Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

Current DIY armoury include a cheap 400w hammer drill, a cheap orbital
sander, both from Woolies (RIP), cheap leaf blowers, flymos, hedge trimmers
from DIY sheds etc. I can just about manage to use most of them. Though not
at the same time. Quite happy with hand tools, though likely to cut myself
on anything sharp

I know what an angle grinder looks like, and I know where to buy a basic
one, thanks to recent threads here.

But, what sort of discs do I need, and what sort of jobs can I do with
it/them?

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal, cutting up
trees (and parts thereof), filing things that are too big down to things
that are less big, making souffles (OK, not the ideal tool), and just
generally removing things that are in the way.

I have a pathalogical fear of power tools and DIY thanks to my father
Also I find the use of an orbital sander or hedgetrimmer physically
draining (last bout of hedge trimming gave me the shakes for a day!). Dare
I use an angle grinder? Am I man enough?

Seriously, based on the above, what do I need as a basic spec, and what
discs do I need (some seem astonishingly expensive!).

Al.

Al coughed up some electrons that declared:

Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

Current DIY armoury include a cheap 400w hammer drill, a cheap orbital
sander, both from Woolies (RIP), cheap leaf blowers, flymos, hedge
trimmers from DIY sheds etc. I can just about manage to use most of them.
Though not at the same time. Quite happy with hand tools, though likely to
cut myself on anything sharp

I know what an angle grinder looks like, and I know where to buy a basic
one, thanks to recent threads here.


My recommendation is:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/12131/...-Grinder-240V#

Blue Bosch - cheap as the green bosch from other places. Quite acompetant
machine.

But, what sort of discs do I need, and what sort of jobs can I do with
it/them?

There's 3 basic types of grit disc: metal cutting, stone (and concrete)
cutting and a thicker grinding disc.

Also can take diamond discs for longer work on stone.

I'd get 10 metal, 5 grinders and a diamond blade:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/34350/...ard-115x22-2mm

And see how you get on. The grit discs get eaten pretty quicky, you may not
do that much grinding (as opposed to cutting) and the diamond disc should
last a while.

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal, cutting up
trees (and parts thereof), filing things that are too big down to things
that are less big, making souffles (OK, not the ideal tool), and just
generally removing things that are in the way.

I have a pathalogical fear of power tools and DIY thanks to my father
Also I find the use of an orbital sander or hedgetrimmer physically
draining (last bout of hedge trimming gave me the shakes for a day!). Dare
I use an angle grinder? Am I man enough?

It *doesn't* do trees(!)

But you can get a lot of milage out of a 4 1/2" grinder for random stuff.
It's not big enough for lopping up paving slabs (really want a 9" or 12")
but it's a hell of a lot less scary and it will be good for all those
little jobs with tighter access.


Seriously, based on the above, what do I need as a basic spec, and what
discs do I need (some seem astonishingly expensive!).

8 quid for your diamond, 40 quid for a half decent grinder, 8 quid for 10
metal discs... Not too bad.

Don't forget to include 1 pair ear defenders, 1 pair googles or face visor
and one pair of leather gloves. The first two are *essential* and the last
will save your hands.

HTH

Tim

On Sun, 31 May 2009 20:22:26 +0100, Tim S wrote:
Don't forget to include 1 pair ear defenders, 1 pair googles or face
visor and one pair of leather gloves. The first two are *essential* and
the last will save your hands.

I've almost never used ear defenders with a 4 1/2" one (exception being
when working in really confined spaces), but couldn't agree more about the
goggles - I have had metal filings fly up into my face on more than one
occasion.

A dust mask can be very useful, too - particularly if sanding (you can get
some nice sanding discs for 4 1/2" grinders, and they do a really good job
of clearing rust and paint from old metal - but don't half generate a lot
of dust in the process!)

(Oh, I cut down an old unused power line the other day which was the only
thing holding up a dead tree - the tree broke into several bits when it
hit the ground, so technically they can be used for cutting up trees

cheers

Jules

Tim S explained on 31/05/2009 :
It *doesn't* do trees(!)

They do, when you can't in with anything else, but it creates an awful
lot of horrible smoke :-)

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Jules coughed up some electrons that declared:

On Sun, 31 May 2009 20:22:26 +0100, Tim S wrote:
Don't forget to include 1 pair ear defenders, 1 pair googles or face
visor and one pair of leather gloves. The first two are *essential* and
the last will save your hands.

