle grinders superb general-use tools, but a bit too big and unwieldy to always be the best option. I like a cutoff I can use with one hand.

I’ve been spying this Astro cutoff for awhile:

Quick Change In-Line 4" Cut-Off Tool | Astro Pneumatic Tools

Quick Change button on housing locks motor for easy disc changes 3/4HP and 4" size for maximum cutting capacity In-Line design for straighter, naturall ...

www.astrotools.com

 

[GaryM909]

It's instant dismissal from any job site in this province for removing or modifying guards from any
power tools. You need to learn to use your tools with the guards on. The odd time the guard needs to be removed for access you need to fill out 3 days of paperwork signed by half the management on site.
I actually like my guards on my grinders because I can direct the sparks a certain direction.

 

[PugetDude]

You tube etc loads and loads of car building shows. A common thread no guards. Why? Not ideal to worthless nothing to do about geing manly , cool or whatever. It's simply about what works best for one. Guard best for you, guard away.. happy grinding all.

FYI-a #16 coated sinker works great for wedging the retractable guard open on a Model 77 Skilsaw.

 

[partsguy5768]

YouTube. Where truth, common sense, and safety go to die, all for a few likes.

Ok.... hmmm must be different shows then I watch..

 

[M.Brane]

Been running guardless for decades. Had a few wheels come apart. I make sure to keep myself out of the plane like a chainsaw.

Wire wheels scare me more than grinding, flaps or cutoffs. They shed wires, and catch on things. Had a co-worker that was cleaning up welds inside a cage with a 4" wire. It caught on something, and went across his cheek/eye. Almost went through the safety glasses, and put a good abrasion on his cheek. He was firm believer in face shields after that.

As long as you don't get greedy, pay attention, and keep a firm grip on the tool you'll be fine.

 

[CR888]

12" bolt cutters

 

[Beerhippie]

I just got done taking a few inches off the bottom of a heavy wire fence. I thought that a cut-off wheel on my cordless 4.5" angle grinder would be the cleanest way to do it.

I got about five feet before wearing out the first wheel. It was also quite hazardous, as the wheel would bind as the wires relieved tension at the end of each cut.

I went back to the shop, grabbed my 14" bolt cutters and was done in less than an hour--100' of fence. I'll have to go back and clean up the cuts with a flapwheel, but that's far less scary and costly than the cut-off wheel.

PS: I've been using angle grinders and cut-off wheels for decades. I'm not a novice.