Thought I would add a little something to TECH WEEK. Most angle grinders come with a push buttons on the back of the gear housing. If you have an angle grinder with this push button, you know what I am talking about. Its the button that locks the gears so you can then unscrew the retaining nut and remove the disc from the shaft. Well, the problem is that when you are using the angle grinder in....umm..lets say "unconventional" ways...OR putting a lot of pressure on the disc... The retaining nut seems to want to tighten itself down BIGTIME. This makes it IMPOSSIBLE to remove the disc from the grinder because the little button that locks the gears is not strong enough to hold. The button breaks, the gears jamb and you got a useless grinder! How I solved this problem (after messing up 2 grinders) Is by taking the backing thingy off of the shaft and grinding two flat sides into it. This backing thingy rests behind the disc and it normally locks onto the shaft. So to put it shortly...when the disc jambs onto the shaft of the grinder, I can now put a wrench in there and get the disc loose. I just simply bypass the button.
Here is another pic showing the modified part and where it belongs on the shaft. Like I said, when it jambs up just put a wrench on it and then that retaining nut WILL come loose. If you all wanna add little tech hints for grinders here, feel free! Maybe you gotta better way to do it. If so please share. Later, JT.
Another grinder hint: DeWalt makes a wire brush wheel that fits a 4 1/2" angle grinder. I cannot live without it! It costs about $12.00 and you can buy it at Lowes. NO rust can stand up to it. It also strips paint and skin and anything else that gets in its way. Be warned though. these wire brush attatchments throws little wire projectiles all over the place. Wear protection. I once had to pull one of the wires outta my leg with a pair of pliers. It went in 1/2". I know this stuff is probably elementary to a lot of you folks. But we got a lot of first time car builders coming in here (me included) and the simple little tech sometimes helps out. Hope this helps somebody. JT.
Do yourself a favour, buy a Metabo. They never lock on,and the quick release locking nut is only ever finger tight,dunno how they do it. I work in a metal fab/forging shop,these things literally run five hours of every day id say.we give them hell, even to the extent of modifying the quick release nut so it just spins off,without the torque kinda function,so as the grinder slows to a stop,you hit the lock button and the disc just spins itself off and falls on the bench,ready for the next one...heh he thats some bad tool abuse but they hack it day in day out. get a five inch, not four & a half. the extra 'reach' is very handy. Not cheap, about $300 AUS for a 1000W 5" but the last grinder you'll buy. and no, im not a Metabo rep
Metabo....cool! I had a DeWalt that I loved. It lasted all through college (metal sculpture)....about 4 years of everyday abuse. But sadly it broke and I got this crotch eating Black and Decker (grinder in the pic). It has a switch that DOES NOT go off when you drop it. It ate through a pair of pants I had and got pretty close to the family jewels...I'm MUCH more careful now! Point is.... Another helpful hint is to buy a grinder with a PADDLE switch that turns off when dropped! They are MUCH nicer. I'll keep a Metabo in mind the next time I buy a grinder! Thanks.
While we're on angle grinders i'll add one thing. I see alot of guys buying the cheap ones at the swap meets. A guy brought one over to use on his car. Those things are pieces of shit, absolutely no power at all. Thay look like the real thing but won't spin a wheel on metal. Buy a good one, you'll be more productive and in the long run it'll be cheaper.
A little safety tip, especially with the wire attachment fitted...be very careful not to catch your overalls with it.....it will rip your nuts off in a second!
I've got a Makita 4 1/2" I love it!, went throught two swapmeet grinders & couldn't believe the difference a real one makes, any way, my $.02 for this thread is to stay away from swapmeet cutting blades! unknow brands ect... I got my finger fillet w/ an exploding blade with no warning at all. & I was still using the guard at the time! BYC
Good post- I've been changing disks on my Makita by claping channel locks on the wheel to hold it from turning while I crank the center nut. Probably wasted about a whole day of my life doing that by now. The button on the back disappeared two years ago and I can't bring myself to spend the $ and get a new grinder- it looks like I have a new solution- I can even grind it to match the thin wrench that came with my table saw for changing blades.
Good points everyone. I bought some discs from Big Lots and they were shit. I got 10 for $9.00 and really thought I had something. They last about 5 seconds! You get what you pay for. My old school usta always use Makita or Milwaukee brands. They are tough. I always prefered the Milwaukee to Makita, but can't remember why now. Stay the hell away from Black and Decker. The cord on that thing has caught on fire twice now. Each time I have to take it apart and cut the bad part of the cord out and rewire the whole thing. The cord is now only about 1 1/2 feet long ! All the problems conviniently showed up one year after buying it....hmmmmm. 1year warranty....Is there a connection? Also try and get a grinder with an ACTUAL nut for the retaining nut. The ones with those little holes (see my pic) don't cut the mustard. I am always losing the tools to take them apart...plus with an actual nut, you can put a socket or a wrench on there and get a little more torque when taking it apart. I had to weld an extension on my little two prong tool to get enough leverage to get those stuck discs off. Keep the tips coming fellas.... Here's a GAY poll if ya wanna let your fav be known.
Think twice before using a grinder for anything serious without the big handle on the side.Sooner or later,it will grab,and without the extra handle,you don't have enough leverage to hold it. I was lucky,it only cost me a pair of Jeans. 4 1/2" narrow cutoff blade kick ass! Screw hacksaws. Just make sure you leave the guard on.10,000 rpm will go through your finger(s) pretty quick. I'll have to check out the wire wheel idea. Most wire wheels have a max rpm stamped on them,check to make sure.
Yeah Unk, I think I exceed the max RPMs. Hence the flying needle like projectiles.... But it still works wonders.... NOTE: you could very easily lose an eye using one of those wire wheels on an angle grinder! BE CAUTIOUS. NEVER USE ONE WITHOUT SERIOUS EYE PROTECTION! Don't hold me accountable if you get a few of those wires stuck in you.....cause YOU WILL!
