The angle grinder's power is typically measured in Watts. The higher the wattage,
the more power the grinder can offer. There are also cordless grinders on the market, which offer the freedom to work without wires. However, these do tend to drain batteries very quickly due to the extreme power usage. |
| Most work with angle grinders is done with cutting or grinding discs. The type of disc dictates the type of work you can do. For metal cutting or grinding the discs are usually made from a reinforced abrasive material. For stone and masonry cutting, it's possible to use abrasive cutting discs, or alternatively a diamond cutting disc. Whilst this can be significantly more expensive, the diamond disc is almost always preferred to ordinary abrasive discs since it makes a much cleaner and faster cut, and will out last many abrasive discs so ultimately it represents much better value. A word of advice - using a diamond disc to cut metal will quickly destroy the disc. |
| A side handle can usually be fixed to the body of the grinder in two or three places to help hold the machine steady. |
| While not as dangerous as a circular saw, angle grinders still spin the cutting disc at a very high speed (typically over 11,000 rpm) and the outside edge of the disc will be doing over 80 m/sec, that's nearly 180mph! Allowing a disc to touch any part of your body can result in a serious burn or cut. In addition to ear defenders, gloves and eye protection are essential. If you're using an angle grinder for sanding then respiratory protection is also essential since angle grinders have no in-built dust collection facility. Take care when cutting or grinding metal, since the grinder will produce copious amounts of sparks. |
