Anyone else fabricate with a angle grinder?

With limited funds, a plasma cutter is out of the question. I just finished installing my ladder bars and wondered if I'm the only one that uses cave man tools to fabricate. The worst is how long it takes to cut with a angle grinder. Angle grinder, 120v welder, and a tape measure is all i used to install the ladder bars. No I didn't build the ladder bars. Here are some pics.

 

My angle grinder cuts at every angle except the one I want but its all I got. So it does most everything except weld. Most of my sidecar was made with an angle grinder and welded with an ancient Montgomery Ward stick welder. Do with whatcha got.

 

What do ya think the masters used 50+ years ago?

 

Im a fabricator at a hot rod shop with tons of cutting tools and still use my grinder 75% of the time to make cuts. It work good, what can i say.

 

Must be a Manitoba thing...I often use my grinder for a cutting tool too.

 

I use one on everything including use with a wire wheel to strip all exterior panels and floors inside and out!

 

Thats all I use. I will own a plasma cutter one day but each time I get the money together for one I buy parts instead

 

hell of a lot faster than a hack saw. Actually I use the grinder most of the time too (can't afford plasma and the torch is too messy.

 

Ha ha. Me too!

 

I use a bandsaw whenever possible, but do not hesitate to reach for the angle grinder. These 45 thousandths cutting wheels are awesome.

Bill

 

I love my angle grinder, from cuts to finish work it's the main tool I use.

 

The Angle grinder is the tool I grab the most !

 

I have 4 or 5 around the shop, I keep 3 near my bench one with a cut off wheel, one with a hard grinding wheel,.. and the last one with a flapper disc,....Its a lot faster than having to change the wheel for every operation. And I use them all a lot .

 

please-we refer to it as "the four and a half inch bridgeport"

 

I just started doing that a couple months ago, I feel I could have a wall with like 20 of them.

 

Now thats funny! That just about sums it up.

 

I not only use mine for almost all my cutting/grinding/trimming work, if the material is too thick or hard (1/8" SS), I throw a cut-off blade in my circular saw and use that!

 

An angle grinder, a torch and a sawzall will cut just about anything

 

I have a plasma cutter and still use my angle ginder for a lot of my cutting. Why- I don't know just do.

 

I use my 2- 4 1/2", 1- 4" and my 9" when I get serious. my cutting torch is my # 2 tool. And yes I broke down and bought a mig welder but my 1946 SA200 Lincoln sits outside of the shop so it's handy.

Lee

 

Hell yea got my money's worth out of my cheap ass Harbor Frieght one!Used it all the way through cutting and moving the rear end forward on my altered wheelbase.

 

I have 4 angle grinders. Port a band....and a vertical table that the port a band bolts to. Drill bits...Uni bits......I probably use the angle grinders 80 percent of the time! (cut off wheels, scotchbrite pads ,grinding discs,carbides,...what ever chucks in that thing!)

 

and still do.

 

Put me on the list too. That all I use.

 

Your absolutely right!!! This is what I got in my arsenal and the sawzall is my favorite! Plus I got an old 110 flux core mig i use for sheet metal. Little tricky to use on thin metal but it works.

 

I've got 5 or 6 angle grinders that I keep hanging on my work bench. Each one is equipped with a different wheel. Wire brush, .045 cutoff disc, grinding wheels , flap sander, and a stripping wheel. Hardly a day goes by that I don't use several of them.

Drew

 

Probably one of the biggest time savers in the shop is having one for each process already set up so you can pick it up and go.

I just bought a used horizontal bandsaw that I had to put all new bearings in and am now getting close to having it dialed in. That should make a big improvement in how things turn out.

When I built my T bucket frame in the early 70's I did it all with a hacksaw and 7 inch disk sander. then I loaded it in the 59 Elkie and hauled it down to my buddy's house to have him weld it up. That car was built a six pack at a time.

 

Burned up a dewalt building a backhalf for an o/t truck cut every peice of box and angle with it stripped the frame bare and cut the 4 link and bag brackets all out with it in a weekend. I got smart and finally got a chop saw and plasma now i just need a air compressor so i can use it lol at least i got it at a good price. And a side note ive burned up two dewalts (one motor one brush holder melted) but my $7 harbor freight wont die

 

I CAN BUILD ANYTHING WITH A CUT OFF WHEEL, GRINDER, BANDSAW AND TORCH......What ever you have, YOU CAN FIND A WAY.... I have never been blessed with high end tools, All the old timers I know did it that way, So why not.... Good Luck

 

I build industrial control panels made of 14-12 ga steel and stainless steel. I just recently bought a plasma cutter, before I used a saber saw to cut holes and finished with the angle grinder. The plasma cutter cut my cutting time by at least 1/2 but I still use the angle grinder to clean up the edges.

When I'm doing body work on my trucks and cars the angle grinder is always out. Nothing works better for me to grind off paint and rust. I bought an orbital adapter for the angle grinder so I can use it like a DA. I use the DA adapter for smaller body repair jobs.