Projects Anybody plagued with cutting wheel explosions !!!

Yes HF wheels do not take any kind of even the slightest abuse without disintegrating in my experience. I had some, but got rid of them recently. The low price is not worth the risk IMHO. The photo in post 30 above is what I do not need to happen to me. Project Farm says Dewalt is the best value for lasting but is a bit slow. I bought some but have not had a really heavy job to test with. He thought Makita is the best overall.
Best Metal Cutoff Wheel Brand (6 Brands Tested)? Let's find out! - YouTube

 

I use Predator brand, never had a blowup. Buy them at Fastenal.

 

i've learned from a neighbor to always stand off to the side when switching on the bench grinder.

 

When we had the ornamental fence and gate business, we used Flexovit and Norton. The statement "Its not a saw" is very true. A disc is designed to cut with the edge. If you're cutting thicker material, you're shaving down the sides of the disc as you go deeper and making it weak.

 

The canuck purveyors of asian crappy products here is Princess Auto and the line of Power Fist, ( also known Fist F*ck) They have a no questions return policy and every month at the store they have here , the scrap metal company hauls an 8 yrd bin of
"returns" away. Brand new, defective in the box, exploded/burned up/quit working after 5 minutes.
I salvaged a box of their 1/4" discs once when I worked at the scrap place, they are ok if you go slow but they don't last anywhere near as long as Walter's or Flexovit. Other guys tell me their thin disc will explode if you get "western" (as posted above)

 

We use Walter and other name brand cut off wheels abrasives and grinding discs flap discs etc .

not cheap , but they last longer , work better and are safer then the cheap stuff .

also avoid using and disc that’s chipped warped or “ funny looking “ in anyway .

safety glass or full sheild and gloves are a must .

 

No explosions, but this HF tootsie roll arbor failed @ 20,000 RPM. Darn near broke my wrist before I could jerk the grinder plug out of the wall. Beware

 

Most cutting wheel failures I have seen are from misuse. CUTTING wheels are not designed for grinding. On almost every automobile related show on TV I see someone grinding a weld, using side force on a cutting wheel, that will promote failure of the disc. I have seen an 8" wheel on a machine with the guard removed, designed for 4" wheels, also not a good practice. Quality wheels are also a must.

 

I also use the thin HF disks, the ones with a 3/8" center hole, on my die grinder. Never had a failure, except the ones I drop, and they they last as long as any. Can't say the same for the 4.5" version on a grinder. No blowups but don't wear well. The ones from the local welding place are much better for wear

 

I have had good luck with this brand. I get them through Amazon.

 

Jason at Fireball Tools put up this video that changed how I go about using these wheels. I was astounded at the difference. Invest 7 minutes in this, and be a gouger, not a plunger. Walters are the best that I've used, but even the cheap ones last way longer if you just edge cut.

 

I don't buy generic cut off wheels, just isn't worth the savings. I still buy the Dewalt 6" wheels. And I have become addicted to the flap wheel grinding disc's over the years. Thank you to whoever came up with that idea

 

I have had good luck with the Dewalt brand also.

 

Bout $6 each, and last a good while. Unless you mess up lol.

 

That is a very informative video,thanks for sharing

 

I'll disagree, serious injury sure but Darwin requires death . . .

 

Metabo are the best I have found. I am just now trying a new metal type. Really these should not be used in an electric grinder. Much safer to spin em slower in an air tool

 

What do you suppose happens if a portion of the grinding disc severs a major artery? There are major arteries all over the human body. Guards and PPE are the last defence against serious injury AND death.

 

I bought some small thin cut off wheels several years ago, and had problems with them breaking easily. I believe they were just poorly made. Since they were smaller and I only used them for special situations, I put a label on the box to remind me that they break easily. Didn't want to toss em because they are handy when I need them.
I try to always stand away from the trajectory the wheel will sling the pieces and "usually" wear thin leather gloves, because the pieces may damage a finger. I'm one of those guys that has a couple grinders with no guard. Yep, not the best idea, but a lot of times the guard interferes with what you are trying to accomplish.
I used to buy those cheap HF face protectors. They usually got cloudy and I never liked them. My son bought two of these face masks and gave me one of them. This thing works so much better than the cheapies and is way more comfortable. I love it. I would suggest that all the people like me out there who have grinders with no guard.....buy one of these masks. Its wort the price. You can see way better and it offers better protection.

As for buying a specific brand of wheel. Guys have favorites that they have had good luck with. That said, almost all of the companies making them now pay some Chinese company to make them.......so you really don't know if the wheel is the same quality as the OEM built its reputation on. Its a crapshoot or a guess. Personally I manage to damage a lot of the "thin" cut off type wheels along the way, but so far the ones I have bought lately don't seem to really shatter. At any rate, no matter what you use.......use a quality facemask. Get one for Christmas..........

www.amazon.com/Bionic-Shield-Clear-Polycarbonate-S8500/dp/B001VXXUWK/ref=sr_1_16?crid=FJTG1GORGUBE&keywords=grinding+face+masks&qid=1697210245&sprefix=grinding+facemasks%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-16

 

If you've never been having discs come apart before, what has changed? It could be the discs, but also has anything changed in what you're cutting, how you're cutting, or the equipment you're using? I.E. cutting speeds, are you less steady than you used to be, etc.? The discs are the obvious answer, but the obvious answer is not always the only answer.

 

When I get serious about cutting something off, I use this. My brother used to use a 12 “ wheel. You better hang on.

 

I get those from McMaster Carr

 

Nope

 

I've acquired three pieces of PPE in the past year that I'm extremely happy with. One is the shield you linked, one is a miller low-profile welding respirator that fits under a helmet, and the third is a leather welding jacket. All three are awesome.

 

I've never had a HF cutoff wheel explode, and I've used hundreds of them. But I was at my welding supply place getting a new tank of gas for my mig welder and they had some really high quality discs for $10 a tin, and there were 10 discs in it. The counter guy said they last extremely well, and customers love them. So I bought 3 tins and they're the best cutoff wheels I've ever purchased. They do last much longer than the HF discs I used to buy, so I'm sticking with them, even if the price rises.

 

"some really high quality discs for $10 a tin, and there were 10 discs in it."

Willing to share make and model ?
Or are worried if too many know your supply will dry up ?

 

Another handy PPE is the welding jacket. I have lit my shirt tails up countless times by focusing
on the work and not the spark trail. but I digress ...

 

After having one explode, I`d toss the rest of them in the trash. Read my tag line below.

 

Only ones I ever had to come apart were chipped or broken in some way. One gets chipped, it's trash. I use a 4" air tool and a 7 1/2 " METAL Skil saw, not the ones with the plastic guards, they will melt. I've used wheels from Walmart as well as HF, the CH ones from Walmart lasted the best. The Walmart brand, Hyper Tough I think it is, were about the same as the HF, fine unless you chip them or cock them sideways and break them. I don't use the thin ones, I prefer the thicker ones. The abrasive metal cutting blades for the Skil saw are the best if you have thick material or long cuts to make, using the 4" for smaller cuts on thinner material. If I were doing a lot of fab work, I'd get a chop saw for heavy materials.

 

One area I would never go cheap…helps I work for the mining company…and as far as the purple discs, it’s a cubitron mineral, precision shaped grain…really good stuff and will last longer than the Green corps discs