cmac,

please, please put that guard back on! you scarin' me, brother! scenario: you are pushing on something to cut, something happens where the grinder moves forward with your hand, hits another object, but your hands still slide fwd on the shaft of the grinder. i guarantee you will cut yourself really bad. if you must, the grinder's guard can be loosened and repositioned, but make sure at least 1/2 of it is positioned aft.

as others have said, protective gear is so important. heavy work gloves, ear plugs, googles AND face shield. i also use a 3M dust mask when doing any kind of cutting and especially grinding---all that fine metal dust in the lungs is NOT good for you. long pants and shoes (no sandals) are important too. ever drop a grinder, and you'll know what i mean

on another note, sometimes i close the garage door b/c i dont want my neighbors to see me with all that ch#t on my head

as to using a cutting disk with copper pipes, i dont see the big deal, unless you need to make precision cuts parallel to the length of the pipe. if so, i can see the difficulty of doing so, but really all you'd have to do is to use one of those rulers with the sliding levels on it (i forget the name of htis tool, sorry) in combination with a sharpie pen to draw a line around the circumference of the pipe and then cut accordingly

I don't have a guard on mine because it usually gets in the way, and I'm left handed. Very annoying since grinders are all right handed. With a stone or metal cutting blade, I just go with decent gloves. I'm much more concerned about my eyes. I'd never put a wood cutting blade on there w/o a guard though.

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1984 300TD

I'd never use glove with ANYTHING using a spindle.



your just asking to be sucked in.

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

Angle grinders rule!
We use them in the shop for heavier cutting jobs, pipes, rods, steel profiles and such.
For lighter jobs, like sheet metal, the compressor driven nibbler is superb.

Protection is important but sometimes it's just impractical. When you're laying under the car with ˝ foot clearance to the object you're going to cut, rust and dirt falling in your face (it always seems to target my nostrils) and that long lost 22mm wrench you just found between your back and the floor.. then you go without protection, start up the grinder, close your eyes and hope for the best!

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Tomas, Sweden
1966 Mercedes Benz 230S with OM617.912, automatic. Disk brakes from W108
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD grey, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual
1983 Mercedes Benz 300TD blue 7-seater, OM617.912 and 5-speed manual

Normally I'd agree, but the blade is going to get you before the arbor can. Leather gloves work well for me. I've gone gloveless too, but the sparks eventually get annoying the times I have to cut left handed/backwards.

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1984 300TD

No, that was the other guy in the post, probably the OP. I did it out in the open somewhere.

I agree, running power to tight spaces when you don't need to is uh . . . . . . not needed.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I've never had that problem -- there's a little toggle lever that you slip back with your fingers before the paddle will push down and it's always worked for me.

The kind of switch you mention drives me crazy. Angle grinders should always be the temporarily on, normally off type, IMO. Like on a skil saw.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I used to clean up some bigger copper wire back when that was the price -- wish I'd saved the stuff for now.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I sorta go along with that . . . . however, on one of my jobs when I had to put the guard back on, I noticed one benefit was that it was much easier to put the grinder down while the wheel was coasting to a stop w/o damaging anything. I did cut myself once sorta nasty when the guard might have prevented it . . . . might have.

Not using the guard is in my genes. When my old man built house in NM, guys down there all used sidewinder skil saws -- never even saw a wormdrive til I moved north.

Anyway, first thing my dad would do when he bought a saw was take the blade guard off. He'd set the saw down sideways.

Cowboys . . .

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I'm just a DIY guy, and have noticed the same thing with both brands. I prefer Makita myself, but the one's sold at Home Depot look to be poorly made. I guess everything is built to a price point these days.

Yah, true, but who woulda' ever thought copper would be sellin' at today's prices?

Hell, I thought anything around a $1.00/lbs. was golden!

If I run into copper now, I'll just hang onto it 'til it's at $10.00/lbs., then I'll regret that price when it hits.....

We're never happy with what we git...and we ALWAYS regret that.

What's the saying? "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

Sadly, not true...

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M. G. Burg
'10 - Dakota SXT - Daily Ride / ≈ 172.5K
.'76 - 450SLC - 107.024.12 / < .89.20 K
..'77 - 280E - 123.033.12 / > 128.20 K
...'67 - El Camino - 283ci / > 207.00 K
....'75 - Yamaha - 650XS / < 21.00 K
.....'87 - G20 Sportvan / > 206.00 K
......'85 - 4WINNS 160 I.O. / 140hp
.......'74 - Honda CT70 / Real 125
.
“I didn’t really say everything I said.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Yogi Berra ~

FYI my Dewalt grinder like cmacs is about 5 years old and has the switch on the back and its a sealed switch, not a lever. I have cut granite, marble, tile, rebar, ect... with it and never had it fail.



cmac--come down and sharpen all the blades on my batwing mower wearing shorts with your grinder and I bet you put that guard back on

Of course, you're right. And storing a bunch of copper wire would be a PITA. I make 3 or 4 hundred a year these days just from saving old plumbing stuff -- faucets, angle stops -- anything brass, copper, or aluminum.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Oh hey, that sounds like fun!

I really should put the guard back on. I did cut myself once nasty with those skinny wheels. They can grab in the cut -- these days I clamp or vise the work down and use both hands on the tool . . . . . duhh . . .

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K