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Old 12-12-2017, 09:42 AM
rustreapers rustreapers is offline
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Default Trigger lock on an angle grinder.

So the shop owner from across the street walks in to show me his 14 stitches in his leg, three where used to reconnect the muscle. He tells me he had a cutoff wheel on the angle grinder with the trigger lock engaged. The grinder flipped out of his hands failed to shut off. I would rather learn from his mistake then my own!
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Old 12-12-2017, 10:43 AM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rustreapers View Post
So the shop owner from across the street walks in to show me his 14 stitches in his leg, three where used to reconnect the muscle. He tells me he had a cutoff wheel on the angle grinder with the trigger lock engaged. The grinder flipped out of his hands failed to shut off. I would rather learn from his mistake then my own!
Make? Model?
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Old 12-12-2017, 11:00 AM
Mike Rouse Mike Rouse is offline
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Was the guard on and in the correct place?

Mike
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Old 12-12-2017, 12:37 PM
lots2learn lots2learn is offline
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Cuttoff wheels cause a lot of terrible injuries. I wear leather gloves and a welding helmet with clear lens whenever using mine. My Metabo 5" angle grinder has a clutch and a quard that can be adjusted without tools.

Most of us could use cutoff wheels without any protection other than safety glasses our whole lives and never get an injury. But would you want to be missing a finger or an eye when not necessary. Just google cutoff wheel injury images. Some ugly stuff.

When I worked in a machine shop a coworker said he was puzzled how I almost never cut myself in the machine shop(careful) but raced shifter karts that went over 100mph with no seat belt and crashes where common. I explained my cautiousness this way: Your at at party talking up some hot thing, How did you lose your fingers? I would rather say it was in a racing accident(mitigated risk) versus. There was this spinning bit on a machine so I stuck my finger in it.
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Old 12-12-2017, 01:04 PM
hot rivet hot rivet is offline
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This is exactly why i don't like side switch grinders, i only ever use deadman paddle switch and they haven't been sold with a lock on in for about 18 years in europe.
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Old 12-12-2017, 01:47 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lots2learn View Post
Cuttoff wheels cause a lot of terrible injuries. I wear leather gloves and a welding helmet with clear lens whenever using mine. My Metabo 5" angle grinder has a clutch and a quard that can be adjusted without tools.

Most of us could use cutoff wheels without any protection other than safety glasses our whole lives and never get an injury. But would you want to be missing a finger or an eye when not necessary. Just google cutoff wheel injury images. Some ugly stuff.

When I worked in a machine shop a coworker said he was puzzled how I almost never cut myself in the machine shop(careful) but raced shifter karts that went over 100mph with no seat belt and crashes where common. I explained my cautiousness this way: Your at at party talking up some hot thing, How did you lose your fingers? I would rather say it was in a racing accident(mitigated risk) versus. There was this spinning bit on a machine so I stuck my finger in it.
Haha, loved reading this one ...
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Old 12-12-2017, 05:58 PM
Charlie Myres Charlie Myres is offline
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Cutting discs on a grinder bigger than 5" is asking for trouble in my opinion.

The Govt safety organisation in Western Australia, Worksafe, says that there is no safe use for the things and they will prosecute any employee, or employer who has an accident with one!

I don't think the small grinders are unsafe, if used wisely,

Cheers Charlie
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Old 12-13-2017, 08:39 AM
Gareth Davies Gareth Davies is offline
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I have virtually tried to eliminate the use of grinders in my workshop by getting as many parts laser cut as possible. Not only the danger of getting cut but white finger and all the choking dust that they produce. They have a place but my elbows are ruined from over use of a 9” grinder to cut up every job I did for a previous employer. I won’t inflict that on my workers.
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Old 12-13-2017, 11:53 AM
rustreapers rustreapers is offline
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Sorry Kent Make and Model unknown And yes no guard.
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Old 12-27-2017, 04:00 PM
SWT Racing SWT Racing is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystallographic View Post
Make? Model?
Most of the low power (under 5amp) 4.5" grinders have a side slide switch that will lock. The higher power units usually have a paddle switch.

I was actually looking at a 9amp Dewalt this morning at Lowes, and noticed that it had a lock for the paddle switch, which I've never noticed on any of the grinders at work. . .and we have hundreds of them, from all different manufacturers. I never felt the need for one on a grinder with a paddle switch, so I may just have not looked.

I do have two 20 year-old 4" Makita grinders that have the locking slide switch. I will use the lock on them when using a cutoff wheel, or edge grinding with a stone, but it is with lighter pressure and shallow depth of cut, and using both hands to stabilize.
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