Angle Grinder
From Open Source Ecology
Basics
Angle Grinder Safety
- Granted one will gradually get Desensitized to It with enough work using one, but Angle Grinders are High Risk tools
- With Mechanical Guarding (Keeping the Stock "Guard" on, and/or Getting Larger ones for Larger Discs, Using a Grinding Booth with Strong Side Panels, etc), Proper Installation of the Tool (Having a Proper Emergency Shutoff Button somewhere between Electrical Mains and your tool be it pre or post outlet), Properly Tightening Down the Disc Holder with it facing the right way, and proper PPE \
- Doing all of the above requires some active thinking about this, due to humans inherently becoming desensitized to the risk over time, and a Safety Culture overall
- Due to the Materials Involved and the Sheer RPMs the Tool Goes At they are VERY risky and that must be managed
- They are great tools, but they require respect, proper use, and maintenance.
- Potential Incidents:
- Kickback (especially if hitting Slag Inclusions in a weld etc) (this is largely controlled with proper technique)
- Fire Resulting from Hot Work
- Grinder Disc Explosions (To be pedantic, not an explosion, but essentially Turbine Balancing going horrendously wrong, but instead of being contained within the engine, it is on your hand in front of your face + organ filled torso )
- The Two Former are mainly controlled via Common Sense , good technique, and basic Safety Culture / Protocols
- The Latter Can Be Prevented to an extent, but may happen even with the best efforts, thus the risk must be controlled
- This is done by:
- Mechanical Guarding
- PPE ( Safety Glasses or Safety Goggles and an Impact Rated Face Shield
- Organizational Controls / "Knowing What is Going On a Job Site/Where You Are"
- If you are perpendicular to the rotation axis of the angle grinder you are somewhat safe in the event of a catastrophic incident
- There is also the somewhat obsolete issue of a Runaway Angle Grinder
- This would happen if it was locked into the on position, and was dropped. It could basically become a self propelled vehicle and go on it's merry way until it either blows up on the ground like a fragmentation mine, or hits something / someone
- Another Potential Issue is if an Unattended Power Tool is Left Plugged in ESPECIALLY if on the Floor
- One can step by, accidentally stepping on the button/lever and turning it on
- Hopefully it would spin, that would be surprising, and everyone would be okay
- It has been documented on numerous occasions for one to accidentally cut up their lower leg/foot, potentially shredding tendons
- This is easily stopped by watching your tools / where other people's are, storing them safely, and unplugging them when not in use for a long time, also safer switches
- This is a bit of a wordwall, so if this is a bit hard to understand there are many well made videos on the concept
- Video by the YouTube Channel "Weld . com" Titled "Grinder Safety: How to Properly Use an Angle Grinder" ( ~ 45 Minute Watch )
- Probably one of the best videos on the topic, at least in a broad sense, and in a metalwork concept
- Long Watch ALTHOUGH one can Watch a Video at 2x Speed With Subtitles and/or skip around a little
- One of the comments on the YouTube Video is basically Timecodes for everything
- They do go into techniques / precautions for specific discs, so for a quick overview/refresher that could be skipped
- Some more video links can be found in the External Links Section of this page
Metal
- Can be used for Removing Mill Scale , Metal Polishing / Rust Removal , Weld Reworking , and if a Cut-Off Wheel is used even light Metal Cutting
- Main Attatchments for this are:
- Grinding Disc (Also called a "hard rock" disk since they are essentially one solid composite rock)
- Flap Disc (Essentially Sand Paper in a disc in the form of "flaps", similar to an Orbital Sander / Rotary Tool in use, but a bit more "intense" in how far you can "push it") ( User: Eric speaking here, personally from 1 year or so of grinding down mild steel for welding at school, i found these burnt up and ended up with a surface finish with whirls in it unlike the more mirror like one could get with a hardrock one (with enough finesse, although i'd need to do a time study or something to see which is faster) (Also i saw one of those Cordless Handheld Bandfiles towards the end, and that or a rotary tool are a bit better for the sanding role in a welding context, and a Random Orbital Sander in a large Surface Prep role)
- Wire Wheel Angle Grinder Discs
- Standard is grinding down metal (Essentially an alternative to a Chipping Hammer for welding, or a Needlegun for Rust Removal etc
- They are fast, but quite messy (and mess i mean wire shards being launched at some absurd RPM and thus energy...spooky stuff
- Grinding wheels with diamond or CBN grains are called superabrasives. Grinding wheels with aluminum oxide (corundum), silicon carbide, or ceramic grains are called conventional abrasives. Wikipedia - [1]
Wood
- But - there are also wood blades! See example - [2]
- There are chainsaw, diamond cup, tungsten carbide, others that function like a flat router blade, and more - [3]
Concrete
- Diamond blades do concrete
Internal Links
External Links
