The cut-off wheel wizzer-disc thread reminded me of how many close calls I've had with those exploding HF cut-off wheels. On top of that, a buddy of mine showed up the other night with a nice, fat scab on his forehead from a cut-off wheel mishap...although, he showed up one time with a black-eye and said he ran into a wall, but that's another story. Anyway, what are your tips for keeping these things from turning into airborne flesh-o-matics? Preferred brands? Bryan
I have had more injuries from that tool more than any other. I still have scars on the back of my hands from errant cuts that took off. I hate em... Other than a saftey shield on the wheel and on your head, the only other thing I always use is a pair of heavy leather gloves. Those things cut leather ans skin so fast you dont realize its happening until you see a 3/8 deep cut acrossed your hand. use name brand discs too. They wear slower and dont break as often.
Good ones are probably cheaper in the long haul...they cut until they are too small to reach the work. The cheapies don't have much grit after you lose the first bit, and what remains isn't much better than a round piece of cardboard.
I lost some cartilage in one of my knuckles from a ballistic disk a few years ago, now I wear my welding gloves and full face shield when ever I pick one up
I found out if you drop them accidently ,just go ahead and replace the disc,chances are after they are dropped they will explode in the near future.
Use the good stuff, go slow, don't force them though the material. Also, gently put the tool down. If yer dropping it the wheel can crack just a bit and the explode at, what, 20k RPM.
I have used probably 20-30 HF discs damn near down to the shaft with no problems. I had one disc explode, and it was a Dewalt I got before I found out the HF wheels were like 35 cents a peice. If they wear quicker it can't make up for the difference in price. CHAZ
I have been using a brand called Sait for several years and have never had a problem. I use the 4-1/2" flat cut off wheels on my DeWalt grinder and use them on most anything. I had one hang in a piece of light gauge angle I was cutting Sunday and when the grinder flipped back, I got a small cut on my right arm. It did not hurt the wheel and I used it untill it was used up. I will never buy Makita brand grinding discs again. I bought a box of the 4" wheels two years ago and every one of them started throwing chunks of the wheel off when I started the grinder up. I never used them to grind as they would not hold together long enough to grind anything. I have also started using the Sait brand grinding wheels and the hold up good also.
I bought a pack from HF a month or so ago and was very impressed with how well they cut. They cut faster than the DeWalt ones I was buying previously. I'm not sure of the actual brand name of the HF ones but I know they are made in Russia and I picked them up at the HF store in person...
and don't forget the T handle on the grinder. I gives you better control, keeps both hands on the tool. I have tendonitis because of too much time without one.
Do the discs with the metal-re-inforced center seem to hold up better for you guys? My problem with the HF ones if they aren't really tightened down, the center starts to wear throwing 'em off kilter. Bryan
Man I tell ya Norton is the best cut off wheel I have ever used. Most important thing on any cut off tool is do NOT remove the guard. See it all the time on these TV shows ....wonder OSHA is not showing up. Like stated before if you drop one it could have a crack and then at speed explode. Your health and safety is never worth the few bucks in savings.
After I almost lost my index finger I make sure I'm dressed like I'm handling hazardous materials, leather gloves, jacket eye protection and something to cover my melon. Its always when your only going to do something for a second when you get hurt. The best cut off wheel I have used is a brand named Forney. I have only been able to find them at true value. They dont throw large chunks of metal like other ones I have used. Their thin and durable and make awsome cuts and usually only crack and not shatter.
For the big chop saw, I've been using mostly Norton and SAIT. Never had a problem with any of those in about the 18 years I've had a chop saw. I get mine from a mail-order welding shop. Pearl Abrasives aren't too bad, but they wear out a lot faster. Most of the other cheap imported ones wear out super fast and turn to dust and turn your steel blue. Having a good quality chop saw abrasive wheel also saves you time by making clean cuts without tons of flash hanging off the bottom of the cut. The cheap ones turn the steel red hot and sort of melt it and smear it instead of actually cutting it, and they turn the steel blue for about 1/2". Good ones barely heat up the steel at all. For 3" cutoff wheels, the best ever are called "Green Corps" and they're made by 3M. They have zirconia abrasives. Zirconia cuts without hardly any heat and instead of the grit wearing smooth, it shatters and leaves another sharp edge to continue cutting. They're expensive, but they outlast the other brands by probably 5 to 1. They cut way faster too. Less dust, less heat. You can't beat 'em. Before I discovered those, I used to use mostly Norton and SAIT. There were some that were made in Japan that worked okay, but I can't remember the brand. The Harbor Freight ones or other cheap imported ones wear out pretty fast, but I've actually never broken one unless I dropped the cutter or stepped on it. I have a note tacked on my door saying "Lotus 3 inch wheels SUCK!" to remind me to never buy Lotus cutoff wheels again.
