1» Comparing a 5 mm grinding disc, with a 3 mm and 1 mm
cutting disc... Never use a cutting disc to do grinding work.
2» Always use the dedicated tool to tighten the disc; don’t rely
on making the tool just ‘hand tight’. 3» If you’re cutting boards
or sheets of material, make sure the cutting area is supported on
either side. If not supported correctly, you run the risk of the disc
being pinched and the grinder kicking back. 4» The direction of
the sparks shows that the wrong area of the disc is being used
here. If the grinder suddenly ‘bites’ from this position, it’s going
to kick back towards you. 5» Because the tail end of the grinder
is being held too high, the weight of the tool isn’t offering any
kick-back mitigation. 6» The safest way to cut with a grinder is
to use the 8 or 9 o’clock positions on the disc, and to have the
weight of the grinder pointing downwards as a kick-back ‘buffer’.KEEP IT NEW
In my experience, I’ve seldom had a brand-new cutting
or grinding disc kick back on me. Old, cheap, or blunt
discs are a leading cause of angle-grinder kick back. If
you use high-quality discs, and discard anything you’re
unsure about, you’ll greatly reduce your chances of
having a bad angle-grinder experience.STANCE
In a perfect world, you should only ever operate an angle
grinder where you’re able to get your weight – and
a firm stance – behind the power tool. In reality though,
there may be times when you’re forced to cut or grind
something above your head, or even worse, while
standing on a stepladder.
If you find yourself in this situation, make sure the
ladder is securely planted on the floor, and that you
can’t easily fall off with a cutting disc that’s spinning at
11 000 rpm in your hands. Better yet, use scaffolding
if it’s available.
But what if you’re grinding overhead? Unfortunately,
the weight and strength of your arms will be the only
thing fighting the feedback from the tool, so be sure to
take breaks while you work, and don’t over-fatigue your
arms and shoulders.CONFIDENCE IS KEY
I highlighted it earlier... Confidence is everything
when operating an angle grinder. If you feel in control
of the tool, you can even bend the rules in terms of
conventional operation. But it all comes down to
confidence, which is a difficult thing to explain because
... well, how do you define it?
For me, it’s knowing how to firmly control the power
tool so I’m always actively fighting the forces at
play, while acknowledging that if the tool does
decide to do its own thing, I need to be fluid enough
to go with the flow.
Perhaps the best way to describe this is to think of
a vehicle breaking traction on a wet road. Once this
happens, there’s not much you can do to fight it, but
you can still control the direction of the wheels, until
the tyres find traction again.3popularmechanics.co.za MAY / JUNE 2022 77456PH
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» Wear protective clothing,
including gloves and
proper eye protection.
» Keep both hands on the
power tool.
» Never try to hold the item
you’re cutting or grinding.
» Don’t apply too much
force to the power tool.
» Be mindful of sparks
and any potential
combustibles nearby.
» Be aware of the people
around you and make
sure they’re not in
harm’s way.
» Wait for the disc to
come to a complete
stop before putting the
angle grinder down.TIPS FOR SAFER
ANGLE-GRINDER
OPERATION