>Ouch< well, almost…

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

One of my steplad's is changing the back box on his Combo van. I volunteered to grind a rusted nut off the clamp (in the end I went through the clamp itself).

I changed to a cutoff wheel, started up and WHACK! the wheel split right across, a big lump belted the back of the van and shot back across the drive.

I was wearing goggles but he wasn't, luckily it missed him by a couple of feet.

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Cut off wheels always make me nervous of that, and now demonstrably with good reason!

I only have a few tiny ones with a dremel and they have a tendency to do just that. (But much less drastically, I still wouldn't fancy one in my eye though)

I started using them without safety glasses(more like scuba diving style goggles, due to my need to wear glasses of the ocular variety) until it occurred to me that it would probably be a good idea.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 08/03/2017 17:16:52

[ASFParticipant @asf]

That will teach you for volunteering…

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Angle grinder?? what sort of cut off wheel? Most have a fibrous stucture, if you really abuse them, the edge can get a bit ragged but I've never known one to split. The hard cut off discs sold for use with Dremel type tools are not suitable for hand held use, they shatter, use the fibrous ones instead.

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

how was it mounted ? U know there are two ways for the ring nut to mount the stone/cutting disc………

the deep side with the step is for the thick grinding disc's and the reverse ie flat side is for yjr thin cutting disc's…..

mind u there are some cutting disc's that are NOT flat, they have a similar dished profile to the heavy grinding disc's

U probably know this already ?????

I only use St/St cutting disc's now as they out last the norm one's and I get thru at least 1×9" disc per week, the problem u've had has never happened to me…..

be careful out there………..

Clogs……..

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

This was a proper fibrous metal cutting wheel, but a Dremel one about 3" diameter for tehir small angle grinder. I think I must have cracked it getting it out of or into the case (it had been used previously, but i swapped it out for a wood/plexiglass carbide wheel) but no damage was visible.

Must say that with a new wheel on it was much easier to work in the small space than a traditional grinder and olknly marginally slower. My only criticism is that it can be challenging to get discs in and out of the 'too clever for its own good' storage case.

Neil

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I got one of these a few years ago for doing dodgy jobs

Comes in handy now and then

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

When I had my building business I used to buy 9 inch cut off blades & stone cutting discs ( for wall chasing) by the 1000 for cost reasons. So I have used a few over the years & never had one shatter. The type I used to buy always came with paper washers to spread the fit of the clamping nuts. People tend not to bother & I have not seen this in later years.

Last year I was cutting some chain by standing on the links each side of the one to cut. Someone spoke to me , I looked up. The chain slipped , I had cut one half of the 19mm link. The 9 inch blade shattered & a couple of the bits over 1 inch across shot 30 feet across the yacht club dinghy park & fortunately missed everyone nearby. A piece stuck in my trouser leg but missed my leg.

I was amazed at the damage & the way the blade , A thin pattern , shattered.

I have since gone back to the thicker pattern blades

[peak4Participant @peak4]

For those of you with a Facebook account, here's an example of why one should wear safety glasses.

Don't worry it's not gory, unlike one I was with a chap sporting 1/2 a cutting disk sticking out of his chin.

**LINK**

I use something similar to the one Ady1 mentioned, but also have one of the old "Bubble" visors which clips to the front of an open face motorcycle helmet. I mounted it on the headband from a redundant welding mask so it flips up when not in use. Thick impact resistant plastic, so hopefully should be pretty strong, and resembles one of these.

Regards

Bill

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I've used hundreds of the things and never had a breakage in normal use. I mostly now use thin discs in 4 1/2" grinder nowadays. One thing to watch is the hole in the middle of disc, very rarely one is a bit tight on the spindle nut and can crack when tightened up, throw it away.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

A while bach I was at the local stainless steel fabrication shop to get some TIG welding done. While my job was being done, the apprentice was given the job of cutting a piece out of some stainless sheet, so in with the angle grinder–BANG shattered the disc, replace disc, off he goes again–Bang, gone done it again, boss comes out to see whats going on, I got out of the road while a bit of a lecture went on about remember what you were taught about grinding, one of those situations where you know someone is approaching the job in the wrong way, but it's not your place to intervene. The weld on my job failed too.

