angle grinder metal cutting disc...

Ok so the last hotrod I made was 25 years ago and I cut the frame 2x4 tube 1/8 wall with a hacksaw... by hand....

so now I buy an angle grinder with metal cutting discs to make life easier... I get the thin discs, they say .040 (look like 1/16 which I know is about .062)... too loose on the shoulder of the nut, won't tighten down ... so I'll go out and get 1/8 thick discs tomorrow...

Is there something I should know about how thick a cutting disc I should use on an angle grinder? Just getting used to these modern tools....

 

I have had the same problem with thin cutting wheels. I filed the shoulder on the nut of the grinder down until it all fit together.

 

Just be damm sure you use a wheel guard and face shield doing it that way. The least little bind on those and they come apart and you don't want to be in the line of fire. And I'm not known for excess caution.

 

My angle grinder has a reverable piece. Use no piece when you have something threaded onto it like a wire wheel cup, use the piece with the 1/8" shoulder when you use a grinding disc, flip the piece around and it barely has a shoulder at all and thats for the cutting disc. Flip yours upside down to see if it has one also. Jim

 

Did you try turning the nut over?

 

wear a face shield,and gl***es, plus the gloves,whole works. I have a face shield hanging up with part of a wheel embedded in it. great tool,but if you are carleless on safety it can kill you.

 

I type slow. What Jim said.

 

Do whatever you need to do to use the thinner disc. You'll wear yourself out using the 1/8" piece in an angle grinder. 1/8" may be O.K. in a chop saw but no good in an angle grinder. I cut the height of the shoulder down on my lathe so it'll work with the thin disc.

 

if you already bought the thin discs , just use 2 at the same time

 

I had the same problem with my MAC angle grinder and the 1/16 disc's. They would spin on the shaft. I used a couple washer's as spacer, one in front and one in back and it solved the problem.

OR, you can have a little taken off the tool where the wheel mount's so the thinner wheel will tighten without any spacers. Basically, just remove a little of the shoulder where the wheel sit's.

I do make sure to pay attention when tightening them down a bit more than before. I just want to make damn sure they are centered and everything lock's down.
Also, i won't use one without a guard, period. I had two friend's end up in the hospital due to exploding wheel's and no guard..

 

Hey I find that humorus, I am in the same boat. So many new tools that did not exist on my last build! I ran into the same delima with the cut off wheels. I clusterf##ed all different methods to get it to work, there is I am sure something that fits right, but I dont have it. They do break off, I have broken several, and at 10,000 RPM it's great when they shoot across the garage.

 

That sounds like a really bad idea

Gary

 

sounds like you just need to turn your outer nut around as has been said.

 

Not sure what nut, shaft, spacer set up you have but I just flip my nut over for the thin disc.

 

Like they said, flip the nut over. It shouldn't have a shoulder on one side. Don't grind the nut as you need that part to center the grinding wheels. Thinner cutting wheels cut easier and faster, with less heat stress on the motor.

 

1/8 inch washer

 

I have a dewalt angle grinder and the nut has two sides on it, the instructions said to use the 1 side for the thin cutting discs and the other side for the grinding discs.

 

Hmm, ever notice that some tools bought through MAC or Snap On don't have those little convenient addition's?
The nut on the MAC grinder i mentioned has a flat on it similar to a washer so it can't be flipped. Go figure.
I need to just buy my hand tool's through them and get the rest from companies like DeWalt.

 

Have any of you ever heard of a washer! Not to be rude or anything.

 

Do you have a chopsaw or bandsaw?

 

Re read my post...that's what i used..not to be rude or anything

 

Go to the dollar store and get some of that tacky woven looking shelf liner stuff for kitchen cabinets. Cut a few pieces about 1+1/2" in diameter, and put a hole in the middle the size of the arbor. Place this between the disc and tightening nut. It'll snug up perfectly.
Just look before you mount that nut upside down and place the small side of the nut against the disc. It will cause the cheap chinese made discs to bow concavely in the center at high speed, causing them to warp and break apart. The more nut you have in contact with the disc is better.
Also, check and see if there's holes on both sides of the nut for the wrench, in case you need to remove it that way.
The newer Dewalts and Metabo side/angle grinders have an .035 shoulder on the female (bottom) mandrel, allowing for tightening of the thinner discs.
The thicker .045 discs will be more stable, allowing for a better cut.
Our company uses them in the field by the thousands. That's all they buy, either for a 4+1/2" or 6" grinder.

 

Most tool stores sell adapters for different discs. Reversible adapters let you run a thin disc, flip it over for a thick grinding wheel. You can go the cheap route and put a washer between the nut and the disc, or use a worn out disc between the nut and the new disc. I have the reversible adapter, it makes life alot easier when switching to different discs.

 

I am at a loss as to why you are not using a chop saw for something like a frame project.

 

This works fine get the right grinder cut the hell out of the metal I have been doing it this way for at least 10 years.Always wear eye protection and long sleeves it will keep the fibergl*** material out of your arm.If you get the fibers in your arm use duck tape to get it out but I will warn you it will take some hair with it .
My 2 cents

 

sorry tony, I must have missed your post, plus I can't read that good. haha

 

i've been using just that setup but for a spacer, i used a thick shim from an old kingpin front end to take up the slack. it worked so well that the shim is now a part of the grinder kit. just remember, it's a cutoff wheel, NOT a grinder. don't side load it and you'll be fine.

 

yeppers and even older Milwaukee grinders had them. I use an old Milwaukee at work and a Dewalt at home how ever a portable band saw will put that grinder to shame....

 

Don't use cheap offshore discs.
I use nothing but Walter Zip Cut wheels, they'll take a lot of abuse without coming apart. Thin ones cut faster and generate less heat in thinner sheet metal.
Find a nut with a recess in one side, this allows the hub to protrude through the thin disc, but the nut still clamps the disc tightly.
I wouldn't use a washer, if it's not a snug fit on the shaft it may end up off centre which could affect the balance of the whole thing. It doesn't take much weight off centre at 10,000 rpm to cause vibration, which isn't good for the tool or the disc. Also if the washer has a burr on one side (most do) the disc may not run true.

 

yep, just flip the female cinch nut over so the shoulder is now on the outside (bottom), and you should be fine.

By the way, in the last year or so, I've used over 100 of the thin discs from Harbor Freight, and I've never had one come apart on me. They're made in Russia (I think) and come in packs of 10 or so.