Which disc to use with an angle grinder
A complete grind to angle grinding:
Angle Grinding is an unavoidable part of tidying up welds and finishing metal work for painting or polishing. Whether cutting, grinding, sanding or polishing there are a vast array of “consumables’ that you can use. At The Weld Space we try and introduce people to a few different types which Richard Evans, founder of RichCraft Furniture as found helpful over the years when building bespoke furniture pieces.
Angle grinders are a versatile and essential tool in metalworking they rely on a range of consumables to achieve various tasks efficiently and safely. This tasks include aggressively removing excess material to removing mill scale from the material for weld preparation right through to sanding, polishing and buffing. An angle grinder is one of the most dangerous tools in the workshop so if you are going to use one please seek professional advice and at the very least wear all the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment.
Link to Hengxuan Abrasive
For those not familiar with angle grinding; here is a essential list of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is crucial when using angle grinders to ensure safety and minimize the risk of accidents:
Face Shield: Protect your eyes and face from flying debris, sparks, and particles.
Hearing Protection: Angle grinders can be very loud, This noise is not only unbarable! but can damage your hearing. Use earplugs or earmuffs.
Gloves: Protect your hands from hot material and sparks. They also help give you a good grip on the machine.
Aprons: Aprons help keep clothing back and sparks away from your body.
All our courses cover safe and proper use of an Angle Grinder and everyone gets instruction on how to use them safely and properly. In order to achieve a high quality finish to your work piece. Please check out our range of courses online. If you haven’t done so already.
Grinding and sanding discs come in various grits, catering to tasks ranging from coarse material removal to fine surface finishing. The choice of consumables is pivotal, ensuring that angle grinders remain adaptable and effective in the hands of the operator.
Realistically; you also need to keep into perspective cost. Buying and re-buying consumables add’s to a project and can get rather expensive. Using the right wheels at the right time will save you money. When buying angle grinding wheel make sure you buy the right size wheel for your angle grinder and it has the right bore. Most common angle grinders, the ones we use at The Weld Space, require a disc which is 115mm in diameter and have a half inch bore.
Angle Grinding Discs for Material Preparation for Welding
Preparing metal for welding is a crucial step in ensuring good quality of welded joints. It involves a series of steps aimed at removing mill scale and creating ideal conditions for the welding process.
First, the joins around the material to be welded need to be thoroughly cleaned to remove any mill scale. (Mill scale is considered an unwanted byproduct in the steel production process because it can negatively affect the quality of the finished steel product).
These are some of the best Non-Woven Preparation Wheels available on amazon.
They have a number of pros and cons:
Pro:
Excellent removal of mill scale from steel
Reduces the amount of sparks during the process
Easy to use
Cons:
Don’t last very long
Expensive
Create lots of dust.
Angle Grinding discs for removing excess weld material
One of the most commonly used consumables is the abrasive grinding wheel, available for grinding Mild Steel and Stainless Steel. These grinding wheel are extremely hard and good at removing excess weld material from your work pieces. Alongside using used to prepare edges of material ready for welding.
They can be used to remove mill scale from a work piece but often leave deep scratch marks if not used carefully.
You can buy grinding wheels from most hardware stores but these Wheels from R-tech Welding last a long time and work very well.
Pros and Cons of using this Grinding Wheels:
Pro:
Con:
A more expensive option of removing excess weld material is to use a Flap Disc. Flap discs are constructed with abrasive materials such as aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, or zirconium, Which are bonded to a reinforced backing, making them sturdy and durable. They are softer than a grinding disc and more forgiving on the material forming to the profile of your work piece better.
They can use used for de-burring metal parts or for material preparation when using ERW Section of steel. They are available in a wide variety of grits with higher grit discs providing a finer finish. 40, 60, 80, 120 grits are available.
We have found zirconium or otherwise BLUE flap discs last longer and are more abrasives than Aluminum Oxide (Red) .
You can get these at any hardware store they are about £4-5 each.
Pros:
Cons:
Get expensive
Don’t last extremely long
Can clog with Mill Scale material
Want more information on angle grinder cutting discs? Feel free to contact us.
Flap Discs are a great abrasive wheel of choice for most metalwork applications. However if used excessive on a work piece they can create a dishy effect to the surface of the material.
Angle Grinding Discs for Sanding Metal
When you are trying to achieve a higher quality finish to your metalwork and you have ground down your excess material. The next stage is to sand the join this will smooth the gouges and grooves that where left by the grinding disc and flap disc.
