Chirping birds, blooming flowers, and longer days are the first signs of spring. But in the Travers’ house, spring is officially sprung when I break out my angle grinder to hone the edges and knock the rust off of tools that I’ve ignored since the previous fall. And once my angle grinder is out, it isn’t likely to get put away for quite some time. That’s because it’s one of the most capable and powerful tools I have for the annual spring spruce all around my home.
Admittedly, I didn’t always think of my angle grinder as an all-purpose power tool. In fact, I bought my first angle grinder solely to sharpen the blade on my lawn mower myself rather than pay too much and wait too long for the local service center to do it for me. But when I discovered the wide range of wheels that are available for an angle grinder, I started to imagine all the ways I could use the tool. Before long, I was grinding, cutting, and sanding all around the house, yard, and shop.
Of course, matching the best wheel to any job is important, and I’ll get into that in more depth momentarily. But the first thing you need to do is equip yourself with a grinder that’s up to the work.
GRINDER GAUGES
In my opinion, there are three key measures to an angle grinder: power, control, and convenience.
On the question of power, nothing less than 5 amps will do. Anything smaller will make metal or concrete cutting difficult and slow. And overworking a lightweight tool will just shorten its life expectancy.
As for control, keep in mind that in most cases you’ll be setting the fast-spinning wheel against a material that doesn’t cut easily. Sometimes the wheel will be flat against the material, and other times just the edge of the wheel will contact the workpiece. So you’ll need to be able to keep a firm grip on the grinder regardless of what position you’re working in.
Finally is the matter of convenience. As I’ve already pointed out, the versatility of any angle grinder relies on matching the best grinding wheel to a given job. So changing wheels should be as effortless as possible.
For all those reasons, the Skil model 9290-01 is a great choice. The 6 amp motor provides more than enough power for most grinding jobs. And the shape of the grinder, along with quick release guard and a side-assist handle, let you acquire a comfortable grip in a number of positions. Finally, a push-button spindle lock makes wheel changes quick and easy.
SAFETY FIRST
One more important point I need to make about angle grinders is that there are some basic precautions you should always take when using these tools. Those are:
• Always wear a face shield or safety goggles and gloves
• Use the side assist handle and wheel guard whenever possible
• Position yourself, the grinder, and the workpiece so the dust and/or sparks are directed away from you.
• Keep others out of the area when you are grinding.
• Always hold the grinder so the wheel will spin away from sharp edges of the workpiece.
• Keep sparks away from flammable materials.
• Clamp the workpiece securely whenever possible.
• Always unplug the grinder before changing wheels.
WORLD OF WHEELS
So now that we know what makes for a good angle grinder and understand how to operate one safely, let’s take a closer look at some available wheels and how you can use them.
Metal Grinding Wheel – This type of wheel comes with most grinders and it’s perfect for sharpening lawnmower blades, shovels, spades, and hoes. You can also use this wheel to rough grind an axe and then follow it up with a file to create a truly sharp edge.
Some points to remember when using a grinder for these jobs are:
1. Grind the edge at a consistent angle. You can usually establish this angle by holding your grinder against the existing bevel before turning it on.
2. Grind the edge in long strokes rather than back and forth and keep the grinder moving to avoid over heating the metal.
Metal Cutoff Wheels – These wheels are great for cutting rebar, rusted-on bolts, metal posts, and wrought-iron rails.
These look similar to metal-grinding wheels except that they are much thinner. One trick I’ve learned when cutting with this type of wheel is to orient the work and tool so that you’re cutting downward to use the weight of the tool to your advantage.
Wire Wheels and Cups — These are the best choices for removing rust or flaking paint from metal surfaces. A wire cup is perfect for cleaning relatively flat areas of metal, like the blade of a shovel. A wheel is better for irregular shapes and getting into corners or other nooks and crannies. Wrought-iron rails are a good use for these.
The thing to remember here is that only the tips of the wire actually remove material. So you want to use a fairly light touch with these wheels so that just the tips contact the surface.
Diamond Wheels – Whether it’s notching ceramic tile, cutting an expansion joint in concrete, or removing old mortar from between bricks, diamond wheels are what you need.
Of course, there’s a different wheel for each of these jobs. A tile-cutting wheel has a thin, solid cutting edge to avoid chipping the tile. Concrete cutting wheels are slightly thicker and have several gullets in the edge to eject the material and to help keep the wheel cool. A mortar wheel looks like a concrete wheel except that it’s much thicker.
All of these wheels create an enormous amount of dust, so add a good mask to your list of safety equipment when using these.
Wood Sanding — With a backing disc mounted on your grinder, you can turn the tool is a very capable sander. And by matching the grit of sandpaper to the work, you can do anything from shape wood to sand your entire house, including the brickmold, in preparation for painting.
GET GRINDING
Those are the basics of an angle grinder, and my choices for the most worthwhile wheels to get the most out of the tool. Chances are you can imagine countless other projects around your own home and shop. And if you’ll take a walk down the tool aisle, you’ll probably find a wheel that let’s you accomplish them all.