wondering is the extra size and power worth it or am I buying into a
querky
size destined to always be struggling for dics and at higher prices. i
would be using the grinder for metal cutting, patio slabs, paving slabs
(if
poss)...thanks for any advice

115mm (4 1/2 inch) is the standard small grinder
230mm (9 inch) for the larger sort
I'd suggest you stick to either of those.
My preference is for a diamond blade for all masonary tasks.
Screwfix will do you a 115mm grinder for £10, £8 for the diamond blade, and
a 230mm for £25, £20 for the diamond blade. Not sure of their quality as I
have other makes, but I would assume they are on par with DIY store own
brand.

Worth getting some metal discs while you're there as 5 115mm metal cutting
discs will set you back another £2.
Believe me, it's flippin annoying having to go to the store & shell out £4
on a single disc when you need one in a hurry.

The larger grinder is more cumbersome but gives a much easier cut in
masonary work and now I'm used to it I prefer it to the 'baby' for any
cutting. Tend to use the baby for grinding only now.

Toby.

On Wed, 9 Jul 2003 19:01:46 +0100, "Brownie"
wrote:

I am getting an angle grinder as a present.

Make sure you get good eye protection and also a breathing mask. It
would also be a good idea to wear clothing that can keep the dust off
the rest of the property - I'd suggest one of those cheap one-piece
affairs you can buy in any shed.

Angle grinders chuck stuff into the atmosphere which you don't want to
be getting in your eye or into your lungs.

Andrew

Do you need a handyman service? Check out our
web site at http://www.handymac.co.uk

At £10 it's worth buying the Screwfix one to see how you get on
with it. If it burns out within a year, you get a replacement
under warranty (IME Screwfix are good about replacing things). If
it burns out after a year or it just isn't up to the jobs you
want to use it for, you can treat it as disposable and use the
experience to specify a better/more expensive one with the
confidence that you now know what you need.

As it happens I have the £10 Screwfix jobbie and the diamond
blade, but only for two weeks so I have no way to know how it'll
stand up to hard use. Even if it lasts longer than I do, that
tells you nothing - the failure rate could be 90 per cent in the
first year and I could have one of the other 10 per cent. At the
rate Screfix shifts stuff, even the quality is brilll, there's
still going to be somebody out there whose grinder went nova on
the first outing. That can happen with any brand, just some are
more likely to do it than others.

FWIW, mine feels solid enough and the quality quite adequate, but
that's only a superficial judgement and I haven't used any other
brands so I don't know how it compares.

W.


"Grunff" wrote in message
...
Brownie wrote:

I am getting an angle grinder as a present. The cheaper end
of the market
seems to be 115mm and there seems an abundance of grinders
and discs in this
size at good prices. Homebase have a so-called 'half-price'
125mm 1000watt
model at 39 quid. it looks a good pressie in it's case etc
but they don't
even have any 125mm discs in stock. This is my first grinder
so I was
wondering is the extra size and power worth it or am I buying
into a querky
size destined to always be struggling for dics and at higher
prices. i
would be using the grinder for metal cutting, patio slabs,
paving slabs (if
poss)...thanks for any advice

IME all 115/120/125mm grinders will take 115/120/125 discs - so
don't worry too much about that.

I've had many, *many* grinders. I've had £14.99 power devils,
and I currently have a Bosch, a B&D, and a cheapo one.

There is a big difference in the quality, but you'll only
notice
it when you push the machine, and especially when you burn out
the motor ;-)

Whatever you buy, make sure it takes a 22mm bore disc, that's
what counts.

--
Grunff

On Wed, 09 Jul 2003 21:50:25 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

In new plaster it was like a hot knife through butter.... I think I had
probably cut about 2 meters when I realised I could no longer see my
hands in front of my face! Looked round the room and it was completely
obscured in a cloud of dust. Stepped outside and this drifting storm of
dust was pouring out of the door - it almost looked like the smoke you
would expect to see coming out if the room were on fire!

I was forewarned so I taped up both kitchen doors and climbed out
through the window. I don't think anyone can be told what it's like,
you just have to experience it yourself or you won't believe it. Not
being able to see your hand a few inches in front of your face in a
lit room is a strange feeling.

