thin cutting disks, do they break?

[dutchman]

Reading the Cutting Wheel testing proposal from Smith and Arrow made me wonder about the break resistability of the ultra-thin cutting disks (all brands).
I used some very thin ones on a dremel and those little disks splintered like crazy if you didn't grind with the correct angle. Completely broken to pieces. I never had a regular size cutting disk do that.
How about those thin cutting disks, are they as strong as the regular ones?

 

[simon718]

not as strong as the thicker ones, for obvious reasons, iv only ever had one break in use and that was through me trying to cut through threaded bar on a sign box, and twisting the grider to stop the gaurd catching. Don't half scare ya when they break

 

[shenion]

They do break, not as bad as the dremel ones. They are fiber reinforced; that helps. prevent them from shattering. Usually chips will come off before they break.

I had one shatter, left a bruise on my stomach.

I have a rule, if the die grinder falls over and hits the wheel; I step on it and crush it. Any change of a cracked wheel and I stomp on it to force me to get a new wheel the next time.

 

[fingers99]

Shenion, which size do you use on your die grinder? And what does your arbour look like? I can certainly think of times where a die grinder would be more weildy than an angle grinder.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

I had one go last week as I was tired and the grinder twisted slightly in my hands. It went with a fair old bang and bits flew off it, although it stayed mostly intact and made a funny 'whizzing' sound so I knew it was ********.

You should wear goggles and gloves when grinding/cutting anyway but especially when using thin disks as you only have to wobble slightly and it could crack fairly big pieces off the edge of the disk.

Regards
Peter

 

[Wozzaaah]

I know some people don't like them but full face shields are ideal for those thin discs, they offer so much more protection than just goggles. I'd hate for a piece of broken disc to hit me in the face, it could be pretty nasty .
I've started wearing my leather apron for cutting and grinding too, my near miss with the wire cup brush and the old meat and two veg gave me a bit of a wakeup call.

 

[migmag]

Small accidents are important to keep you on your toes........

 

[TurboShed]

So are near misses

 

[Paul.]

I know some people don't like them but full face shields are ideal for those thin discs, they offer so much more protection than just goggles. I'd hate for a piece of broken disc to hit me in the face, it could be pretty nasty .
I've started wearing my leather apron for cutting and grinding too, my near miss with the wire cup brush and the old meat and two veg gave me a bit of a wakeup call.

I know said this somewhere here a few days ago but, a friend of mine lost his front teeth and a part of his nose to a shattered disk, full face screen for me nowadays.

 

[knoba]

I use Norton thin metal cutting discs almost exclusively. Sometimes I accidentally stress them out by twisting them in the cut. I have yet to see one break, even with an occasional chip in the edge, they still keep going.

The cost of a disc is not always the best reason to buy it.

I'm careful to always have the angle grinder guard turned towards me and always wear a brow guard, ear defenders, and a leather apron and rigger gloves when cutting.

I tried the Makita 1mm discs and even though they give a fine cut (like the thickness of a hacksaw blade) I found they just didn't last as long and I had to keep changing them out, but I would use them again if the job demanded it. The thickness & quality of the Norton's are good.

 

[Hitch]

I have mentioned it a few times before, i like these, the facesheild part is removeable, and you get the safety level of fully enclosed goggles. Replaceable lenses aswell.
If anyone decides to buy some be carefull, most places sell the sheild and goggles seperate

Sometime a full sheild is nothing but a hinderance.

Bottom of the page

 

[Paul.]

I have mentioned it a few times before, i like these, the facesheild part is removeable, and you get the safety level of fully enclosed goggles. Replaceable lenses aswell.
If anyone decides to buy some be carefull, most places sell the sheild and goggles seperate

Sometime a full sheild is nothing but a hinderance.

Bottom of the page

I agree they are very good, they fit over your glasses as well, Mrs TP thinks I look like an extra from star wars, when I'm wearing it.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Lawson sell them too but they don't seem to sell the goggles that it fits on to.

 

[Hitch]

Axminster powertools used to do them....

 

[aametalmaster]

I never had a regular size cutting disk do that.
How about those thin cutting disks, are they as strong as the regular ones?

I hit my neighbors house with one a few weeks ago. It just flew apart...Bob

 

[Smith & ARROW (UK) Ltd]

Yes, thin discs can break. However, most tools can break - weather or not they do, depends largely on how they are used.

It is always important to choose the correct tool for a particular job. Using the wrong tool for a job probably means that the tool has to be used in a way that it was not designed for, which can be hazardous. People use the wrong tool for a job for many reasons - for example they are in a hurry and don’t take the time to change from one tool to another tool when moving to a different part of a job. Or perhaps they have never been educated on the correct use of a tool and know no better. Or perhaps they use the wrong tool on a job because are just "interested" to see if works, or because it is the easiest and simplest option at the time.

Usually, if the tool used is of a good quality, and it is used correctly, there is very little chance of it breaking - however, even in these cases, tools can break. No human is so perfect that they will never make a mistake using even a good quality tool, used correctly on a job it is designed for. No manufacturing process is flawless and all machines and consumables have the capacity to fail.

The potential outcomes that can be expected from using the wrong tool for a job, or using the right tool incorrectly, can range from amusing, to life threatening, depending on the tool and the circumstances. Some cutting wheels spin at 20,000 revolutions per minute. This is fast. Anyone who does not protect themselves against the worst case scenario when using any tool, is exposing themselves unnecessarily to a risk that is reflective of the hazards potential to the tool they are using.

Every effort should be taken when using any grinding machines with any brand of cutting or grinding discs, to protect the head and neck, hands and torso of the user – simple.

On thin cutting wheels in particular… By definition, thin cutting wheels are not the same as thick cutting wheels, and as such should not be used in the same way. A 3mm thick cutting wheel is 3 times as thick as a 1mm cutting wheel, however, this does not necessarily equate to a direct correlation in terms of strength and forgiveness. There is an element of synergy that applies in the equation, not dissimilar to when a 2 lane road is built to replace a 1 lane road – the volume of traffic that can travel safely along the road does not double, it increases exponentially to a multiplier of 3 or more. In other words, a 3mm cutting wheel is significantly stronger and significantly more forgiving with regards to twisting, bending, and other “misuses” than a 1mm wheel. Misuse, or pushing the boundaries of the functionality a 3mm wheel is significantly less likely to end in tears than doing the same with a 1mm wheel.

Ultrathin cutting wheels (0.8mm – 1.3mm) should only be used for straight cuts - NO BENDING, TWISTING OR FLEXING AT ALL and should not be pushed – the user should allow the “weight” of the grinder to do the work. That’s it. They are not designed to be used in any other way.

Having said that, good quality 1mm Cutting Wheels, if used correctly in the right circumstances, have some amazing benefits. They cut very fast and as such, not only save time in the cutting process, but can significantly reduce the time required for clean-up work on products such as stainless steel, because they cut so quickly there is less burning and marking. Also, because they are thin, when used on curved surface, such as a car panel, they take out very little material and allow for easier, smoother rejoins.


To sum up, it is important to use the correct tool for a particular job, and to be well informed as to how to use that particular tool properly as well as to take sensible precautions to protect yourself against the rare occasion when even the right tool for a job, used correctly, fails.