- Thread starter john135
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brightspark
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you get what you pay for using diamond cutting disks norton make quality disks and are high priced. in order to stay in business they sell cheaper blades as well called premium quality 
that says it all
that says it all
Yes - they work. You've just reminded me why I bought my 9" angle grinder years ago - to cut down a number of RSJ's.
I bought a diamond tipped blade (Screwfix of some description) and it did the job. In fact, it's cut everything I've asked of it since - which isn't a lot to be fair - Tarmac, some steel tube and Concrete base.
That's what I thought. Wouldn't the blade overheat?
timgunn1962
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The Diamond cutting discs for metal work ok. I've not tried the 9", but use the 4 1/2" Lenox one on my 18V site grinder all the time.
It cuts noticeably slower than a thin disc and certainly isn't the answer to every situation. You'll need to have a think and work out whether it is likely to work in your specific application.
I use them for a number of reasons. For site work, reducing the amount of stuff thet needs to be carried is a big factor. The long life and the fact that they keep pretty much their full diameter throughout their life is a big plus, but their main advantage for me is that there's no real chance of a disc shattering. When installing new plant, I often need to cut off the anchors that held the previous plant down to floor level so they aren't a trip hazard. Thin depressed-centre disks are good for this but fragile and wear down quickly. You don't get many m20s before the disc wears down too far to cut right through. Flat cutting discs can only cut at an angle and then need to be followed up with a grinding disc. The flat diamond disc won't get in at floor level because of the spindle nut, made worse in my case because I use a rather bulky tool-less nut to reduce the amount of stuff I need to carry, but it will cut the anchor at an angle and is then rugged enough to grind down the sticky-up bit that remains: certainly not recommended, but it works. Attempting this with normal thin cutting discs, some excitement would be inevitable.
I'm not wholly convinced they'd offer a big advantage in many normal workshop situations. The one time I felt a big benefit in my home tinkering was when cutting lots of bits of 25mm angle for a project: not having the hassle of changing worn down discs was nice. In reality, I don't think it saved much time: the slower cutting probably offset the time saved on disc changes. Full disclosure: I'm somewhat untidy and the big saving was the time that would have been needed to clear enough floorspace to use my chopsaw. This was a very large part of the reason I used the angle grinder.
As far as I can recall, the diamond discs don't have an expiry date. If, like me, you tend to buy 50- or 100-packs of thin cutting discs for a job, use 20, stick the rest on a shelf for years, and end up throwing them in a skip, there may be a cost saving to be had with the diamond jobbies.
It cuts noticeably slower than a thin disc and certainly isn't the answer to every situation. You'll need to have a think and work out whether it is likely to work in your specific application.
I use them for a number of reasons. For site work, reducing the amount of stuff thet needs to be carried is a big factor. The long life and the fact that they keep pretty much their full diameter throughout their life is a big plus, but their main advantage for me is that there's no real chance of a disc shattering. When installing new plant, I often need to cut off the anchors that held the previous plant down to floor level so they aren't a trip hazard. Thin depressed-centre disks are good for this but fragile and wear down quickly. You don't get many m20s before the disc wears down too far to cut right through. Flat cutting discs can only cut at an angle and then need to be followed up with a grinding disc. The flat diamond disc won't get in at floor level because of the spindle nut, made worse in my case because I use a rather bulky tool-less nut to reduce the amount of stuff I need to carry, but it will cut the anchor at an angle and is then rugged enough to grind down the sticky-up bit that remains: certainly not recommended, but it works. Attempting this with normal thin cutting discs, some excitement would be inevitable.
I'm not wholly convinced they'd offer a big advantage in many normal workshop situations. The one time I felt a big benefit in my home tinkering was when cutting lots of bits of 25mm angle for a project: not having the hassle of changing worn down discs was nice. In reality, I don't think it saved much time: the slower cutting probably offset the time saved on disc changes. Full disclosure: I'm somewhat untidy and the big saving was the time that would have been needed to clear enough floorspace to use my chopsaw. This was a very large part of the reason I used the angle grinder.
As far as I can recall, the diamond discs don't have an expiry date. If, like me, you tend to buy 50- or 100-packs of thin cutting discs for a job, use 20, stick the rest on a shelf for years, and end up throwing them in a skip, there may be a cost saving to be had with the diamond jobbies.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Diamond disc was our go to back in the day for slicing roof top plinths.
Straight through the ashphalt, 3:2:1 concrete and two vertical 5/8" BSW / M16 mild steel studs. Knife through butter.
Used to hire from HSS and they would charge for the wear per mm on top of the hire charge.
Got my own now for concrete lintels, gravel boards, kerb stones etc. They have reinforcing rods in.
Straight through the ashphalt, 3:2:1 concrete and two vertical 5/8" BSW / M16 mild steel studs. Knife through butter.
Used to hire from HSS and they would charge for the wear per mm on top of the hire charge.
Got my own now for concrete lintels, gravel boards, kerb stones etc. They have reinforcing rods in.
