"Stephen Young" wrote in message
news
Bob Engelhardt wrote:
Steve B wrote:
...

How many of you use the guards, or do you take them off and put them
in a drawer?


I used to have mine off. Then I stuck the end of my thumb into the edge
of a running .045 cut off wheel. When I got the bleeding stopped, I put
the guard back on.

YMMV,
Bob

Why didn't you sue the mfr for making a machine that you could take the
guard off and hurt yourself?

It was my great privilege to know the legendary Bernard Pietenpol, generally
considered the Godfather of the home-built experimental aircraft movement.
I remember him telling about an acquaintance of his who was fond of
committing grinder abuse: shields just got in the way and, oh, yes, they'd
cut better if you turned them faster. Bernard said he warned the gentleman
of the dangers involved, but his words went unheeded. He added that he
attended the man's funeral a few months later.



I was in high school when we had this little conversation. It was, in fact,
part of the first real conversation I had with him. (Fortunately for me we
had many more over the years.) We were walking across the county
fairgrounds at the time, and, I'm sure, he didn't yet even know my name.



In retrospect, it is interesting that he chose this topic. To him, I was
just some local farm kid. But, like many truly great men, Mr. Pietenpol
felt a certain responsibility to pass along what he had learned.



Yes, I keep the shields in place, if at all possible. And, when it is
necessary to remove them, I take other steps to protect myself in case
something lets go (and, yes, on more than one occasion I've gotten to watch
the pieces fly...). This seems to have worked for me. I've never had to
make a trip to the emergency room (at least not over a shop injury.) and, in
fact, I recently bought a box of Band-Aids because the last box was so old
and dried out they wouldn't stick any more.



And, it is probably true that most guys who got hit by the flying pieces
after they removed the shield wouldn't sue the tool manufacturer for making
a tool from which the shield could be removed.



The real question is, would their widow sue?

Jerry