Anyone else fabricate with a angle grinder?

SAwzall angle grinder Torches ,Thats all I pretty much use and I did forget one a cutoff wheel

 

I made a short extension(2 inches) for my angle grinder, makes it much easier to use and less chance of removing flesh.

 

I found for experience that angle grinders work fine as long as the motor draws 7 amps or more.

 

It would be nice to own "all" of the cool tools, however it look like the car is inside a garage and on a nice solid floor, some of us are jealous of you! LOL! The point is, as you get further into the project your will buy/borrow what you need, just keep after it and you'll get there. Ok, time to step off my soapbox and go off to the back yard and start welding in the cold.

 

I do know that this is not the reason for your post, but I have to agree with another poster ... you are creating a bind by not using leaf spring floaters.

One other thing I noticed ... it may not really matter but I notice you are using "drag race" style ladder bars. It appears as though you have installed them upside down. Generally the lower bar of the ladder bar holds both the lower rear AND the front rod end. It may not matter in your application though, just thought I would bring it to your attention.

 

Like 'BTL' said, leaf springs and ladder bars need to be seperate from each other with a floater kit. I think the ladder bars are right-side up but they are running uphill and generally they work best when bottom bar is about level with the ground. Configured the way that you have them (running uphill) you will have a ton of 'anti-squat' in your rear end geometry, so much so that when you drive around the rear tire will seperate from the rear body - the suspension will lift the body away from the rear tire.

 

great idea

 

I use angle grinders most of the time. For me the $30 Ryobi grinders last way longer than the DeWalts which turns more money to go for car parts! But that's my opinion.

 

Look closely at this pic ... the lower bar is threaded and accepts the front rod end and the upper bar is fitted and welded to the lower bar. It appears to me that the Original Poster has the ladder bars upside down with the upper bar containing the front rod end.

I suggest the Original Poster contact the maker of the ladder bars for verification. As mentioned earlier, it may not matter in this application (assuming street and low horse power) but it is definitely not the "generally accepted correct way" to mount the bars.

I do agree that the lower bar should also be horizontal or close to horizontal though.

 

That is one of the neatest ideas I've seen. You have to post that on the home made tool thread if you haven't already done so. There's so many posts I might have missed it if you did.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=235784

 

One of my grinders

 

I like your fancy-schmancy rig ya made there , Drew - thumbs up !

We have a plasma cutter , a torch set & stuff at our shop , and I still find myself using an angle grinder more times than not for heavier stuff . For thinner stuff like sheet metal , I'll usually grab the air shear and/or the throatless shear - then sometimes grab the angle grinder with a flap wheel on it to do the final trim-to-fit .

I also agree about using a powerful angle grinder (instead of a weak cheapie) and letting the WHEEL do the work at near-max speed , instead of laying into the wheel & watching it go up in dust . Our angle grinders get a real workout , as we do resto work every workday , so we know how to use 'em right .

 

I've built entire stock cars with as much. Throw in a drill press and you feel like a king.

When I made the jump to add the sawzall and Kalamazoo band saw to the arsenal, the quality and quantity of my work took a quantum leap.

Bob

 

we have a couple of Dewalt grinders we mounted them with 3/64 inch Walter cut-off wheels. they work awesome! the grinders don't bog down when making an irregular cut and the blades are thin and strong. They last a long time as well. We tried several brands of cut off wheels but these have worked the best for us.

 

I do have a plasma cutter, but rarely use it, I much prefer the angle grinder with a cut-off wheel. For the heavy stuff I use the horizontal hacksaw.

 

This is slick......... I have clamped mine in my vice countless times and used duct tape to hold the trigger on hahaha.

As far as cleaning up the shavings with a magnet and a bag, that sounds like a good idea, then you could dump them in a five gallon bucket and take em to the scrap yard...

I have also been comptemplating buying a LARGE on/off magnet and sticking it under my table to draw down the filings as soon as they come off the grinders.......

 

I use mine all day everyday. I have an AEG/Milwaukee and a Bosch, both are $100+ machines. I insist on variable speed and fit mine with a quick release tool-less hub release for quick and easy disc changing. I have a plasma but prefer an angle-grinder for most cutting work.

Look for:
light weight.
variable speed.
shallow hub.
low vibration
long flex
keyless release

Milwaukee do one that is perfect.

 

my number 1 tool for fab. work. I like the fixtures featured here. I just made one similar with my GRINDER!

 

I rough cut my metal working cart with grinder. Also made many cuts for my frame and frame jig. I refer my cordless sawall, but when all the batteries are low, I plug in the HF grinder and let the sparks fly.

 

I use an angle grinder a lot but the most useful tool in the shop is the portable bandsaw. I bought a Milwaukee off Craigslist for $120 in the case. I used it a bunch when I was doing cages. On the really acute angled joints you can use the portaband to cut away a lot of the metal and then use the bench grinder and the angle grinder to finish off the joint.

 

yup all i use is angle grinder however i have just recently purchased a cut off saw, as most i just don't have the cash to but fancy metal working tools

 

What else is there?

 

For the money invested, the Harbor freight units are OK. I've used angle grinders from $19 to $300. 15 of the $19 units are handier than one $300 unit.

Because you are grinding metal, the abrasive from the wheel and the metal filings created are cycled through the motor and will eventually ruin it. They can't be sealed because they need air to stay cool. It's much easier to discard a $20 grinder than a $300 grinder.

 

A 4-1/2" angle grinder is the go-to work-like-a-dog tool in my tiny workshop. I've got a Craftsman with a cup brush, and a Porter-Cable with a skinny cutoff wheel. I've used a soft-start Bosch and loved it- the soft-start is nice for starting a cut that has to be dead-on. NEVER USE A CHEAP ANGLE GRINDER. The frustration will take years off your life.

I've had a plasma for about a year but I think I'm still on the learning curve. I still get better results with the angle grinders. Good tool + quality wheel + gentle touch = great results.

 

Yeah, I can relate. I only relatively recently have owned an angle grinder. Bought an HF cheapo to grind off the spot welds holding a piece of plate in my '55's bed. Of course being an idiot I didnt wear gloves....TWICE. Yes, before you say it, I cut right into the tip of my left hand index finger badly. Of course there was just enough time between these two cuts for it ti heal fully so I'd get the FULL painful effect! How did you make that extension?

 

Neat Ideas..
We complain about not having a well-equipped shop for our hobby sometimes.
Well check out these people and how they take ships apart....
It gets good after minute 3:
http://www.fuel.tv/strangersindanger/#!/rickshaw-race-strangers-in-danger

 

Grinder crud ain't good for humans either. We should wear a dust mask at the very least. In the winter time open the door and change the air in the shop pretty often when doing a bunch of fabbing.

 

Amazing how some of the least expensive tools, get used the most. For anyone that doesn't have one..buy one or more, you'll wonder why you never did it sooner.

 

I chopped my top with limited tools too angle grinder sawzaw mig welder and clamps

 

When Harbor freight has them on sale for $19.99 go buy a couple I thought I would try one and save my good one but I can't wear out the cheapo Harbor Freight tool