I've almost never used ear defenders with a 4 1/2" one (exception being
when working in really confined spaces), but couldn't agree more about the
goggles - I have had metal filings fly up into my face on more than one
occasion.

Yep. My Bosch was solid, but also a bit of a screamer. But one should
consider how cheap all these protective devices are - why damage yourself
for the sake of a fiver?

A dust mask can be very useful, too - particularly if sanding (you can get
some nice sanding discs for 4 1/2" grinders, and they do a really good job
of clearing rust and paint from old metal - but don't half generate a lot
of dust in the process!)

Ah - forgotton about them. Also you can get a wire brush for the 4.5" and
other random stuff like mortar rakes.

(Oh, I cut down an old unused power line the other day which was the only
thing holding up a dead tree - the tree broke into several bits when it
hit the ground, so technically they can be used for cutting up trees
Jules

Hehe

Harry Bloomfield coughed up some electrons that declared:

Tim S explained on 31/05/2009 :
It *doesn't* do trees(!)

They do, when you can't in with anything else, but it creates an awful
lot of horrible smoke :-)


Real men trim their nails with them too.

On Sun, 31 May 2009 18:53:03 +0000, Al wrote:

Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

Current DIY armoury include a cheap 400w hammer drill, a cheap orbital
sander, both from Woolies (RIP), cheap leaf blowers, flymos, hedge
trimmers from DIY sheds etc. I can just about manage to use most of them.
Though not at the same time. Quite happy with hand tools, though likely to
cut myself on anything sharp

I know what an angle grinder looks like, and I know where to buy a basic
one, thanks to recent threads here.

But, what sort of discs do I need, and what sort of jobs can I do with
it/them?

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal, cutting up
trees (and parts thereof), filing things that are too big down to things
that are less big, making souffles (OK, not the ideal tool), and just
generally removing things that are in the way.

I have a pathalogical fear of power tools and DIY thanks to my father
Also I find the use of an orbital sander or hedgetrimmer physically
draining (last bout of hedge trimming gave me the shakes for a day!). Dare
I use an angle grinder? Am I man enough?

Seriously, based on the above, what do I need as a basic spec, and what
discs do I need (some seem astonishingly expensive!).

Al.

=========================================

Angle grinders, have quite a fierce 'kick' when they start. For
the first attempt hold the grinder, without a disk, firmly in both hands
and switch on to get a feel for the kick. Once you've understood this kick
and how quickly a disk can be spinning you'll be quite safe. Sensible
clothing is essential - no ties or other loose items. Gloves are a
personal choice - many people feel that they don't give enough grip, so
experiment and see what suits you.

Cic.

--
==========================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
==========================================

On Sun, 31 May 2009 20:22:26 +0100, Tim S wrote:

My recommendation is:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/12131/...-Grinder-240V#

Blue Bosch - cheap as the green bosch from other places. Quite acompetant
machine.

I'd second that. I got fed up with sub-£10 machines that always sounded as
if they were about to explode in your face and packed up as soon as they
got a whiff of dust in their switches, and bought one of these blue
Bosches. Nice machine.


Don't forget to include 1 pair ear defenders, 1 pair googles or face visor
and one pair of leather gloves. The first two are *essential* and the last
will save your hands.

Particularly when you're cutting metal - showers of sparks are *hot*!!


--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

It's bad luck to be superstitious.

YAPH wrote:
On Sun, 31 May 2009 20:22:26 +0100, Tim S wrote:

My recommendation is:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/12131/...-Grinder-240V#

Blue Bosch - cheap as the green bosch from other places. Quite acompetant
machine.

I'd second that. I got fed up with sub-£10 machines that always sounded as
if they were about to explode in your face and packed up as soon as they
got a whiff of dust in their switches, and bought one of these blue
Bosches. Nice machine.


Don't forget to include 1 pair ear defenders, 1 pair googles or face visor
and one pair of leather gloves. The first two are *essential* and the last
will save your hands.

Particularly when you're cutting metal - showers of sparks are *hot*!!


That is what I got - and unlike in the Screwfix reviews, mine did come
with a decent case for (IIRC) the same price. From Toolstation. Might
have been a passing special... (couldn't see them just now).

Very nice soft start.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Tim S wrote:
Al coughed up some electrons that declared:

Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99%
of DIY problems

Current DIY armoury include a cheap 400w hammer drill, a cheap
orbital sander, both from Woolies (RIP), cheap leaf blowers, flymos,
hedge trimmers from DIY sheds etc. I can just about manage to use
most of them. Though not at the same time. Quite happy with hand
tools, though likely to cut myself on anything sharp

I know what an angle grinder looks like, and I know where to buy a
basic one, thanks to recent threads here.


