HF cutting wheels = dangerous

[kartracer55]

I found this on another board...

This guy... (use caution... nasty stitches )
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c175/spacecab90/DSCF0281.jpg

was using a harbor frieght cutoff wheel on his grinder and it caught and shattered on him and, well you can see what happened. Apparantly some HF cutoff wheels arnt even round and need dressing otherwise the skip and catch and this is what happens. Yes, I know this can happen with any wheel, but even so, only Norton for me... yes they are more expensive but at least I know they are round and made here

Jim

 

[JeepOnRock]

Apparently you didn't read far enough. He's also had Dewalt stuff frag on him... just his face wasn't in the way.

If you take off the safety gear, then get really comfortable... there is going to be a bite.

 

[kartracer55]

Yes, I know this can happen with any wheel
Jim

I did... I wanted to point out how he said HF wheels arnt always round...


I ALWAYS wear eye protection

 

[drbill]

Ouch, I've had wires fly off and stick in my face from wire wheels on a bench grinder but that's nasty.
I think I'll be wearing my face shield from now on.
Does anybody read the RPM limit on cutoff wheels, wire wheels, roloc discs.......before they use them ????

 

[Barnaby]

Yikes, that looks nasty. I perused some of the pics in that folder and found this.

Does this look safe? I'm no mechanical engineer, but that looks scary.

 

[eschoendorff]

Yikes, that looks nasty. I perused some of the pics in that folder and found this.

Does this look safe? I'm no mechanical engineer, but that looks scary.

Why, yes, that does look scary. Even if it's completely legit... I don't think I'd try it....

 

[Brian]

I sure hope that will be a trail only rig. In which case it will probably get the job done but I am uneasy with stack-o-block engineering being used on the freeways. When it is done it will probably be a candidate for the Taco scary steering page.

 

[the intimidator]

wow that is definatly the scariest sfa swap i have seen in a while

i think i will invest in a full face sheild for my grinding from now on i dont think a pair of safty glasses would help alot you took that in the eye

 

[the intimidator]

I sure hope that will be a trail only rig. In which case it will probably get the job done but I am uneasy with stack-o-block engineering being used on the freeways. When it is done it will probably be a candidate for the Taco scary steering page.

Wow some of those trucks are far worse

 

[motorheadjohn]

It always gets me when I see people who remove the shield from their cutoff tool.

I run Norton wheels too, with the tool shield, and I always wear a full face shield.

If I'm running the die grinder to port heads, I wear safety glasses under the face shield too. Know too many people who have ended up with metal slivers in their eye.

 

[Fast Orange]

If this guy is as talented with tools as he is in engineering that mess,it's no wonder his stuff blows up in his face-
Unless there's some frame boxing or additional strengthening going on other than what shows in these pics,I predict some "pretzeling" to happen directly over the axle centerline-there's no way the frame section in front of the motormount crossmember will stand up to all the leverage that spring will put on it.

George

 

[mark_w]

use a face shield in addition to safety glasses....

 

[maniac]

Didn't anybody notice how it was sitting on the jackstands?

I'd be afraid to walk near it, as far as the stack blocks

 

[kartracer55]

Lol copy the link and get rid of the second portion and you can view the whole album... interesting.

 

[trainer]

http://www.cdc.gov/elcosh/docs/d0400/d000460/d000460.html

I was taught to always do the "ring test" before mopunting a grinding wheel on anything.

 

[kartracer55]

http://www.cdc.gov/elcosh/docs/d0400/d000460/d000460.html

I was taught to always do the "ring test" before mopunting a grinding wheel on anything.

You mean for like a bench grinder? This guy was using a cutting wheel on an angle grinder, but your right, thats always a good idea

 

[maniac]

This guy was using a cutting wheel on an angle grinder,

Checked out the album........you're right, interesting, hope he don't drive around here

 

[bmwpower]

Damn it! Why doesn't it load for me? Keep getting busy message.

 

[l_bilyk]

Oh wow.... makes you think twice about cheap grinder wheels

 

[Rory Bellows]

I don't know about anyone else but I love the 4.5 cutting disks from HF. For the price you can't beat them. 10 pack for $6.99. I go to HF just to buy them. They last as long as Norton, Dewalt, and Sait and are cheap.

I read the thread on Pirate supposedly authored by "stitchy" and somehow believe it was more operator error than defective product. The fact is an angle grinder will jump and if you are not prepared blood will flow. Plus Pirate is filled with a$$hats and morons that would fill that photo album up real quick.

I give Harbor Freight cutting disks a "10" in value, durability, and cutting power (in both steel and skin). BTW, they are made in Russia probably very close to the chinese border though. If you have never used them and believe they are **** I suggest you give them a try. If you go through alot of cutting disks paying over $2.** a disk gets old pretty quick.

 

[eschoendorff]

I read the thread on Pirate supposedly authored by "stitchy" and somehow believe it was more operator error than defective product. The fact is an angle grinder will jump and if you are not prepared blood will flow. Plus Pirate is filled with a$$hats and morons that would fill that photo album up real quick.

After spending some time over at Pirate (I lurked for about 6 mos before I ever joined), I would be inclined to believe you are absolutely right. Their motto over there could be: Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

 

[Luke73]

I have been using the HF discs for a couple of years, no problems at all. I wear glasses and a full face shield when I grind or cut, of course.

