angle grinder says no cut-off wheels??

[Fred85]

I'm completely new to angle grinders and tools of the such, but i just acquired a hitachi 4" angle grinder (model #g 12sr2) and it states in the manual not to use cut off wheels on it, why??

i thought people use cutoff wheels on their grinders all the time......

[BrettM]

i don't know anything about your particular model, but I have used dozens if not hundreds of cut-off wheels on 4.5" angle grinders, and I've seen 4" cutoff wheels also.

[needsrepair]

Pay attention to the speed ratings, wear safety glasses, and keep important body parts out of the line of fire just in case the wheel breaks.

[5-90]

I think it largely depends upon the centre type - most cutoff wheels have a "flat centre," while grinding wheels usually have a "depressed centre."

Granted, I tend to use depressed centre grinding wheels to cut metal anyhow, so I don't see a problem - just a wider kerf, and takes a bit more time.

5-90

[sethjasonp]

just got done cutting a leafspring itet out because bolt was rusted in bushing sleave with a 4.5 inch grinder from harbor freight, worked great!

[Matthew Currie]

I've never had any problem with using cutoff wheels in angle grinders, except that some grinders have stepped washers and nuts which will not tighten fully on a thin wheel, so you may have to turn the nut upside down, or make some other accommodation, and you must also watch out if the grinder is designed for offset-centered wheels, that the cutoff wheel doesn't interfere with the guards. It is also possible with a cutoff wheel for the nut to become insanely tight on what is left of the wheel, and to be very difficult to get off. Some grinders have pathetic little wrenches that will break when you do this.

Resist the temptation to use it without a guard. And do wear all the appropriate gear, because a cutoff wheel can fly apart in ways that regular grinding wheels generally do not.

[Smittty9785]

i used a 4.5" angel grinder with a cut off wheel and thats what i used to chop the top of my cherokee and cut the fenders.. so i dunno

[SeanP]

i built a huge part of my XJ with two HF 4.5" $17 angle grinders, a couple hundred cut off and grinding wheels and I still have one of those grinders.

I am asking for a pair of Milwaukees with paddle/dead man's switches for safety.

SeanP

[Ramsey]

Only thing I hate about the harbor freight ones is the on/off switch, dead man type would be much much better

[BrettM]

I caught the 4.5" HF grinders for $8.99 on sale, bought 4, leave one setup with a cutting wheel, one with a grinding wheel, one with a flap disc, and one with a wire wheel.... love it. I still haven't killed one, and I've killed 3 $60 DeWalts.

The nice ones don't have nearly as much vibration though; 20 minutes with a HF grinder will leave your hands tingley.

[KarlVP]

I caught the 4.5" HF grinders for $8.99 on sale, bought 4, leave one setup with a cutting wheel, one with a grinding wheel, one with a flap disc, and one with a wire wheel.... love it. I still haven't killed one, and I've killed 3 $60 DeWalts.

The nice ones don't have nearly as much vibration though; 20 minutes with a HF grinder will leave your hands tingley.

HF also offers a warranty for $6, you can buy 4 grinders and one warranty. Then replace as necessary. I've gone through 2 HF grinders in the past year. That one warranty was worth it.

[rocklandxjer]

kind of off topic, but does anyone on here have a makita grinder.

Ive been struggling to get the wheel off for days now because it need replacement, but it seems to be seized in there.. its my buddy's so im not sure if im taking it off right. i got the wrench on the little inner nut, but i cant seem to spin the head off.

i feel like an idiot lol, ive rebuily my cheapo hand sanders countless times, my drill press, all sorts of tools ive fixed or serviced, but i cant get the damned wheel off my angle grinder...

what am i doing wrong?

[rocklandxjer]

eh, never mind. as soon as i said that i tried again and got it...

dont feel THAT stupid now, too bad it was too late to edit

[Matthew Currie]

eh, never mind. as soon as i said that i tried again and got it...

dont feel THAT stupid now, too bad it was too late to edit

First time I put a cutoff wheel on my stout and long-lived (about 25 years) old AEG, I broke a pin off the wrench trying to get it off. If you've been using thicker wheels on it, the threads can get kind of caked up at the base, and really hard to get apart again.

[rocklandxjer]

yea, i noticed a little meshing going on at the base, i filed it down and it worked good as new,

man, the cutting wheels sure do get the cutting jobs done much faster, but damn do they wear out fast!!

[87manche]

yea, i noticed a little meshing going on at the base, i filed it down and it worked good as new,

man, the cutting wheels sure do get the cutting jobs done much faster, but damn do they wear out fast!!
yeah, I went though 3 4 1/2 cutoff wheels while cutting one fender. But I was being rough on the equipment.
Damned MJ rear fender, has 3 layers of metal and some rust in there, not easy on wheels.

[rocklandxjer]

thats why when i cut the trapezoid pieces off the fenders at first i just jumped to a grinding wheel. works just as good, and it doesnt burn unless you just hold it there

[87manche]

I was using the electric to do the straight parts.
I used the air powered 3" to do the curved parts. Easier to handle, just not as powerful.

[nhrocker]

I've got a cheapo Ryobi 4.5" that I use for most stuff. It takes depressed center wheels but any depressed center cutoff's that I found were too thin to clamp in it, so I just tossed a large washer on there with the thin discs, no problems so far.

I've also got an old Rotozip that I fitted with a 1/4" arbor for 3" cut off discs. It works better than any air powered ones I've used. It won't stall out like air ones did for me. It'll kick back almost as much as my 4.5".

Cutting the fenders on my XJ took me about 2 cutoff discs for each. Just keep them straight in the cut and they last a lot longer.

[rocklandxjer]

yea, patience is the best friend of cutting.

ive found that shallow slow surface cuts are much easier on the blade and the metal than quick cut-through cuts

[87manche]

I'm pretty sure it was the rust and bondo that did my discs in. very abrasive.
COuld also be that I bought the $1.89 wheels at home depot, who knows how good those things were.

[toolmantim]

Get a metabo if you want one to last forever.

I know it's alot of money....they drop off of bridges...and cut. Damn things have almost took my face off, but they are :yelclap:

Sparks down (if possible) and face away.:gee:

[nhrocker]

I'm pretty sure it was the rust and bondo that did my discs in. very abrasive.
COuld also be that I bought the $1.89 wheels at home depot, who knows how good those things were.I use the same wheels from home depot and I've been happy with them, but you're right about the bondo. I noticed the same thing when I was cutting off my rocker panels. They'd been "repaired" only a couple years before with large amounts of filler where they'd been bashed in. When I went to cut them off wherever I hit body filler it would chew through the disc a lot faster.

[BrettM]

the 10 pack of cutting discs from Harbor Frieght are the best deal going for cutting wheels. they don't last as long as a good Sait disc, but they're way cheaper, especially if you stock up when they're on sale.