New tools you've bought recently?

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Working with all of this aluminum is great, using just woodworking tools. But there are times I need to use the angle grinder with a grinder disc, or the other angle grinder with a cut off wheel. I thought it was a nightmare, because they would just stay clogged and overheat..

Harbor freight had a special on one of the 4 1/2 inch carbide tipped saw blades that fits on an angle grinder. Check out this nightmare:

View attachment 109358

I love the old science-fiction movies, and all kinds of adventures and thrillers and spy movies, but I never liked the chop them up horror movies.

And now I can make my own!

I tried this on a couple of the pieces of aluminum, and the results were amazing. Not straight, not quality, not what I wanted, but absolutely amazing that I still have 10 fingers, two arms, and both of my ears.

I don’t know what I was thinking with my bad eyesight and shaky hands, but now I have enough adrenaline to finish 10 more projects. Be careful what you wish for!

Gives a whole new meaning to “death wheel”, lol! Man that thing looks wicked dangerous. So far I haven’t had need to do such a thing, but glad to know it works for aluminum without being stupid dangerous.

 

[Rick W]

Gives a whole new meaning to “death wheel”, lol! Man that thing looks wicked dangerous. So far I haven’t had need to do such a thing, but glad to know it works for aluminum without being stupid dangerous.

Read my post again. It definitely cuts like crazy, but it’s a new level of stupid dangerous!

 

[scotts90ranger]

Get yourself the most course flap disc you can find, probably 40 grit, they don't clog up as bad... and probably skip the HFT versions and go for a name brand as they have better coatings on the abrasive... not that I've ground a whole lot of aluminum but I'm pretty sure that's the correct approach unless you want to use a die grinder and a carbide burr...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Get yourself the most course flap disc you can find, probably 40 grit, they don't clog up as bad... and probably skip the HFT versions and go for a name brand as they have better coatings on the abrasive... not that I've ground a whole lot of aluminum but I'm pretty sure that's the correct approach unless you want to use a die grinder and a carbide burr...

Yeah, I usually buy Diablo for cutting/grinding/sanding. Pricey, but they are usually made either in USA, Switzerland, or Italy and the quality shows. Metabo is a good second choice. For the bit of grinding aluminum I’ve had to do so far, a flap disk or carbide burr for aluminum is the ticket. For cutting, I’ve usually gone with a sawzall blade or bandsaw.

 

[Roert42]

Yeah, I usually buy Diablo for cutting/grinding/sanding. Pricey, but they are usually made either in USA, Switzerland, or Italy and the quality shows. Metabo is a good second choice. For the bit of grinding aluminum I’ve had to do so far, a flap disk or carbide burr for aluminum is the ticket. For cutting, I’ve usually gone with a sawzall blade or bandsaw.

I get all my grinding stuff from XP Abrasives, order them off their website. Inexpensive, all made in USA or Europe, great quality, and a lot of variety. I think they are based in north Jersey so fairly local to me as well.

 

[Shran]

@Rick W you frighten me, homie. I can only imagine that thing getting bound up or coming apart... these grinder wheels are out of control. Have you seen that chainsaw disc that Harbor Freight sells?

With all the talk of how dangerous table saws are lately, I just have to comment that I think grinders are FAR worse. One of my buddies from high school took a cutoff wheel to the face when it came apart, he had to get like 70 stitches to put his lips back together. Of course he posted pics on Facebook, it was an awful deal.

 

[Rick W]

@Rick W you frighten me, homie. I can only imagine that thing getting bound up or coming apart... these grinder wheels are out of control. Have you seen that chainsaw disc that Harbor Freight sells?

With all the talk of how dangerous table saws are lately, I just have to comment that I think grinders are FAR worse. One of my buddies from high school took a cutoff wheel to the face when it came apart, he had to get like 70 stitches to put his lips back together. Of course he posted pics on Facebook, it was an awful deal.

Amen. I already retired this $4 blade after trying it on scrap for about 15 minutes. And I have seen the chainsaw wheels. Frankly, I think they would be much safer than this thing!

When I was a kid, I was a gymnast, rings, and I was like one solid muscle. I don’t think I could’ve controlled this thing back then!

I always wished angle grinders had a better handle, because they can whip around pretty quickly, even with a mild grinder doing something simple. If this saw blade had very fine teeth, it would probably be a lot safer for what I’m trying to do, but would probably still be scary. Actually, the thing cut the aluminum like a dream, but it was virtually impossible to control. Not so much out of control that I was worried about it kicking back on me, but there was no way in the world to do anything fine with it.

My challenge was to cut a thin slice into a piece of aluminum, or get in a corner and cut a weld loose. Since the regular grinding wheels and cut off discs kind of slide over the aluminum, but it still slows it down, I could tell all it was going to do if I pressed on was to overheat the grinder and ruin it.

I joked this saw blade is a horror story waiting to happen. I’ll keep using my cut off blades and grinding discs and just go slow. All my stuff is fooling around, I don’t have any deadlines, nor do I have any death wish!

 

[Rick W]

I showed the death wheel, a 4 1/2 inch carbide tip sawblade that goes in an angle grinder the other day. I was trying to use it to cut some aluminum and do a couple other things and gave up in literally minutes fearing for my life. The blade was only three dollars, and it was a learning experience, so no biggie..

I brought it back into the inventory. I’m working with this used aluminum, and you can cut it with a circular saw, bandsaw, all kinds of woodworking tools, which is great. But as I’m working with it, there are surface defects like where something was welded, that are very difficult to grind down with an angle grinder.

On a lark, I took the death wheel, and I didn’t try to cut these defects off. Rather, I used it like a grinder and just slid it over the defects just like you would slide the grinder over them on the aluminum it did terrific.

When I split the channels off the beams, I had about 3/16 more or less of the crossbracing sticking up on the surface of the aluminum. I could get it with the grinding, but it would take forever. In the sample I’m showing, I took it down cleaner and smoother than any other method, and I did it in less than five minutes.

I’m very careful how I clamp the piece down and I am totally focused with two hands on the death wheel when I shave the defect off. Now that I have it figured, it will stay in my inventory.

 

[Lefty]

I just bought a dremel circular saw with 4 inch blades one for metal and one for wood. No big woof.

 

[Rick W]

I just bought a dremel circular saw with 4 inch blades one for metal and one for wood. No big woof.

Now that I figured out the death wheel, I also ordered a 4 inch plywood like blade. Many small teeth, should be much more manageable than the death wheel.

 

[Shran]

Pawn shop scores from the last 7 days:
Milwaukee M18 Hatchet chainsaw
SDS chisel for my hammer drill
Brand new Craftsman 1/2" deep SAE socket set, 3/8 to 1", $5!!!
Several large axle nut sockets
2 gallon air tank