My recommendation is:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/12131/...-Grinder-240V#

Blue Bosch - cheap as the green bosch from other places. Quite
acompetant machine.

I'd still opt for the Site/Makita for £19. Can't fault it.

But, what sort of discs do I need, and what sort of jobs can I do
with it/them?

There's 3 basic types of grit disc: metal cutting, stone (and
concrete) cutting and a thicker grinding disc.

There are 4 surely? Metal cutting & grinding + stone cutting & grinding.

Also can take diamond discs for longer work on stone.

I'd get 10 metal, 5 grinders and a diamond blade:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/34350/...ard-115x22-2mm

And see how you get on. The grit discs get eaten pretty quicky, you
may not do that much grinding (as opposed to cutting) and the diamond
disc should last a while.

Aldi do good packs of discs inc diamond from time to time.

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal,
cutting up trees (and parts thereof), filing things that are too big
down to things that are less big, making souffles (OK, not the ideal
tool), and just generally removing things that are in the way.

I have a pathalogical fear of power tools and DIY thanks to my
father Also I find the use of an orbital sander or hedgetrimmer
physically draining (last bout of hedge trimming gave me the shakes
for a day!). Dare I use an angle grinder? Am I man enough?

It *doesn't* do trees(!)

Absolutely not trees!

But you can get a lot of milage out of a 4 1/2" grinder for random
stuff. It's not big enough for lopping up paving slabs (really want a
9" or 12") but it's a hell of a lot less scary and it will be good
for all those little jobs with tighter access.


Seriously, based on the above, what do I need as a basic spec, and
what discs do I need (some seem astonishingly expensive!).

8 quid for your diamond, 40 quid for a half decent grinder, 8 quid
for 10 metal discs... Not too bad.

Don't forget to include 1 pair ear defenders, 1 pair googles or face
visor and one pair of leather gloves. The first two are *essential*
and the last will save your hands.

Indeed. Don't underestimate how much damage an angle grinder can do to
human flesh. Treat it with respect.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Sun, 31 May 2009 20:40:41 +0100, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

It *doesn't* do trees(!)

They do, when you can't in with anything else, but it creates an awful
lot of horrible smoke :-)

Wrong blade:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...0,43409,43424&
ap=1

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Sun, 31 May 2009 19:46:51 +0000, Cicero wrote:

Angle grinders, have quite a fierce 'kick' when they start. For
the first attempt hold the grinder, without a disk, firmly in both hands
and switch on to get a feel for the kick. Once you've understood this kick
and how quickly a disk can be spinning you'll be quite safe. Sensible
clothing is essential - no ties or other loose items. Gloves are a
personal choice - many people feel that they don't give enough grip, so
experiment and see what suits you.

Having said that a 4" grinder is a lot less scary to use than a 9" (or
maybe I just haven't used a 9" enough). I quite often use it 1-handed if I
need to - with appropriate foresight as to which way it might kick if it
does, and held not to close to body and other vulnerable objects of course



--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

Many hands make light work. Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Dave Liquorice wrote:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...0,43409,43424&
ap=1

Ouch if you happen to find an embedded nail or staple and turn it into
an 11,000rpm flail!

Al wrote:
Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

Some background:

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/powertools/anglegrinder.htm

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

Yup!

But, what sort of discs do I need, and what sort of jobs can I do with
it/them?

Metal cut off discs and a diamond one for stone are probably the most
useful. Grinding discs can be handy but I find I use them less (apart
from making my dodgy welding look a bit more respectable!)

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal, cutting up
trees (and parts thereof), filing things that are too big down to things

You can get wood sculpting attachments/blades for angle grinders - but
they are not exactly traditional wood working tools!

I have a pathalogical fear of power tools and DIY thanks to my father
Also I find the use of an orbital sander or hedgetrimmer physically
draining (last bout of hedge trimming gave me the shakes for a day!). Dare
I use an angle grinder? Am I man enough?

Get a reasonably decent one - it should give you less vibration, and
usually have a nice slim body that you can hold more easily.

Seriously, based on the above, what do I need as a basic spec, and what
discs do I need (some seem astonishingly expensive!).

