Grinding a weld smooth can actually reduce the likehood of cracking in some cases.
For example when splicing a truck frame to lengthen the truck, it is recomended that the welds be ground absolutely smooth to minimize "stress risers" Stress risers are changes in the shape of the steel. It could be a notch, a hole or a change in thickness, such as a weld.
For fillet and corner type welds this is not as critical. Just try to keep the size of the weld approximately equal to or larger than the thickness of the material being welded if strength is needed.
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