--
email: jim.hatfield.org (replace the "a" with "@")

John Rumm wrote in
:

Andrew McKay wrote:

It took weeks to clear the heavy plaster dust off *every* surface in
the room and the adjacent one (no door between them!). I had to wash
my hair 7 times just to get the dust out!


Nice not to be follically differently abled

Mike R

"Brownie" wrote:

Hello Brownie

B| I am getting an angle grinder as a present. The cheaper end

Great tools!

B| of the market seems to be 115mm and there seems an abundance
B| of grinders and discs in this size at good prices. Homebase
B| have a so-called 'half-price' 125mm 1000watt model at 39
B| quid. it looks a good pressie in it's case etc but they
B| don't even have any 125mm discs in stock. This is my first
B| grinder so I was wondering is the extra size and power worth
B| it or am I buying into a querky size destined to always be
B| struggling for dics and at higher prices.

Nah. It'll use stock 4.5" (115mm) discs as well, but then you might as
well have bought a 115mm grinder in the first place.

B| i would be using
B| the grinder for metal cutting, patio slabs, paving slabs (if
B| poss)...thanks for any advice

4.5" isn't really up to the job of cutting paving slabs ime. Maybe
with a diamond blade it can work - I don't know, but a 9" grinder is
the better option for that. However, the torque and weight of a big
grinder makes it awkward for smaller work where the 4.5" would be
better suited.

FWIW, I've been using the Power Devil 14.99 4.5" grinder for almost
three years and it's been excellent. Sadly today its stoplock broke
which is making changing discs a right bugger.

Eye and breathing protection is a must. Also keep a bucket of water
handy and don't grind or cut near anything flammable.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK
uk.d-i-y FAQ: http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/

Jim Hatfield wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 09 Jul 2003 21:50:25 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

In new plaster it was like a hot knife through butter.... I think I had
probably cut about 2 meters when I realised I could no longer see my
hands in front of my face! Looked round the room and it was completely
obscured in a cloud of dust. Stepped outside and this drifting storm of
dust was pouring out of the door - it almost looked like the smoke you
would expect to see coming out if the room were on fire!

I was forewarned so I taped up both kitchen doors and climbed out
through the window. I don't think anyone can be told what it's like,
you just have to experience it yourself or you won't believe it. Not
being able to see your hand a few inches in front of your face in a
lit room is a strange feeling.


I did this and thought i would only have the one room to clean , but
after cleaning up and then removing the tape it was all over the
house , it took ages to clean . definatly would have been quicker to
do it with a bolster and a mash hammer!!!
Ive just bought a few months ago the 9" grinder from Makro cant
remember the name but a cheapo yellow one and with a diamond sisc from
Ebay ive cut hundreds of cuts in paving slabs seems to be standing up
well.

Rob

On Wed, 9 Jul 2003 19:01:46 +0100, "Brownie"
wrote:

I am getting an angle grinder as a present.

Can't imagine how anyone manages without.

The cheaper end of the market
seems to be 115mm

115 is good. It's the size of the useful disks you'll use. Bigger
grinders are OK, smaller would not be. They don't care too much what
the disk size is, so long as the guard is big enough.

Don't remove the guard. It's there to protect you if the grinder kicks
upwards.

Grinder quality is somewhat unpredictable, and not especially
brand-dependent. Switches are the favourite failure point, and
windings a close second. It's not work that kills them, it's dust -
particularly conductive dust. Some switches jam on if filled with
dust. This is hazardous, and even "good" brands like AEG do it. Cheap
grinders work as well as good ones, but they don't do it for so long.

Get a grinder with a pushbutton spindle lock, not two spanners. It's
worth getting a quick-release nut that doesn't need spanners - some
grinders include them.

Get lots of disks, and lots of different sorts. I find little use for
metal grinding disks these days and do nearly everything with flap
disks instead. Good quality flap disks are better than cheap ones - I
pay the extra for blue Hermes and their special coatings. Screwfix's
new flexi disks are handy for not putting flats onto curved pieces,
but they cut very slowly.

Paint cleaning disks (loose-weave scouring pad) work well on some
paint finishes, poorly on others, and they'll disintegrate rapidly if
touched to a metal edge.

Wire brushes are useful and powerful, but use good-quality twisted
ones, not loosely crimped ones, or else wear a thick shirt !