A few wire brushes and flap discs can be very handy as well.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 31 May 2009 18:53:03 GMT, Al wrote:

Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

I have an angle grinder. It's the tool of last resort! I rarely use mine,
and when I do it's always with a measure of trepidation. In fairness, my
attitude is coloured somewhat because I once had to attend a fatality many
years ago. That was a guy who had used a cheap and wrong disc for the job
on (it turned out) a stolen grinder without a guard. The disc
shattered......

--
The Wanderer

I have seen the truth - it doesn't make sense

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Sun, 31 May 2009 20:40:41 +0100, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

It *doesn't* do trees(!)

They do, when you can't in with anything else, but it creates an
awful lot of horrible smoke :-)

Wrong blade:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...0,43409,43424&
ap=1

Shudder


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

In article ,
Cicero wrote:
Angle grinders, have quite a fierce 'kick' when they start. For the
first attempt hold the grinder, without a disk, firmly in both hands and
switch on to get a feel for the kick. Once you've understood this kick
and how quickly a disk can be spinning you'll be quite safe. Sensible
clothing is essential - no ties or other loose items. Gloves are a
personal choice - many people feel that they don't give enough grip, so
experiment and see what suits you.

The 9" one I bought from Lidl earlier this year - and was on offer again
recently - is soft start, so doesn't kick. For something like 20 quid.
4.5" ones aren't such a problem.

--
*Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:34:37 +0100, Andy Burns wrote:

Ouch if you happen to find an embedded nail or staple and turn it into
an 11,000rpm flail!

That is the "chainsaw" type wood blade. You can get "wood & metal" blades
that are supposed to handle embeded metal... I wonder if that is simply
grabbing hold of it and throwing it away at high velocity?

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 1 June, 00:22, "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

Wrong blade:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,130,43409,4...
ap=1

I hate those chainsaw circlet carving blades, as they're prone to
kickback. The solid disk sort (Arbortech) are much better behaved.

On 31 May, 19:53, Al wrote:

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

I use three of them:

* Good 4 1/2" for accurately shaping steel. You need one of these.
Look after it.

* Cheap (Aldi) 4 1/2" with Aldi diamond disks for hacking concrete and
anything dusty. It'll kill the bearings and brushes, but so it goes.

* 9", with another Aldi diamond disk for deep cuts into masonry.
Useful, because of the extra reach.

My two "good" grinders are pretty good (Metabo & Makita, both around
80 quid). You don't need to pay that much. A Blue Bosch iis probably
the best current compromise for quality / price. Blue Bosch are
distinctly longer-lived than Green Bosch in a dusty environment, as
they epoxy-pot the motor windings better. However a consumable grinder
might be an even simpler fix to this, for when you're hacking
brickwork.

Things the good grinders give me:

* No-spanner nuts, with a hinge-out "key" for disk changing.

* Easy adjust guards, so that I can move them to the best position
easily enough that I might actually do this.

* Low-vibration side-handles (Metabo, and available as spares). My
grinders have layers of neoprene pipe insulation (Armaflex) stuck to
them too.

What I don't need is:

* A big 9" grinder for steelwork. Got it, need it, but never use it.
9" disks are too much of a gyroscope and they're uncontrollable. 9"
grinders are also slower than 4 1/2", so their metal crunching
capacity isn't much better (motors last longer on an 8 hour shift
though).

Consumables:

These matter. Your grinder is only as good as the abrasive parts. Get
lots, get the good ones.

* Flap disks. I hardly ever use rigid disks these days, preferring
flap disks. Get a range of 40, 80, 120 grit. Plastic backing is better
than aluminium. Don't catch the edges of the disk on the workpiece -
the disk shreds. Spend the extra (CSM Abrasives) and get the Hermes
disks with the blue coated abrasives.

* 7" flap disks. Lightweight ones are the only way to make the 9"
grinder controllable.

* Grinding disks. Ho hum. Anywhere is cheap now, even Tesco. Get some
metal and some for stone. They'll go into a corner better than a flap
disk. I don't use them much, but sometimes you need them.

* Cutting disks. Flat ones, again for both stone and metal. Aldi do
some "stainless steel" disks (couple of quid / ten) that are great and
super-fast cutting, as they're extra thin and don't need to remove as
much metal. Bit brittle and wear very quickly, but they have their
uses on awkward cuts up ladders (job done quicker) and indeed on
stainless steel sheet.
Only thing that

* Diamond disks. Aldi does great ones for little money.

