Cut off wheels

[gregs]

Needing some 4.5” cutoff wheels to use in my side grinder primarily for steel. Have used the typical abrasive wheels both cheap and good. I see that they have a diamond version available now that doesnt get smaller and reduced dust. Any recommendations? Staying away from the cheap stuff anymore to try and reduce my chances on having one explode. Been lucky so far and typically use the really thin ones, slowly working it over the cut line with slight pressure only.

 

[The Cobbler]

I have some Lenox ones, they are so so in my opinion.
they are much noisier , they do wear out faster than I thought they should and they don't seem to give as nice a cut. ( rougher & more flash)
That's my take anyway
I also did buy a 14" one for my chop saw but I never did try it

 

[tiredoldironworker]

We like the abrasive Radnor brand sold at Airgas. I personally like the Lenox as well but they are almost unbearably loud.

 

[22-W]

I tried one and still have it. Doesn’t wear much but doesn’t cut anywhere near as good as an abrasive one. Haven’t used it for several years.

 

[tarbellb]

Pferd, United Abrasives, 3M, metabo Slicers, some Nortons, look for COO more then name brand

.045" thickness is optimal

The diamond blades are suited for some task but I find they take longer to cut and heat up the material a lot more

 

[RoninB4]

-Never used a diamond cut-off wheel but the diamond wheels in precision grinding can get clogged. Performance with diamond wheels is all about grain size and bond. It's a best practice to use a cleaning stick before every use, they're readily available. Clogging tends to happen when not enough coolant is used, probably doesn't apply to cut-off wheels. I've used the standard cut off wheels (CA, ZA, AO, and SC) and performance with these drops off when they glaze. It's been my habit to dress these with a rough bench grinder stone to break the glaze before each use. With the standard wheels grain size, material composition, friability index, and bond all make a difference. Your technique makes a difference too.

-One type of abrasive is not always the best choice for all materials and applications. Horses for courses sort of thing.

 

[OneEyedMan]

Metabo Slicers are the only discs I buy. Thin and have yet to have one blow up.

 

[gregs]

What size do most run on a typical 4.5” grinder? I see 4.5”, 5”, and 6” being discussed obviously making sure they are correctly rated for the rpm.

 

[The Cobbler]

What size do most run on a typical 4.5” grinder?

4.5" anything larger probably won't fit the guard . you may exceed the max rpm as well as put more stress on the gears

 

[gregs]

And I see that besides the typical flat ones, they also have depressed center ones as well. Maybe better to fit the guard?

 

[liliysdad]

4.5" anything larger probably won't fit the guard . you may exceed the max rpm as well as put more stress on the gears

If only there were a way to solve the guard issue….

 

[tarbellb]

Typically the bigger the disc the better, but you are capped by guard or grip location

Depressed centers are more popular, usually suits the work better

 

[Beerhippie]

I tried a three-pack of the Diablo brand diamond cut-off wheels a few years back. I haven't bought any since--'nuff said?

Depressed-center disks are for flush-cutting. I find square cutting with them to be a bit of a problem, as there's an added moment arm due to the offset. Harder to keep them perpendicular to the cut. YMMV.

I'm currently using Diablo brand "thin-kerf" (0.040") Type 1/41--mainly because I scored a bunch of them for a buck each. They work just fine for my general uses--mainly CR and stainless steel.

 

[Wamsutta]

The Benchmark cutoff wheels are pretty good. Amazon.

 

[gregs]

I ordered some of the Benchmark wheels from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. Got a chance to use them on my trailer project cutting of some tabs. I like them and they cut well. I even got it bound up a couple of times and it didn’t explode. I would definitely recommend them.