I've heard a bit about exploding grinder disks... and have an uncle thats got a big honking scar across the belly from a wire brush on one of em...
I have the "heavy duty" milwakee (sp?... don't care right now) but one of the reasons my dad bought it is because it has adjustable speed range at the back. makes it very nice to use with wire wheels and also for grinding/cutting Garth
maetabo 6" grinder with quick release only way to go...will cut through 1/2 steel faster than a saw...bout $200-250 at most industrial or welding supply houses...you will never own anything else...they don't rip rot or rust won't run down at the heels cures moles colds and sore holes all for the meeslie price of....sorry, worked at the side show too long!!!
Was it Choprods (?) that got his titty nabbed with the flying debree from an exploding grinding wheel? We need that pic here. Its really painful to look at.
that pic is GROSSSSSSS TSC sells those wire wheels. get the twisted ones they last tons longer than regular ones. I always wear a heavy shirt and jeans when using wire wheels, and they still stick ya pretty good. NEVER hold the piece you are wheelin' with your other hand. I have a nice big scar on my hand where it ripped off a couple layers of skin. ALWAYS wear gloves when doing this. ALWAYS use eye and face protection.
I was stupid enough last summer to try an unmarked (unknown rpm range) disk in my grinder. Disk was just a bit too large for the guard so I left it off. I was wearing leather gloves and face protection. The instant the blade hit the metal it exploded. One chunk hit my wrist and broke it. Another gouged my inner thigh (dangerously close the family jewels) and required 4 stitches. Turns out the blade was made for a table or circular saw. Rated nowhere near the rpm's that a grinder spins.
I've been using those 20 dollar swap meet grinders forever and always thought I was the Cat's Ass for saving money. I had no idea that an expensive one worked that much better. How about one of those DeWalt ones? Anybody got any input on them?
i have an older makita from the swap meet ($10) no guard, no side handle, no remover tool...... pick up an adjustable remover (to remove the disc) tool at harbor freight for $3 and it works great. i just hold the disc with one hand (wearing a glove and it's unplugged) and turning the lock nut with the other. 4 1/2" cutter and grinder......i also use the dewalt discs (thin and grinder) from home depot, not cheap but haven't had one come apart yet.
If you got one with lock button,its enough to just tighten the disc with your hand. It comes loose just as easy then,no need for tools. And IF you think the protection shield are too big and always in the way,DONT remove it,just cut of corners of it,and keep just enough to protect your hand.. Youll be happy for it,one day.
I use those wire wheels alot. And they do let alot of wire needles loose. ALLWAYS WASH THE CLOTHS YOU WORE WHEN USING SAID WIRE WHEEL SEPERATE, or you will get a nasty supprise the next time you change cloths.
Great thread. I've got 4 1/2" Craftsman. I've been pretty satisfied with it. Re the wire wheels...the ones I like best are the twisted CUP ones. They don't seem to throw so many wires (cuz not in the same plane?) and you can really bear down on the work. They give a real nice (low) lustre to rusty garage sale tools. Yeah, and DON"T hold that old tool or piece of work in your hand (unless you're wearing some rawhide gloves (and even then). Being STUPID, I ignored my own advice one time. Luckily, just grazed my left thumb with the brush. The scar reminds me now to be a little smarter.
I'm pretty sure mine are Craftsman and Makita right now. The Makita doesn't HAVE a button anymore. I'm not sure what the big deal is though. Hasn't anybody ever thought to just stick a damn NAIL in the hole where it Used to be? Works EVERY time for me? I'm Really confused, the button just drops into a hole in a disc that is on the shaft, what's wrong with just sticking something Else in the hole to change em? Well, whatever turns ya on I guess.
Good post about a tool we all use and most take things for granted without much thought. I have a 4.5 inch Dewalt that is abused regularly. The cheap ones just dont have the power. You will spend 2-3 times as much in burned up cheap ones than just to save up and buy one good one that will last and work well. I use those twisted wire cup wheels all the time. They are great for cleaning light and even heavy rust off surfaces. They do shed the wires, so wear eye protection and long sleeves and long pants. I learned the hard way, like Fordiac and SLowlearner about the wire wheel grabbing a part. I was working in my garage one evening about 7:00 prepping some small patch panels before welding them in. Instead of getting up and using the bench grinder with the wire wheel, I thought I could save time and just hold the small patch in my one hand and operate the grinder with my other. You can predict what happened, the grinder caught the piece and flung it. RIGHT INTO MY HAND! I ended up with 7 stitches and a 1.25 inch long cut in my palm. So much for saving time.......The whole night shot to hell and a $75 emergency room visit bill. Plus several more days of not being able to use my hand and lost time to work on the car. Moral of the story is that those wore wheels are great, but be sure to hold onto the grinder with both hands as they will grab and have a lot of power.
I use a craftsman i got years ago.. my pops has a couple dewalts.. he has a rotary wood cutting attachment mounted to one of em for chainsaw sculpture stuff... my buddy buys the $12 "cheng shin" ones from the flea market. He puts a different disc type on each one and runs them all off an extension cord.. set down the coarse wheel and grab the flap pad one The self destruct after a while.. he just tosses them and gets a new one out of the cabinet. I got Hellfish one of those cheapies for christmas.. hehehe he said it sparked like crazy and went to hell the first time he used it hehehehe i am a gamblin man especially when it comes to gifts
I just bought an new HDC 4 1/2" angle grinder WITH five new wheels for $10.00 at one of those tool sales. The grinder alone was $6.00. When it quits, buy another. I know I bought QUALITY, but, for 6 bucks? what the hell.... Flatheads forever!!
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