* Wire brushes. Get good quality ones, and twisted wire. Great for
rust & paintwork, esp. tarry paints that clog abrasives. Only use the
good ones as cheap ones shed bristles too much.

Disks of less usefulness:

* Sanding disks. Sometimes useful, but they're very prone to leaving
crescent-shaped grooves from the disk edge. Usually flap disks are a
better bet.

* Paint removing sponge pads. Good performance, but they shred rapidly
if you catch an edge. Handy for stripping aluminium or fibreglass
without damaging the metal. Otherwise too expensive and quick-wearing
for steel.

* 3M's triangular sanding disks. These avoid the edge-crescent
problem.

* Beartex disks. Again good for paint off aluminium, but not cheap.

* Arbortech wood carving disks. Great fun for chainsaw carving, but
powerful stuff and borderline scarey. The chainsaw disks are too
dangerous to allow in my workshop.


Ancillaries.

You need these, but the quality of each can vary from dirt cheap
upwards.

* Eye protection. Can't be bothered with goggles myself and prefer a
hinged faceshield (I wear glasses too)

* Ear protection. Cheap ear defenders are a minimum. Most angle
grinder noise isn't loud enough to be harmful, but it's annoying.
When worn with a faceshield you might need ears with a swivel band
that you can put to the back, otherwise an integrated hat & earmuff.
My favourite ears have Radio 4 in them, which is cheap nowadays. As
I'm often grinding for a few hours at a stretch, it's worth it.

* Gloves. Thin leather keeps flying bits off. Thick leather gives some
vibration insulation too. Best of all though are gel anti-vibration
gloves (Arco, twenty quid). If you're grinding steel for welding (i.e.
hours of it), then "fizzy fingers" is really something to be avoided
afterwards.

* Apron. Aldi have leather welding aprons for cheap - less than I paid
for the leather to make mine. This is essential with wire brushes, as
they'll stick you with porcupine quills otherwise. Even when grinding,
an apron keeps you cleaner and gives you something to kneel on.

* Dustmask. You need something, especially with stone. 3M 3000 / 4000
series are a good start (search this newgroup a few weeks back).

* Ioniser (sometimes a water spray). Makes concrete dust indoors fall
out of suspension a lot quicker. Just try it!

In article ,
Andy Dingley wrote:

My two "good" grinders are pretty good (Metabo & Makita, both around
80 quid). You don't need to pay that much. A Blue Bosch iis probably
the best current compromise for quality / price. Blue Bosch are
distinctly longer-lived than Green Bosch in a dusty environment, as
they epoxy-pot the motor windings better.


http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79841/...lade-Case-240V

Bosch blue with a diamond disc. Just got an email from Screwfix about it.

Seems to have a picture of a small spotlight for some reason - I assume they
will fix that though

On Mon, 01 Jun 09 11:07:38 GMT, dmc wrote:

In article ,
Andy Dingley wrote:

My two "good" grinders are pretty good (Metabo & Makita, both around
80 quid). You don't need to pay that much. A Blue Bosch iis probably
the best current compromise for quality / price. Blue Bosch are
distinctly longer-lived than Green Bosch in a dusty environment, as
they epoxy-pot the motor windings better.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79841/...lade-Case-240V

Bosch blue with a diamond disc. Just got an email from Screwfix about it.

Seems to have a picture of a small spotlight for some reason - I assume they
will fix that though

It's to show that anything can be done with an AG.
--
Peter.
You don't understand Newton's Third Law of Motion?
It's not rocket science, you know.

On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:07:23 +0100, The Wanderer wrote:

I have an angle grinder. It's the tool of last resort! I rarely use
mine, and when I do it's always with a measure of trepidation. In
fairness, my attitude is coloured somewhat because I once had to attend
a fatality many years ago. That was a guy who had used a cheap and wrong
disc for the job on (it turned out) a stolen grinder without a guard.
The disc shattered......

Darwin award? :-/

--
John Stumbles

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:02:00 -0700, Andy Dingley wrote:
* No-spanner nuts, with a hinge-out "key" for disk changing.

That's the thing I've always found with the cheaper grinders - they come
with a tool to get discs off, but not one for removing flap wheels (which
need a spanner of sufficient thinness to fit between the flap wheel and
the grinder - most are too thick). First thing to do with a new cheapo
grinder is to make a tool for removing flap wheels... :-)

* 3M's triangular sanding disks. These avoid the edge-crescent problem.

