Cutting Off

[steam4ian]

G'day all.
Over the weekend I wanted to cut short a billet of 40mm dia BMS. I have an el cheapo arrangement which mounts an angle grinder; the whole lot cost under AUD40.00 including the grinder and wheel. The 40mm blank took some getting through but the device worked; taking care not to force.

Due to workspace rearrangement I had to find a place for this cut off saw and my bench grinder. The bench grinder and cut off saw are now mounted on turn table fixed to a cheapy folding work bench; I can rotate the turn table to get the machine I want; saves space. I must set up a web site and post a picture.

HANDY HINTS
1/ Cut off wheels designed for aluminium cut through brass like butter.
2/ An angle grinder is handy for taking heavy cuts out of tool steel; ie getting rough shaping of HSS tools. (I am considering setting an angle grinder on a bracket and then using the disc face for tool grinding; I have an old drill speed controller to slow the wheel down if needs be.)
3/ An angle grinder and cheap attachment makes a low cost substitute for power hacksaw or band saw.

I wonder what Geometer and Duplex would have made of angle grinders had they been available 50 years ago?

Regards
Ian
(The angle grinder kid!)

[abby]

They would probably have said "bloody noisy sparky things" lol! no seriously I agree very useful bits of kit but I have burned more holes in my clothes from the angle grinder than from the welder.

[ilvaporista]

I too am a convert to the angle grinder. When faced with the necessity to bend 3mm plate without any mechanical means I tried many substitutes. I even tried to use the weight of the car by driving over the stuff propped up on bricks but no luck. Then I spied the trusty angle grinder. I relieved half of the thickness of material by gouging an U shaped slot behind the fold line and then it was easy. If necessary you can run a bead of weld behind the fold in to the groove to stiffen up.

I agree the angle grinder is great for roughing out grinding jobs. After many a spiritual experience (holy clothes...) I fixed up two magnetic bases with pieces of sheet steel attached that serve to deflect the sparks.

[ron]

Having arrived at model engineering via classic car restoration an angle grinder is an essential piece of kit, it was the only thing that would remove the hard crust on an ST Victoria flywheel casting, TCT lathe tools wouldn't even look at it! Just make sure you are well kitted out with PPE, they can do a lot of damage.
Ron

[teakfreak]

I'm another fan of angle grinders, especially when fitted with thin (1mm or 1,5mm) "laser discs" - they can save so much hacksaw work. The downside is that they do produce lots and lots of dust that will do your expensive machinery no good at all, so if you have limited space to work in, make sure all machinery is well covered before starting work. Don't cut steel outside near uPVC windows unless you want them to turn rust coloured (the sparks melt their way into the plastic and theresdue rusts!), and don't allow sparks to fall on a car parked within range - they will burn into paint and glass!