 

[stioc]

I've had the OEM Dremel cut-off disks (fibre reinforced ones) break apart while spinning at 20k rpm. Of course a full face shield and gloves never turned it into an incident. Now I try to not run them for too long because I find they break apart when they get too hot.

In anycase, I have and continue to buy lots of HF products, some are **** but most work quite well for my purposes. If it wasn't for HF I'd be without lots of cool tools because I can't pay the Exploit-On prices.

 

[evildky]

it's not jsut the cheap wheels, I've heard horror stories about abrasive cut off wheels of all sizes for years, one in particular was a dewalt brand chopsaw with the origional wheel and it landed in the guy's neck, I still have the guard on my 3" and always keep my body as out of line as possiblew when using any agregate blade on any tool

 

[Satatic]

I've done dumb stuff. Notice how you can see the fibers? That is cause I would turn it to grind slag then turn it straight and try to cut. Using grinding/cutting disks propertly and knowing when to throw them out is key. I bet his broken disk looks about the same as mine.

 

[oldgoat]

So far I haven't had any problem with HF cutoff wheels. I'll admit that I don't use a full face shield but do use the safety glasses and leave the guard on the grinder.

 

[Fuzzydog]

I think the comment about proper use of the wheels is right on. I was guilty myself of using a cutting wheel improperly for grinding "just because it was in the grinder and I was too lazy to change it"
Now I have 3 Can Tire 4.5" angle grinders each with a different wheel. They regularly go on sale for about $20 so it is cost effective (for me anyway) to have multiple grinders.

I also have a 7" hitachi BIG BOY angle grinder that I picked up at a garage sale. I have refloored and transomed a 17.5' boat, worked on go-karts, 4x4's and a whole bunch of other stuff and never yet found a use for it. It is just too big and heavy. I tried using it when cutting the old stuff out of the boat but it was too heavy (operator fatigue started making it dangerous)

And, I always consciously get my self out of the line of rotation of any grinder or dremel wheel. I've had the small (non-fiberglass reinforced) dremel wheels shatter on me. If I had been in the path.....

 

[oldgoat]

I have a military fiberglass type box that I put both of my grinders in. One has a cutoff wheel on it and the other one has flapper sanding wheel from HF on it. The sanding wheel works good for taking the paint of the eaves when they need repainting or for sanding rust off. Has enough room for spare wheels and the wrenches.

 

[kartracer55]

Another good point... stay out of the line of fire. I always try to avoid getting my face right in the path of the cutoff wheel. I have never broken a 3inch wheel, or a 4 1/2 on a grinder, but I have broken little dremel ones... the bigger the wheel/tool the easier it is to control(to a point) or so I have found. The non fiber weave dremel wheel wear out quiclky and break easily, the black fiber weave ones are much better but break apart violently (I sneezed once and broke one)

Jim

 

[stimpy]

I bought a clear face sheild at the depot for 10 bucks and mr murphy visited the shop the day afte we got it saved the boss mans face when the 14 incher disintergrated the wheel when we where cutting some .134 MS tubing the wheel was a dewalt I wasn't so lucky as I got airborne shrapnal thrown at me across the shop . sometimes things fail .as for guards on our cutoff they where all in place just it was a violent explosion (since then I added a innertube to the back to help asorb some of the shrapnal if it happens again plus it directs the sparks )

 

[Blue]

I sure hope that will be a trail only rig. In which case it will probably get the job done but I am uneasy with stack-o-block engineering being used on the freeways. When it is done it will probably be a candidate for the Taco scary steering page.

HOLY COW.

Thanks for the link, that site is awesome. Pages upon pages of the worst red neck engineering I've ever seen.

And by redneck engineering, I mean idiots with more money than brains trying to do modify trucks with no regard for engineering sense whatsoever.

 

[kartracer55]

HOLY COW.

Thanks for the link, that site is awesome. Pages upon pages of the worst red neck engineering I've ever seen.

And by redneck engineering, I mean idiots with more money than brains trying to do modify trucks with no regard for engineering sense whatsoever.

you can see alot of that on pirate4x4... some good guys from here over on there and such, but ive seen/read abotu a few things even I know not ot do

 

[stimpy]

kind of like the guy from my high school who used code 133 railroad rail (133 pound per yard ) for lifting blocks on his bronco ( didn't drill the alignment pin hole for the springs and could never figure out why his axle keep sliding around .... till he welded it to the springs .. and you guessed it they snapped ..... ( on the interstate of all places ) stupid is what stupid does ...

 

[swgray]

I think sooner or later, anyone using a grinder will catch an edge and have a disc disintegrate or kick back onto themself. Especially if using those AVOS (allows view of surface) discs. I'm not a big fan of them.

Don't get your face in line with the disc while grinding. It seems like a simple rule to live by.

Those 7" grinders are unwieldy after a while. The one we have a work I'd bet hasn't been plugged in for at least 5 years. The 4 1/2" Milwaukee mini grinder is preferred. In that same time, 3 or 4 of those have been worn out. They been treated to quite a few sets of brushes, some switches and a few bearings.