Sanding Discs are a more specialist abrasive wheel and not widely available in hardware stores. You can purchase these in packs of 25 or 50 from a local Wellington Welding Store. Or online via Abtec4Abrasves an online supplier of abrasive products. Sanding Dsics are available in 40, 60,80 and 120 Grit.
To use a sanding disc you are required to fix a backing pad to the angle grinder. These are made of hard and soft material. The harder backing pads are more agressive but achieve a flatter surface finish. The softer backing pads are less agressive and more forgiving.
Backing Pads can be purchased online or via Screwfix here.
Pros:
Cons:
Angle Grinding Discs for Finishing & Polishing Metal
When it comes to achieving the highest quality finish for your work piece or project. You need to move to more specialised finishing or polishing wheels. These help blend weld seams without removing material unnecessarily. These wheels can be used for preparing stainless steel for welding or Mild Steel TIG Weld seems but are not for removing mill scale as it will clog the wheel up very quickly.
These non-woven prep and finish wheels need to be used as a pack. You get 4 difference grades from Corse, Medium, Fine and Very Fine. They are perfect to use when finish a piece of metalwork to be powder coated. Sometimes referred to as Surface Conditioning Discs they use special material technology to blend welds and smooth the surface of metal for finishing. Essentially; these wheels buff and grind the material at the same time. The art to using these wheels is to left the wheel to the work. Do not put excessive pressure on the angle grinder.
Working through the grades will ultimately achieve the highest quality finish although they can be used individually for example. Just using the Meidum Disc.
You can purchase individually from Wellington Welding Supply Store or Online.,
Pro:
Cons:
Angle Grinding Discs for Cutting Metal
Cutting discs for angle grinders, also known as cut-off wheels or cutting wheels, are a useful disc for metalworking, and fabrication.
These discs are specifically designed to efficiently cut through a wide range of materials such as Mild steel and Stainless steel. They are composed of abrasive materials like aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, or zirconia alumina, which are bonded together to form a thin, reinforced wheel.
Cutting discs come in various diameters and thicknesses,(1mm through to 5mm) each optimised for specific cutting tasks. The Thinner discs are faster to cut through material with the thicker discs being slower but more accruite.
Being a hand handle cutting tool Cutting discs are no very accurate at cutting straight and square lines. They are a useful back up option if a saw is not available. Or help when cutting odd angles or strange shapes.
Cutting lists are normally available in packs of 10 from any hardware store.
Pros:
Simple to cut metal.
Fast
Con:
The information contained within this post is meant to act as a guide to helping DIY metalworkers achieve amazing finishes to there projects and metalwork. However, it doesn’t replace the chance to trail different consumable grinding wheels or proper tuition gained from experience fabricating many weird and wonderful piece of furniture.
All our courses cover Angle Grinding and metal finishing allowing customers to explore and try the different consumables discussed.
Check out our COURSE PAGE and book on a course to learn more.
Lear
Contact us to discuss your requirements of 7 inch cutting disc. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Howard - for wood Kutzall wheels or Holey Galahad wheels
People will disagree with me but I like Harbor Freight cut off wheels.
https://www.harborfreight.com/merch...half-inch-cut-off-wheels-for-metal-.html
I like Weiler for wire wheels. Available on a Amazon
PPE and awareness of what you are doing is an important part of using an angle grinder. Full face shield is a good idea especially with wire wheels. Those wires like to come loose or break off and come at you. [eek] [eek]
Hearing protection is a great idea too most are noisy.
Try not to have too loose clothing or pieces of it flopping around. It takes micro-seconds to get a piece of clothing caught and wound up, pulling a spinning weapon back at you.
Always wear preferably leather gloves. Don’t ask me how I know. [scared] grinding, cutting etc doesn’t take long too get really hot.
Metal dust is a pain. Hot metal dust embeds into everything. Get it on wood and you can get rust spots if using water based finishes. Try to use outdoors.
The wood sculpting disks make a monumental amount of dust. I use them outside and then grab the leaf blower to clear the area. I using wear a respirator and tight fitting goggles when using them. Dust kept getting in my eyes with glasses Or a full face shield.