ALWAYS use the guard. Several years ago I realised you could use the 14" chop saw blades in a 7/9" grinder as one hell of a cutoff blade. Once the blades got down to 7" or so, they were garbage in the chop box, but great cut off wheels. Well, I had one that was just a bit bigger then the guard on the grinder. So, like any REAL MAN, I took the guard off. As I was cutting away, I pulled out of the cut, the blade under no load wound up and imploded. About 1/2 of a 7" disk hit me in the shirt. Hell, didn't even tear the shirt, how cool, but knocked the wind out of me harder then anyone ever has. I looked down at my gut and nothing but a pure white line, but no blood, how cool. OOOOOOOPS, spoke too soon, whithin about 3 minutes blood started POURING out of that white line. After about 24 hours (for a few weeks) I was bruised (every color you ever saw bruises) from my knees to my neck. Still have about a 12" scar on my gut. Guess it coulda been worse,,,,, 12" higher would have probably cut my head off,,,,,,,, 6" lower woulda done the same thing. ALWAYS USE GUARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We use nothing but Metabo {sp?} cut off wheels at work. They have to really be abused to blow up, no metal hub.
I've found that the key to not breaking any kind of cut off wheel is to not twist it whlie it is in the material. Always keep the disk straight with the cut and dont put ANY sideload on the disk. Flat disks are not for curved cuts.
I've been pretty pretty lucky with the 3M Green Corp wheels, I use the 3", 4 1/2", and 14". I have'nt had a single one come apart yet, occasionally I've accidentally dropped my mini cutoff and it has never damaged the wheel. They're fairly felxable wheels and they wear an aweful long time. But still always wear the proper protective gear when using any highspeed cutter, you just never know what can happen.
Thats all we use too, and we use anywhere from 50 to 100 of the 4 1/2" wheels per week. As many as we use, we have tried just about every major brand available figuring out which ones are the best value. Metabo's cost a little more, but they last longer, cut better, and produce less dust. The only time I've ever seen a Metabo explode was after I had dropped the grinder onto the concrete floor while it was running. I have had the center spin out of a couple of them too, but in both cases the wheel just stuck in the metal in one piece.
skotychops has a pretty huge gash on his arm from one of those things... I wanna say he had 50 stitches? i got a pretty sweet battle wound on my leg. he was using the large 4" disc on a makita electric
I'm glad I read this thread. I've used all kinds of brands of grinding disks and cut off wheels in electric and air tools over the years and never had one explode or chip and I know I have put them through their paces. Apparenly I have just been very lucky. I always wear a full face shield and I am usually wearing overalls when I work. Good reminder not to get too confident in some of those cheap tools.
14 inch Chopsaw- Norton "gemini"-no issues 3 inchers-3m Greencorps are the shizznit! when in a pinch, I use the nortons there too. 4 inch angle grinder- I don't use cutting wheels on them. every one I know that has has an interesting scar in a sensitive area. not to mention, less control with that grinder than with a 3 inch cut off tool. if it's deep enough I need a 4 inch cut in it, I usually resort to mans best friend-the good 'ol sawzall with a "demo"blade in it. hot knife through butter!
I use Flex-O-Vit wheels in my 14" Gas body saw and my chopsaw. They last 10x as long as the ones from Home Depot, etc. They also make all the smaller cutoffs and grinding discs. You can find them on ebay for a good price. You will pay dearly for them at a welding shop.
I also have never had a Sait wheel fail unless it was me fault. I cut an artery(blood all over) with one that kicked back about three years ago. After that I bought a cheep 8 inch grinder and turned the head a quarter turn. I can grip it really well and use 8inch cut off disks and a guard.It's Kinda bulky but its never bit me.
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