Interesting - not come across those. Will have to take a look...

cheers

Jules

On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:54:01 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Wrong blade:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...0,43409,43424&
ap=1

Shudder

I've got some spare chainsaw chain hanging up in the garage - maybe I
could make one of those by simply glueing it to the edge of a grinding
disc?
/darwin award

;-)

Jules wrote:

I've got some spare chainsaw chain hanging up in the garage - maybe I
could make one of those by simply glueing it to the edge of a grinding
disc?

Surely for such a task you'd use body filler instead of copydex?

On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:15:52 +0100, Andy Burns wrote:

Jules wrote:

I've got some spare chainsaw chain hanging up in the garage - maybe I
could make one of those by simply glueing it to the edge of a grinding
disc?

Surely for such a task you'd use body filler instead of copydex?

Duct tape. Oh, and I forgot to point out that adding a chain to the edge
of a grinding disc might make it foul the guard, so it'd be best to take
that off.

;-)

Andy Burns wrote:
Jules wrote:

I've got some spare chainsaw chain hanging up in the garage - maybe I
could make one of those by simply glueing it to the edge of a grinding
disc?

Surely for such a task you'd use body filler instead of copydex?

Body filler is exactly what you'd be needing...


--
Ian White

On 1 June, 12:07, (dmc) wrote:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79841/...s/Bosch-4-Grin...
Bosch blue with a diamond disc. Just got an email from Screwfix about it.

40 quid! You can't really argue with that, can you.

Seems to have a picture of a small spotlight for some reason - I assume they
will fix that though

Looks totally different in 110V
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/66262/...-Angle-Grinder

On 1 June, 13:43, Jules
wrote:
On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:02:00 -0700, Andy Dingley wrote:
* No-spanner nuts, with a hinge-out "key" for disk changing.

That's the thing I've always found with the cheaper grinders - they come
with a tool to get discs off, but not one for removing flap wheels (which
need a spanner of sufficient thinness to fit between the flap wheel and
the grinder - most are too thick).

I've never had a problem with that. Almost any grinder now, even the
cheapies, seems to have a spindle lock pushbutton. So you no longer
need the open-ended wrench (the one with the clearance issue?) and
just need the pin spanner. Although the flap wheels have more cup to
them and a bit less access for a flat pin spanner, I've not had a
problem there either - it's hardly a precise fitment!

For shifting wire brushes of course, you need a decent thick glove and
just grab the thing.

As so many cheapies have spindle locks, I simply wouldn't buy a new
one that didn't. But when a good Blue Bosch is only 40 quid anyway,
why go cheap?

Al wrote:

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal,

Metal cutting disk.

cutting up trees (and parts thereof),

Don't even think about it.

filing things that are too big down to things that are less big

Grinding disk, but an angle grinder will generally file something that
is too big into something that is either (a) too small or (b) dust.

making souffles (OK, not the ideal tool),

Difficult to get the whisks.

and just generally removing things that are in the way.

The way you're setting about it, eyes, fingers and possibly hands.



There are companies that make disks for gouging wood, I'd keep well away
from them, since they also look good for gouging flesh.

"Steve Firth" wrote in message
.. .
Al wrote:

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal,

Metal cutting disk.

cutting up trees (and parts thereof),

Don't even think about it.

filing things that are too big down to things that are less big

Grinding disk, but an angle grinder will generally file something that
is too big into something that is either (a) too small or (b) dust.

making souffles (OK, not the ideal tool),

Difficult to get the whisks.

and just generally removing things that are in the way.

The way you're setting about it, eyes, fingers and possibly hands.



There are companies that make disks for gouging wood, I'd keep well away
from them, since they also look good for gouging flesh.

Metal cutting/grinding disks also good for grinding flesh. I know first hand
(


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

On Mon, 1 Jun 2009 16:32:42 +0100, Bob Mannix wrote:

and just generally removing things that are in the way.

The way you're setting about it, eyes, fingers and possibly hands.



There are companies that make disks for gouging wood, I'd keep well away
from them, since they also look good for gouging flesh.

Metal cutting/grinding disks also good for grinding flesh. I know first hand
(

So you still have your second hand...
--
Peter.
You don't understand Newton's Third Law of Motion?
It's not rocket science, you know.

On 1 June, 16:32, "Bob Mannix" wrote:

There are companies that make disks for gouging wood, I'd keep well away
from them, since they also look good for gouging flesh.

Metal cutting/grinding disks also good for grinding flesh. I know first hand
(

Grinding disks are only a fraction of the flesh-chomping hazard that
carving disks are.