Ron
rvieceli said:
Howard - for wood Kutzall wheels or Holey Galahad wheels
People will disagree with me but I like Harbor Freight cut off wheels.
https://www.harborfreight.com/merch...half-inch-cut-off-wheels-for-metal-.html
I like Weiler for wire wheels. Available on a Amazon
PPE and awareness of what you are doing is an important part of using an angle grinder. Full face shield is a good idea especially with wire wheels. Those wires like to come loose or break off and come at you. [eek] [eek]
Hearing protection is a great idea too most are noisy.
Try not to have too loose clothing or pieces of it flopping around. It takes micro-seconds to get a piece of clothing caught and wound up, pulling a spinning weapon back at you.
Always wear preferably leather gloves. Don’t ask me how I know. [scared] grinding, cutting etc doesn’t take long too get really hot.
Metal dust is a pain. Hot metal dust embeds into everything. Get it on wood and you can get rust spots if using water based finishes. Try to use outdoors.
The wood sculpting disks make a monumental amount of dust. I use them outside and then grab the leaf blower to clear the area. I using wear a respirator and tight fitting goggles when using them. Dust kept getting in my eyes with glasses Or a full face shield.
Ron
Excellent advice. I already figured about the hearing and eye protection but wouldn't have considered the other things.
If it is your first grinder I would recommend returning that "spinning wheel of death" and purchasing a -2X which is a braking grinder, so less of a death machine. No people don't actually die, but injuries are very common with grinder that have lock on switches not paddles. It is not uncommon for loose clothing to get caught in the wheel and pull the grinder into flesh. Just google "grinder injuries". Watch your fingers carefully as grinders will eat them up. Wear a full face shield at ALL times, especially with thinner cut off wheels. Facial injuries are very common, which includes the eyes.https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Bionic-.../B001VY3ACE/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Uvex+Bionic+Face+Shield+with+Clear+Polycarbonate+Visor+and+Anti-Fog%2FHard+Coat+%28S%29&qid=&s=hi&sr=1-1
Since you have HD bucks I would just buy some disks from them. 40grit and up as needed. Grinding disks can be most any brand EXCEPT Harbor Freight! They are known to explode. Same with their cutoff wheels. Buy the thinnest cut off wheels from a reputable company which HD should stock. I have been using Makita cutoff wheels lately as I got a good price from Amazon. Flap disks can be pretty much any company, BUT there will always be a difference in quality to money spent. My preference is for the spin on flap disks. Flap disks are used a lot for metal working. I often just buy them from the local welding store while buying gases, as I have an account, and buy in 5-10 packs. Always have a backup to everything, so buy at least two, except cutoff wheels you should buy at least 5-10.
Size, as they are dual sized grinders for 4-5" you can pick and choose what size accessories to buy. Small wheels fit into tighter places. Old cutoff wheels get saved to use when space is confined.
Although I own around 7 grinders my braking Milwaukee is most always my go to 4.5" sized or safety. I have found the 5Ah to not be good for much as it lacks power and dies quickly, but I sometimes have larger grinding projects. Switching to a 8Ah-9Ah battery makes all the difference.
Peter_C said:
If it is your first grinder I would recommend returning that "spinning wheel of death" and purchasing a -2X which is a braking grinder, so less of a death machine. No people don't actually die, but injuries are very common with grinder that have lock on switches not paddles. It is not uncommon for loose clothing to get caught in the wheel and pull the grinder into flesh. Just google "grinder injuries". Watch your fingers carefully as grinders will eat them up. Wear a full face shield at ALL times, especially with thinner cut off wheels. Facial injuries are very common, which includes the eyes.https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Bionic-.../B001VY3ACE/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Uvex+Bionic+Face+Shield+with+Clear+Polycarbonate+Visor+and+Anti-Fog%2FHard+Coat+%28S%29&qid=&s=hi&sr=1-1
Since you have HD bucks I would just buy some disks from them. 40grit and up as needed. Grinding disks can be most any brand EXCEPT Harbor Freight! They are known to explode. Same with their cutoff wheels. Buy the thinnest cut off wheels from a reputable company which HD should stock. I have been using Makita cutoff wheels lately as I got a good price from Amazon. Flap disks can be pretty much any company, BUT there will always be a difference in quality to money spent. My preference is for the spin on flap disks. Flap disks are used a lot for metal working. I often just buy them from the local welding store while buying gases, as I have an account, and buy in 5-10 packs. Always have a backup to everything, so buy at least two, except cutoff wheels you should buy at least 5-10.
