gordonendersby
Member
- Messages
- 95
I thought Id try one of the angle grinder stands that are all over ebay.
This one just arrived:
Am Tech Angle Grinder stand.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221050558782?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
After playing with Ive managed to get it to a little less than 1 degree of square. Havnt tried any angled cuts yet but from what Ive found so far I dont think I could improve the accuracy.
Its going to be ok for most of what I want for now and more accurate once set up than me cutting by eye.
Heres what Ive found about its drawbacks if you are thinking of buying one.
The intsructions were sparse and the diagram a poor copy of a poor copy.
But it wasnt difficult to figure out from the photo on the box.
I tried setting it up with an engineers square but there wernt any decent reference points to start from. So I tried a bit of trial and error with a length of 1inch steel tube, cutting off a few mm at a time and checking with a square across the end. You first need to make sure that the disk is vertical at all angles then you can concentrate on getting the vice square.
All the parts are pressed or cast and surprise, surprise they arnt very well finished. I had to file off paint from the vice pieces so they could be set up remotely accurately. The slots for the vice pieces are sloppy so difficult to set up square. Dont even look at the angle pointer,its all over the place.
Theres a fair amount of slop in the hinge of the grinder holder.
The bed of the stand is very thin and seemed to flex as I used it.
Would probably be a bit better if screwed down to something solid.
Its very fiddly getting the grinder in the holder square. It needs to be bolted in by the handle thread holes and braced against adjustable stops. Dont expect to be able to pop it in and out of the holder at the drop of a hat. You cant set it up and clip it in and out. Best to use a spare grinder and have another spare for finishing.
With a 115mm grinder, thin cutting disks wear to the point that you cant cut all the way through very quickly. So you will be changing disks a lot.
The tip of my grinder hits the vice piece with only a few mm below the piece being cut. Maybe theres a grinder which would clear easier.
So you will end up with a lot of barely used blades that you cant use with the grinder in the stand.
Its a pain pressing the trigger release, the trigger and bringing the grinder down without forcing it sideways with the slop in the hinges. Im sure there are several very dodgy ways of solving this.
The vice is small. It just held the 1 inch tube but would hold wider flat or tubed material.
It throws out a lot of sparkly dust out the back. It would be a good idea to bolt an upright board behind it to stop them setting your garage alight.
Hope this is some help for anyone who wants to use a cheap and just about usable tool. If you just need it occasionally for a few small pieces that you cant cut accurately bay hand it will do the job.
It will work for me till I need to justify spending proper money for a proper cut off saw.
Gordon
This one just arrived:
Am Tech Angle Grinder stand.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221050558782?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
After playing with Ive managed to get it to a little less than 1 degree of square. Havnt tried any angled cuts yet but from what Ive found so far I dont think I could improve the accuracy.
Its going to be ok for most of what I want for now and more accurate once set up than me cutting by eye.
Heres what Ive found about its drawbacks if you are thinking of buying one.
The intsructions were sparse and the diagram a poor copy of a poor copy.
But it wasnt difficult to figure out from the photo on the box.
I tried setting it up with an engineers square but there wernt any decent reference points to start from. So I tried a bit of trial and error with a length of 1inch steel tube, cutting off a few mm at a time and checking with a square across the end. You first need to make sure that the disk is vertical at all angles then you can concentrate on getting the vice square.
All the parts are pressed or cast and surprise, surprise they arnt very well finished. I had to file off paint from the vice pieces so they could be set up remotely accurately. The slots for the vice pieces are sloppy so difficult to set up square. Dont even look at the angle pointer,its all over the place.
Theres a fair amount of slop in the hinge of the grinder holder.
The bed of the stand is very thin and seemed to flex as I used it.
Would probably be a bit better if screwed down to something solid.
Its very fiddly getting the grinder in the holder square. It needs to be bolted in by the handle thread holes and braced against adjustable stops. Dont expect to be able to pop it in and out of the holder at the drop of a hat. You cant set it up and clip it in and out. Best to use a spare grinder and have another spare for finishing.
With a 115mm grinder, thin cutting disks wear to the point that you cant cut all the way through very quickly. So you will be changing disks a lot.
The tip of my grinder hits the vice piece with only a few mm below the piece being cut. Maybe theres a grinder which would clear easier.
So you will end up with a lot of barely used blades that you cant use with the grinder in the stand.
Its a pain pressing the trigger release, the trigger and bringing the grinder down without forcing it sideways with the slop in the hinges. Im sure there are several very dodgy ways of solving this.
The vice is small. It just held the 1 inch tube but would hold wider flat or tubed material.
It throws out a lot of sparkly dust out the back. It would be a good idea to bolt an upright board behind it to stop them setting your garage alight.
Hope this is some help for anyone who wants to use a cheap and just about usable tool. If you just need it occasionally for a few small pieces that you cant cut accurately bay hand it will do the job.
It will work for me till I need to justify spending proper money for a proper cut off saw.
Gordon