Disc recommendations for angle grinder

Hi guys,

I recently bought this Makita 4-1/2" angle grinder:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005Q7BE/

I plan on using it for cutting off unwanted brackets that a previous owner welded to my car's frame, tidying up welds, removing some rust, and who knows what in the future.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a cutting disc, a steel flap disc, an aluminum flap disc, and a wire brush for it?

I talked to the people at Pferd and Walter, and I really like the sound of their products, but they only seem to come in boxes of 25, which seems far too many for me. The more common brands that I see on Amazon (like DeWalt) are a little over whelming due to shear breadth of choice.

Additionally it's not clear to me if a cutting disc will last for 10 minutes of use, or 10 hours.

As people who probably do a fair bit of grinding, can anyone suggest some products for me to get started with?

Again, my use case: cut off welded brackets and grind down smooth; tidy up welds; remove light rust.

Thanks very much.

-d

 

I use Dewalt disc's

 

We use these for Ironworking. They hold up well for industrial use

http://www.cgwheels.com/htmls/Thin-cut-off-wheels.aspx?c0=13120&bsp=13091

 

The ones I bought at home depot for 4 bucks each lasted about 20 minutes cutting on 18 ga. body steel. I'd like to find better ones.

 

Try the one I posted. They are very stout. Min thickness I've cut with them is 1/4".

 

Thanks! I will. I love cutting this way... Lots of control for straight line cuts. Im a bad sawzall user.

 

You and me both. At times when building handrail we use them. Better get a straight cut or it'll be hell welding it up and finishing it.

 

Matter of fact I can send you one if you'd like to try it.

 

For cutting brackets off a frame I would recommend as thin of a wheel as you can get. They break easy if you hit something g with them but they cut like butter. The thicker the disc the longer it takes to cut through things. I buy 50 to 100 disc's at a time 25 is nothing but I do a bunch of cutting & grinding. It's not like they have a shelf life (that I know of).

 

For cut off wheels I use everything from the HF ones to dewalts., as far as flapper discs go on eBay and look up benchmark abbraisives. their disc work great and are a hell of a lot cheaper than ones from the welding stores and last longer....

 

I have be getting my flap discs from Lehigh Valley Abrasives they work for welds and cleanup. I have heard that Diamond disks work well for cutting but I haven't tried them yet.

http://www.lehighvalleyabrasives.com

 

I use dewalt too. thick for grinding, thin for cutting. I find they hold up better than the china freight ones

 

I like and use Walter abrasives.

 

yup... lehighvalleyabrasives great prices ,fast shipping and good stuff.

 

For 18 ga. body metal I've been using a 4 1/2 diamond blade. It cuts like butter, doesn't frag and seems to hold up very well. $16 - $30 depending on brand, at Lowe's...

 

I buy my cutoff wheels from HF. I go though a ton of them. They are a good deal especially when they are on sale. The rest of their stuff like grinding wheels and flap wheels are crap. I buy those from Benchmark Abrasives (benchmarkabrasives.com) They are cheaper than even HF and they last twice as long as any other brand name disks I have tried.

 

I've bought about three different brands of cutoff wheels before, Harbor freight, and two different kinds from Home Depot, and they look to me like they all came out of the same factory and got a different label stamped on them. I didn't notice any difference in quality between them. I assumed it was one of those things that was pretty hard for any manufacturer to screw up, so I didn't really think too much about it after that, just bought whatever was cheapest.

 

The problem with disc longevity is method of cutting . These require speed to cut correctly , and alot of folks try to plunge and force the disc through the metal .You need to score or define your cut and follow up with another score cut . Then you can put a little more presure on the rest of the cuts .This will allow you to cut a radius as the blade is only into the cut far enough to break through . Trying to cut an irregular line is comprimised by the disc fighting with too much mass in the cut line .Also as stated the thinest blades available are the best as it creates less friction .I use .035 discs from Sparky Abrasives out of Minnesota and they have great life . Only rich people can afford to use Harbor Freight abrasives because you are using 20 times the product . They must be bored and like shopping(I need to stay home and finish projects not shopping)

 

this is what i do as well..i buy them 50 at a time ,saves alot of money....the flap wheels are as good as dewalt....

 

I too have used HF, and whatever was available from home depot, lowes, etc. Funny that some in the same package last, others wear out quick. Also invest in good quality face shield, air filter mask and good heavy leather gloves, etc.
RB

 

Yes to all plus ear protection. While I'm temped at times to just grab the grinder and go to it, I alway make sure I have the shield, gloves, and ear cups on. You never want to zap the tip of your finger on a flap wheel. It hurts a ton plus it takes forever to heal.

 

3m green corp

 

....oh and if you ever witnessed a cutoff disc break and embed itself in a drywall ceiling, you will appreciate the need for a good shield.

 

These are without a doubt the best functioning and longest lasting grinding disks I have used. Not for every application, but work awesome for knocking down welds and surface imperfections. They seem to last Avery long time.

http://www.walter.com/Walter/en-us/...gle-grinders-steel-stainless-aluminum/flexcut

 

A lot of guys I know swear by Metabo. Prices are good on Amazon.

 

Walter Zip Cut wheels they my cost a little more but they last twice as long

 

I have been hit by the pieces, and injured. They will puncture exposed skin. My boss removes and discards all guards, despite my protestations.

 

Sait and flexovit are the best. I get mine online from the welding kat.

 

As to the cutoff wheels......use something with a steel surround for the arbor hole.....seems like the steel ring helps the overall strength, so less breakage and shrapnel. 1/16 or 3/32 thickness works well. LONG CUFF LEATHER GLOVES, FACE SHIELD, MAYBE EVEN A LEATHER APRON should be the minimums in safety equipment.

 

Walter Zip Wheels are the best, long life and do a great job, P/N 11-T-042. I buy them 25 at a time and if you use your angle grinder much 25 can go pretty fast.

Absolutely good gloves and some sort of apron for protection. I have found that they really don't care what they are cutting, steel or flesh.

Rex