Size, as they are dual sized grinders for 4-5" you can pick and choose what size accessories to buy. Small wheels fit into tighter places. Old cutoff wheels get saved to use when space is confined.
Although I own around 7 grinders my braking Milwaukee is most always my go to 4.5" sized or safety. I have found the 5Ah to not be good for much as it lacks power and dies quickly, but I sometimes have larger grinding projects. Switching to a 8Ah-9Ah battery makes all the difference.
I got the new which has the paddle switch without the lock. I did watch some videos and pretty much everyone was in agreement the paddle switch variety was much safer. I have one of those Trend air/pro shields which should provide ample protection.
Years ago, my brother went to work in a metal shop for an oil field supply company. He had never used a grinder before and he accidently touched it to his leg while it was spinning while he was checking his work. It went right through his jeans in a nanosecond and had to be taken down to the hospital for a few stitches.
Peter_C said:
Another thought is what battery platform? Is there a reason you are choosing Milwaukee? What about Makita? Bosch? X-lock quick change disks would be awesome! On that note Makita also just released their new 40 volt line of tools. I might be inclined to take a hard look at them for the future tools yet to come.https://www.makitatools.com/product...-and-polishing/angle-grinders?filters=552_215,_72,_73
Not being brand loyal I have both Makita and Milwaukee so no bias. Just not willing to get another battery platform IE Dewalt.
Battery platform is a consideration. I really would like to avoid multiple chargers and batteries. I have a boat load of Festool but I think their tools isn’t available anymore, at least on their website. I did just discover when I got home from work I don’t have a Milwaukee system, I have a Dewalt! Doh! I am cancelling the Milwaukee and looking at the Dewalt offerings. They do offer a paddle switch model with the safety brake. The aren’t offering the free battery so I’ll the extra battery anyway.
FWIW...if you're doing simple tasks any of the RA grinders will work, if however you're seriously working a bunch of metal, make sure you choose well. For serious metal working tasks the best grinders available are Milwaukee, Metabo & Fein. If you're looking at Metabo, forget the Chinese/Taiwan made grinders.
I've exclusively used Milwaukee RA grinders for the last 30 years and have no regrets. I still use a pair of 12 amp corded Milwaukee 5" grinders along with an 18 volt cordless 5" grinder. They all perform flawlessly because they have the power to lean on them if you need to.
Concrete and block work are another possibility again, if you choose well.
Metal cutoff blades need to be .040"-.045" thick, if they're any thicker, you're just wasting your time. My preferred blades have commercial names, if for no other reason than for safety. To save a couple of bucks on a no-name blade just doesn't make any sense to me. I've kept them commercial and for over 30 years I've yet to have one of them explode.
Here's a photo of some commercial cutoff blades. Notice that the Diablo (Freud), the 3M Cubitron & the Gemini (Norton) all have metal reinforced center holes, while the CGW (what is that?) blade does not. I haven't really used many CGW blades because the others are only 50 cents more.
[attachimg=1]
I keep 2 small Milwaukee metal tool boxes with one labeled grinders and the other labeled cutoff. Here's a view of the grinder box with the 12 amp corded Milwaukee grinder and an assemblage of various accessories. I prefer Pferd flap wheels because of their longevity. However, another really useful item, especially for wood, are sanding discs. They turn the usual RA grinder into a RAS tool because of the 11,000 rpm of the wheel.
[attachimg=2]
And here's a shot of the cutoff tool box. I try to keep certain wheels in certain boxes but because of the spillover when they're in-use lines can become muddied especially when you bring a tool outside to perform a cut-off task and then you also need to deburr that item. Easier to switch a wheel than to go downstairs and grab a different tool box. [smile] The wire wheels are either Weiler or Pferd. Be careful because they will shed their quills like a porcupine. I've walked into the house and had to extract the quills with a tweezers because I usually grind in shorts & a T-shirt...ya I know...
If it's a short grinding session then summer clothing is fine, for longer sessions I'll go with cotton jeans and a cotton long sleeve shirt and possibly leather gloves. I tend not to use the blade guards because they can limit access, however after 30-40 years of using a RA certain things come automatically like always knowing where the grinding wheel is and never setting it down until it completely stops.
If possible, try to keep the mess outside because RA grinders are very messy. New items are being developed/adapted every year for the RA grinder. When I purchased my first Metabo over 40 years ago, the only options were a 1/4" thick grinding wheel and a simple circular wire wheel. Cup wheels, thin cut off wheels, flap discs, Galahad & Kutzall wood discs, diamond concrete wheels and 3M paint stripping discs are all relatively new improvements.