Do the experiment - next time you have a barbecue, stick a few spare
sausages into an old welding glove and have a go at it with both sorts
of disk. Plasma cutters are relatively benign for this, wire brushes
are worse than grinding disks (they tear the leather rather than
scorching it) but carving disks go straight through both glove and
sausage / finger. I haven't tried them on chainsaw trousers, as I
can't afford to damage those.

Al wrote:
Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

Current DIY armoury include a cheap 400w hammer drill, a cheap orbital
sander, both from Woolies (RIP), cheap leaf blowers, flymos, hedge trimmers
from DIY sheds etc. I can just about manage to use most of them. Though not
at the same time. Quite happy with hand tools, though likely to cut myself
on anything sharp

I know what an angle grinder looks like, and I know where to buy a basic
one, thanks to recent threads here.

But, what sort of discs do I need, and what sort of jobs can I do with
it/them?

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal, cutting up
trees (and parts thereof), filing things that are too big down to things
that are less big, making souffles (OK, not the ideal tool), and just
generally removing things that are in the way.

I have a pathalogical fear of power tools and DIY thanks to my father
Also I find the use of an orbital sander or hedgetrimmer physically
draining (last bout of hedge trimming gave me the shakes for a day!). Dare
I use an angle grinder? Am I man enough?

Seriously, based on the above, what do I need as a basic spec, and what
discs do I need (some seem astonishingly expensive!).

Various posters have mentioned getting some sort of face protection, but
I can't see that anyone has mentioned the quality of them. Try to find
your local workwear shop and tell them what you are going to use them
with and they will supply the right quaality. In my days in engineering,
they were known as grade "A", but they have a different name these days.

Dave

Andy Dingley wrote:
On 31 May, 19:53, Al wrote:

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

I use three of them:

* Good 4 1/2" for accurately shaping steel. You need one of these.
Look after it.

* Cheap (Aldi) 4 1/2" with Aldi diamond disks for hacking concrete and
anything dusty. It'll kill the bearings and brushes, but so it goes.

* 9", with another Aldi diamond disk for deep cuts into masonry.
Useful, because of the extra reach.

My two "good" grinders are pretty good (Metabo & Makita, both around
80 quid). You don't need to pay that much. A Blue Bosch iis probably
the best current compromise for quality / price. Blue Bosch are
distinctly longer-lived than Green Bosch in a dusty environment, as
they epoxy-pot the motor windings better. However a consumable grinder
might be an even simpler fix to this, for when you're hacking
brickwork.

Things the good grinders give me:

* No-spanner nuts, with a hinge-out "key" for disk changing.

* Easy adjust guards, so that I can move them to the best position
easily enough that I might actually do this.

* Low-vibration side-handles (Metabo, and available as spares). My
grinders have layers of neoprene pipe insulation (Armaflex) stuck to
them too.

What I don't need is:

* A big 9" grinder for steelwork. Got it, need it, but never use it.
9" disks are too much of a gyroscope and they're uncontrollable. 9"
grinders are also slower than 4 1/2", so their metal crunching
capacity isn't much better (motors last longer on an 8 hour shift
though).

Consumables:

These matter. Your grinder is only as good as the abrasive parts. Get
lots, get the good ones.

* Flap disks. I hardly ever use rigid disks these days, preferring
flap disks. Get a range of 40, 80, 120 grit. Plastic backing is better
than aluminium. Don't catch the edges of the disk on the workpiece -
the disk shreds. Spend the extra (CSM Abrasives) and get the Hermes
disks with the blue coated abrasives.

* 7" flap disks. Lightweight ones are the only way to make the 9"
grinder controllable.

* Grinding disks. Ho hum. Anywhere is cheap now, even Tesco. Get some
metal and some for stone. They'll go into a corner better than a flap
disk. I don't use them much, but sometimes you need them.

* Cutting disks. Flat ones, again for both stone and metal. Aldi do
some "stainless steel" disks (couple of quid / ten) that are great and
super-fast cutting, as they're extra thin and don't need to remove as
much metal. Bit brittle and wear very quickly, but they have their
uses on awkward cuts up ladders (job done quicker) and indeed on
stainless steel sheet.
Only thing that

* Diamond disks. Aldi does great ones for little money.

* Wire brushes. Get good quality ones, and twisted wire. Great for
rust & paintwork, esp. tarry paints that clog abrasives. Only use the
good ones as cheap ones shed bristles too much.

