The Does and Don'ts of using an angle grinder...

[Daswulf]

If the pneumatic grinders had a hard stop or more instant starting speed that could be the case for newly installed wheels flying off. Electric grinders work up to full speed and wind down at stop. Pneumatic tools can sometimes be more instant on start and stop. 

[Another FrankenBurner]

I can’t speak to pneumatic grinders, no experience there. I know there’s an RPM difference between the 4½” and 6” grinders. I imagine there is for those 9”.

I know that is the case with the 2 stroke hot saws. I think I am more likely to run into danger with a 4½” than the hot saw. The RPM being lower and maybe the extra weight buffering rapid jumps or movements. Though, I have much less time on the hot saw than the electric small grinders.

I suspect a lot of injuries are people who don’t have a lot of experience using them. People using the tool in ways that will cause problems. The big scary one for me being a skinny cutting wheel shattering.

I have had the experience of having the nut spin off, the wheel coming off and rolling rapidly with the DeWalt 20 volt 4½”. Though, it was at shut off. The DeWalt has a brake and I think the inertia of the disc was enough to unthread the nut. I’m not sure, just what I thought might have happened.

I never tried the flap disc upside down and would not have thought about it spinning the wrong direction. I bet that was an exciting moment.

I also have an “eye magnet” which I purchased on Amazon. It has a magnet at one end, the monofilament look at the other end, and covers to keep them clean. I think it was less than $20.

I definitely second the grinder spray causing lots of issues. At first, people don’t think it will cause a problem so they tend not to pay attention to where it will go or where it is going. Luckily for me that mostly meant holes burned in clothing or covering something in dust and having to clean it. I regularly have to tell the new guys to watch their rooster tails. 

[JHCC]

I once brought home a big steel cart from the industrial surplus place on the roof rack of the car and cut it up with the angle grinder rather than lifting it down in one piece. (I'd bought it for the steel and the casters, not for use as-is.) Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not covering up the vehicle with tarps before I started cutting, and the sparks that fell on the windshield left little scars that are still there years later. So yes, pay attention to where the sparks are going.

[Latticino]

2 hours ago, Another FrankenBurner said:

Luckily for me that mostly meant holes burned in clothing

Anyone who hasn't burned their clothing or even set it on fire at least once isn't working hard enough with these.  Great tools if treated with respect.

[Frosty]

Oh yeah, if you haven't lit yourself on fire you aren't using angle grinders to near their potential.

About the most common cause of problems and accidents. You are NOT supposed to PUSH them through be it flattening a surface or cutting a piece of steel. 

One of the things that really gets me is an operator starting a disk grinder and whipping it back and forth across the work. The old school joke is, "What's that sound?"

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Today at a PAABA event we had at least 8-10 people wire wheeling a cemetery fence then repainting it. No injuries reported. I did have mine jump giving me a light scratch on my arm but it was light. I did have to pick out many a porcupine quills from my work shirt and pants. Got way less when I switched to a twisted wire wheel. Wish I had brought my leather apron. Tho safety glasses And face shield and gloves made it all painless. 

[Daswulf]

Eh, gatta add a picture of the old Quaker church cemetery and the fence we worked on. We got almost half done. Other part will be a work meet in the fall. 

 

[Frosty]

Have a lighter pic Das? I avoid working with wire wheels around other people or worse them working around me. I've been known to take a walk.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Sorry frosty, that's the only picture I grabbed as I was leaving. I was so into working and stuff that that was about the first time I even thought to get a picture, and was filthy, tired and just wanted to sit in the AC in the truck till I got home to get a shower. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

If you click/tap on the picture of the fence it gets bigger and lighter when the picture is bigger a + symbol will let you enlarge it for some close detail. The fence and grounds look fabulous, well worth the work put into it.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[Frosty]

True Randy, I was just hoping for a lighter pic.  This is the kind of community project that makes me feel good that folks are out there willing to undertake them. 

Way to go Das.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

No worries. The group is doing the other half section of fence in the fall. If I am able to do it I will remember to get more and better pictures. It Was a workout. Some worked hard others worked at their pace but all the help helped. 

They gave away boxes of shop stuff and tongs from an estate for helping which was nice. They also provided lunch. I wound up with some tongs I can use and one of the special drawing hammers. Mine was a large heavy rawhide hammer. "Stinky" hammer as Thomas used to put it. I was happy to help regardless of the gifts. Half the guys split after the gifts and the rest of us stuck around to knock out about 8 more panels then clean up. 

[gewoon ik]

No needlehammers? They go a lot quicker (with more noise) en with different needles you get a rough texture or only (change that to mostly) paint removal.

 

[Daswulf]

Naw, I was told we just wanted to knock down the peeling and loose paint or rust. It didnt seem to be a full on cleanup and restoration but a quick cleanup and repaint with some industrial stuff. 

As far as guys and gals around me wire wheeling, not everyone had face shields but I brought a good one and it served me well. There were some loaners and I brought and gave a pair of good goggles. 

[Gazz]

Another comment on grinder spray.  I was working on something this past summer that required me to grind in a position out of the norm so the spray was going towards a place in the shop where it normally didn't.  I was using some new discs, a brand I had not tried before and after a bit I thought they had a funny smell.  I kept grinding and when I finally stopped for a break, I thought the smell rather strong and then noticed the haze in the shop which had not been very obvious with my scratched and foggy safety glasses.  I then noticed the haze was sort of billowing and I thought uh-oh - you got a fire somewhere.  I started hauling stuff out of the shop that I thought might be smoldering but couldn't find anything that was burning and the haze  and stink continued to get worse.  I went to get the garden hose, turned the water on only to find I was about 6' short of being able to spray anything in the shop.  Now I'm freaking a bit and went back into the shop and turned on the big exhaust fan mounted in the peak of the building and could see the smoke was coming from behind the milling machine so I started hauling stuff out from behind it hoping to find the culprit.  But no, nothing I removed was smoldering and most wouldn't being chunks of steel in buckets.  After a bit the smoke lessened to the point I wasn't as worried as I was at first.  I shut the fan off and watched for smoke and there was still some from behind the mill although there was nothing flammable back there.  It eventually stopped and I think what was burning was the foil backed paper that covered the fiberglass insulation but I have never found a burned spot.  I did go buy another length of hose and checked my antifreeze filled extinguishers though.