Angle grinder questions

[Bob Walters]

I would be interested in which face shield would really make a difference if you were using a cut-off wheel or grinder disk and it blew apart......... snip........

I've done a lot of grinding and wire brushing. I have never had a wheel fly apart; however, EVERY time I use a grinder, cut-off wheel, or wire brush, pieces of metal of various sizes fly off at high velocity. I don't want one of them to hit me in the eye; therefore, I consider a face shield, no matter how inexpensive, to be a good investment even if it won't stop a broke cut-off wheel.

It's also good practice to keep your face out of the plane of rotation even though that is often the best place to be for the most accurate cut. I often take aim with the grinder off or at least not yet cutting, and then move my face off to the side during the actual cutting.

 

[Issom]

Harbor freight all day long... me cutting one of my grates

 

[timothy]

At work we used the metal mesh face shields. We did alot of metal cutting and grinding and it passed OSHA .
Still wore a mask and safety glasses under it. Trying to find any face shield right now is impossible.

Tim

 

[JKalchik]

At work we used the metal mesh face shields. We did alot of metal cutting and grinding and it passed OSHA .
Still wore a mask and safety glasses under it. Trying to find any face shield right now is impossible.

Tim

Interesting. Grinding, especially with a fine mesh flap wheel does produce a fair amount of very fine particulates, but aside from the dust in the eyes issue, really doesn't pose a flying object hazard. I know loggers use the mesh face shields, wood chips just bounce right off and there's no fog-over risk.

 

[timothy]

Yea it's a fine trade off between one that scratches and fogs up to one that lets the dust thru. On a breezy day outside no matter what you wear there still is a chance of something blowing in your eyes, nose face.
Hepa vacs were really big right before I retired, dust free extraction on all our tools.

Tim

 

[timothy]

A tip an Ironworker showed me was to wear a shirt with pockets, and put a magnet in it ( I use cow magnets)
You work with ferrous metals, the magnet will attract most of the metal dust, shavings before they fly toward your face.

Tim

 

[JKalchik]

A tip an Ironworker showed me was to wear a shirt with pockets, and put a magnet in it ( I use cow magnets)
You work with ferrous metals, the magnet will attract most of the metal dust, shavings before they fly toward your face.

Tim

THAT.... sounds like one heck of a tip. Think I might just have to go look for some nearly disposable pocket T-shirts.

And where are you getting bolus magnets, anyway? Isn't everybody still duct taping those around the gas lines going into carburetors?

 

[timothy]

I get the cow magnets from Farm & Fleet. Used those before for stud finders. Use a right sized wire nut ( with a hole drilled thru the top) Knot a length of fishing line thru it, and glue the nut to the top of the magnet.
All you got to do is swing it and it will find a nail or screw.

Tim

 

[Dave S Iowa]

In regards to cut off wheels, are there any particular quality brands you would recommend? It seems like you wouldn't want to cheap out on these.

 

[Bruce]

I use harbor freight cutoff wheels on my grills. I have had great luck with them. My son used them to cut off a snow plow off his 3/4 ton truck that had been welded to the frame. A 4.5" cuttoff wheel did a great job on 1/4" steel brackets about 4" across. Actually it took two of them to get both cut through.

 

[JKalchik]

In regards to cut off wheels, are there any particular quality brands you would recommend? It seems like you wouldn't want to cheap out on these.

I have a preference for Pferd (Pferd-USA) branded abrasive wheels, cut-offs, grinding and flap wheels. They seem to hold up better and longer than the economy brands. Other folks here have highly recommended 3M's products.

Bruce, you need to try better wheels. A 4" cut in quarter inch stock shouldn't eat an entire wheel.

 

[Bruce]

I probably should, but like I said, I use them to grind off frozen bolts on cook boxes and they are what I had on hand when my son decided he wanted to get rid of the plow mount on the truck he just bought. There was definitely still life left in the cutting wheels, but the angle he was cutting required more reach than a worn one had. But, I might check into something a bit more durable even so. I consider anything 3M to be above average in quality.

 

[JKalchik]

My LWS suggested I try the Pferd flap wheels a couple of years ago, and honestly, I was quite surprised at just how well they worked compared to what I'd been buying, to the point that I pretty much will only buy the other wheels when I'm completely out, have a project I want to complete, and simply can't get to the LWS to get more (I buy them by the box now to avoid just that issue.) A couple of other customers in the shop echoed what the staff said, it's their brand of choice now.