[attachimg=3]
Right angle grinders are kind of like routers, the more you use them the more you'll end up with. I usually work outside and have 3 to 4 grinders plugged in. One has a cut off wheel, one has a grinding wheel, one has a non-woven stripping disk ( like the purple thing just above the grinder in Cheese's middle pic) and a wire wheel. It interrupts my work flow to keep changing disks. [wink]
I'm slowly changing everything over to Metabo grinders. But stay away from the very cheapest ones because they have off-shored those. Fein also makes an excellent RA grinder.
Unless what you are working on is big and heavy, you'll need some way to hold it. Clamp to a table, a vise etc.
When you are working on metal stay away from synthetic fabrics in work clothing. Polyester, nylon those types. Hot metal dust and chips love those. They melt beautifully. [scared] Don't ask me how I know. [crying] Try to stay with at least 100% cotton for your shorts and tank top. [tongue]
I follow this guy on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/blend_fabrication/
Brandon is truly an artist with a grinder and a blending disk.
These three folks are amazing with wood and carving wheels:
https://www.instagram.com/nugeandwood/
https://www.instagram.com/casey__mccafferty/
https://www.instagram.com/benoitaverly_sculptor/
Ron
Peter_C said:
Biased much Cheese? [unsure] For cordless there are still Makita, Dewalt, Bosch, and I am sure others too. X-LOCK IS superior to Milwaukee's toolless nut, and I know because I have the cordless Milwaukee. I so wish I could push a button and change the accessory, but I am sure Milwaukee will eventually catch up.
Ya I am biased...I guess I didn't realize that for tough metalworking projects recommending the best of the best suddenly became a flash point. I thought this forum was all about recommending the best tool for the job. As I previously stated, for simple tasks, any RA grinder will do and for many DIY'er's, any RA grinder will work well. However for those committed to serious metal working and concrete fabrication you need to purchase something that is capable of a long useful life of use. So that's it...if you want something less expensive, so be it, it's your decision.
Have you ever mounted a 1# diamond segmented cement wheel onto a 5" RA grinder and spun it up to 11,000 RPM? It's not a bad trip spinning up but it can be a "come to Jesus moment" while it's spinning down. Do that a 100 times and that "alternative tool" will certainly be toast.
My thoughts are this forum is viewed by a wider audience then we know, and consequently, you need to give out the best advice that you have. I've never been let down by purchasing premium equipment...I've usually been let down by purchasing inferior equipment.
Peter_C said:
Biased much Cheese? [unsure] For cordless there are still Makita, Dewalt, Bosch, and I am sure others too. X-LOCK IS superior to Milwaukee's toolless nut, and I know because I have the cordless Milwaukee. I so wish I could push a button and change the accessory, but I am sure Milwaukee will eventually catch up.
I think you should be able to recommend certain brands without being attacked for not being all-inclusive. I have no experience with Milwaukee, but I do know Metabo is regarded as the #1 brand for grinders over here, and Fein is respected for about everything they make.
On the other hand, the brands you name, Makita, DeWalt and Bosch, are seriously deteriorating in quality as they have found the big box DIY stores and are making machines for that price point. When I was in Germany last year for 3 months I was disgusted to see Makita and Bosch grinders everywhere for prices as low as 50-60 euros, which is ridiculous, and they all felt like plastic toys instead of the brick a good grinder should be. DeWalt has been know for years to be like that.
X-Lock superior to the toolless nut? Why? Because you can change discs faster? That's a narrow way to look at it. Yes, it is faster, but the grinder is not a tool where you change discs every 3 minutes and for the once or twice a day you have to change a worn cut off disc (sometimes weeks) you get a couple of huge drawbacks in return.
Like the fact that you change a very simple metal shaft with a thread into a complicated mechanism that spins at 10.000 RPM, well, my ELU grinder is 25 years old and still as good as the day I bought it, I would like to see in 25 years if we can say the same about the X-Lock shaft.
And the fact that a connection as simple and universal as a hole is now turned into a patented X shape where everybody that wants to use it has to ask daddy Bosch if they can license it for a big lump of money. Well, that's not gonna happen, period. One of the great things that makes grinders so popular is that you can find tons of accessories for it from every brand imaginable and they all fit together because you can't patent a hole.