Disks of less usefulness:

* Sanding disks. Sometimes useful, but they're very prone to leaving
crescent-shaped grooves from the disk edge. Usually flap disks are a
better bet.

* Paint removing sponge pads. Good performance, but they shred rapidly
if you catch an edge. Handy for stripping aluminium or fibreglass
without damaging the metal. Otherwise too expensive and quick-wearing
for steel.

* 3M's triangular sanding disks. These avoid the edge-crescent
problem.

* Beartex disks. Again good for paint off aluminium, but not cheap.

* Arbortech wood carving disks. Great fun for chainsaw carving, but
powerful stuff and borderline scarey. The chainsaw disks are too
dangerous to allow in my workshop.


Ancillaries.

You need these, but the quality of each can vary from dirt cheap
upwards.

* Eye protection. Can't be bothered with goggles myself and prefer a
hinged faceshield (I wear glasses too)

* Ear protection. Cheap ear defenders are a minimum. Most angle
grinder noise isn't loud enough to be harmful, but it's annoying.
When worn with a faceshield you might need ears with a swivel band
that you can put to the back, otherwise an integrated hat & earmuff.
My favourite ears have Radio 4 in them, which is cheap nowadays. As
I'm often grinding for a few hours at a stretch, it's worth it.

* Gloves. Thin leather keeps flying bits off. Thick leather gives some
vibration insulation too. Best of all though are gel anti-vibration
gloves (Arco, twenty quid). If you're grinding steel for welding (i.e.
hours of it), then "fizzy fingers" is really something to be avoided
afterwards.

* Apron. Aldi have leather welding aprons for cheap - less than I paid
for the leather to make mine. This is essential with wire brushes, as
they'll stick you with porcupine quills otherwise. Even when grinding,
an apron keeps you cleaner and gives you something to kneel on.

* Dustmask. You need something, especially with stone. 3M 3000 / 4000
series are a good start (search this newgroup a few weeks back).

* Ioniser (sometimes a water spray). Makes concrete dust indoors fall
out of suspension a lot quicker. Just try it!


mind if i simply quote some of this in the wiki article?

Regards, NT

In article ,
Dave wrote:
Various posters have mentioned getting some sort of face protection, but
I can't see that anyone has mentioned the quality of them. Try to find
your local workwear shop and tell them what you are going to use them
with and they will supply the right quaality. In my days in engineering,
they were known as grade "A", but they have a different name these days.

Things like safety specs are mandatory on building sites these days so in
general you'll only find ones that are ok for using an angle grinder if
you go to a reputable supplier.
Welding etc needs specialist ones.

--
*If they arrest the Energizer Bunny, would they charge it with battery? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Al wrote:

Ok, the time has come for me to get into DIY properly

So, I need an angle grinder, as clearly this is the solution to 99% of DIY
problems

Current DIY armoury include a cheap 400w hammer drill, a cheap orbital
sander, both from Woolies (RIP), cheap leaf blowers, flymos, hedge trimmers
from DIY sheds etc. I can just about manage to use most of them. Though not
at the same time. Quite happy with hand tools, though likely to cut myself
on anything sharp

I know what an angle grinder looks like, and I know where to buy a basic
one, thanks to recent threads here.

But, what sort of discs do I need, and what sort of jobs can I do with
it/them?

Typical tasks that I might undertake: Chopping up scrap metal, cutting up
trees (and parts thereof), filing things that are too big down to things
that are less big, making souffles (OK, not the ideal tool), and just
generally removing things that are in the way.

I have a pathalogical fear of power tools and DIY thanks to my father
Also I find the use of an orbital sander or hedgetrimmer physically
draining (last bout of hedge trimming gave me the shakes for a day!). Dare
I use an angle grinder? Am I man enough?

Seriously, based on the above, what do I need as a basic spec, and what
discs do I need (some seem astonishingly expensive!).

Al.

A lot of good info in this thread about AGs, but one thing seems to
have been missed. If youre fearful of other power tools, an AG will
scare you silly.


NT

In article
,
wrote:
A lot of good info in this thread about AGs, but one thing seems to
have been missed. If youre fearful of other power tools, an AG will
scare you silly.

Yup. And rightly so.

--
*I must always remember that I'm unique, just like everyone else. *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

coughed up some electrons that declared:


mind if i simply quote some of this in the wiki article?

Regards, NT

Might be easier just to get the Borg to upload Andy's head to the Wiki.


;-