Ian S C

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Well Neil, I guess the two of you were lucky. As mentioned by others I always wear a face shield when using the angle grinder (and hearing protection of course). I don't want to end up like the guy in Bill's link.

Thor

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

I always regard angle grinders and their discs as I do mothers-in-laws,with great respect,since both are quite likely to explode when least expected,and for no obvious reason.

I do use grinders,but I am always wary of those thin cut off discs,one is tempted to use them to grind off that little of junk,rather than change the disc [we,ve all done it ]

You were lucky,dont push it ! no body looks well with a disc sticking out of their head,well,very few anyway.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by clogs on 08/03/2017 18:25:30:

the deep side with the step is for the thick grinding disc's and the reverse ie flat side is for yjr thin cutting disc's…..

Only one way to mount the disc on thii one, it isn't a standard angle grinder. The split never came closer than 5mm to the securing disc.

Neil

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

I'm always amazed by the builders/block pavers who use angle grinders without any form of protection, stupid is not really a strong enough word.

Tony

[vintagengineerParticipant @vintagengineer]

They are builders, not the brightest of tradesmen.

Posted by Tony Pratt 1 on 09/03/2017 12:23:13:

I'm always amazed by the builders/block pavers who use angle grinders without any form of protection, stupid is not really a strong enough word.

Tony

[Andy AshParticipant @andyash24902]

Posted by vintagengineer on 09/03/2017 14:07:57:

They are builders, not the brightest of tradesmen.

Posted by Tony Pratt 1 on 09/03/2017 12:23:13:

I'm always amazed by the builders/block pavers who use angle grinders without any form of protection, stupid is not really a strong enough word.

Tony

I think most of them use diamond discs for ceramics.

The threat is slightly different with diamond cutting discs I'd say.

That they're using diamond probably shows they're smarter than most!

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

The diamond disks still produce dust, grit and larger pieces that can rebound off surfaces. You need a dust mask, goggles and hearing protection when using them.

Martin

[ZebethyalParticipant @zebethyal]

I was once using one of those segmented diamond cutting disks in my 6" angle grinder to cut a tile or something similar, for whatever reason, the disk caught on something and shattered throwing one of the segments directly at my fingers, fortunately I was wearing my welding gloves and it simply bounced off, it still gave my fingers one hell of a belt though, without the gloves I would almost certainly have lost some fingers.

I was also wearing goggles, hearing protection and a respirator style dust mask, I am seriously contemplating a face shield for future use though.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

They don't have designated trained changers of abrasive wheels for no good reason?

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

Years ago I was using a 4.5" grinding disk in the angle grinder a bit too aggressively when it shattered completely. The fragments mostly hit me in the chest and I was wearing several layers but it was one hell of a thud. If it had been my face it would have been a very sorry story. Do I wear face PPE now – yes. I even bought full face shields!

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

Had a 4 1/2" cut off wheel explode taking a small corner of a finger with it. Through a leather glove. Pics provided upon request. The interesting thing is it happened in a closed garage and no pieces have ever been found, must have went to powder.

[James AlfordParticipant @jamesalford67616]

I am very wary of angle grinders these days. A couple of years back, I was using one with a sanding disc attached. The person for whom I was doing the job told that I was holding it all wrongly and showed me how to do it "properly". The thing promptly snagged and kicked back into my face: "properly" is not the same, it seems, if you are left-handed like me……….

James.

[Andy AshParticipant @andyash24902]

Posted by James Alford on 10/03/2017 15:41:41:

I am very wary of angle grinders these days. A couple of years back, I was using one with a sanding disc attached. The person for whom I was doing the job told that I was holding it all wrongly and showed me how to do it "properly". The thing promptly snagged and kicked back into my face: "properly" is not the same, it seems, if you are left-handed like me……….

James.

I'm not left handed, but I am pretty cack-handed. And this for me is the most important thing.

It's beyond all that by-rote run-of-the-mill H&S standard speak.

1) If you've not thought about it, don't do it.

2) If you've thought about it and you're not happy about it (that includes situations where use of mandatory safety kit is it's-self the problem), don't do it.

3) If you're confident that it's O.K. to do the thing you thought about; don't worry about it, because the worry will distract you and cause you to have an accident.

4) If you're experienced with welding, upside-down on the end of a rope, nude, inside of a half filled petrol tank, and you're still alive, you must be pretty smart; because there is nothing else keeping you alive.

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