Thread: 9" grinder which one?

Originally Posted by BobL

I don't think risk comparisons like this are that useful since two wrongs never made a right.

No, but saying something is dangerous and we must do something about it, but equally ignoring something equally dangerous makes your argument look hypocritical..

If an OHS officer went in a factory that had a completely exposed machine running that meant most likely death or at the least serious injury to anyone coming in contact with it, and that machine was located within two metres of a thoroughfare that employees constantly traveled upon would it be banned?

That is the situation with our roads... I am not saying ban driving, but these OHS guidelines are very very particular on what they pick on, it is not a blanket ban on dangerous things, they go after soft easy targets, and ignore the hard targets that would a huge number of people off if they treated them the same...

Originally Posted by .RC.

When working on the wharf you should see the number of "long term experienced" workers that stand under a 20 tonne suspended load...

[snip]

Of course it does not matter if overseas workers maim themselves, out of sight, out of mind...

I got the blame for the first one - loading 20' containers onto the trawl deck of one of our ships. My boss was after me for anything he could find at the time.

Pity he hadn't checked who was in charge of the loading operation as it wasn't me, I was merely the most senior permanent employee present. We did do it though and I was underneath the arc of swing of the container running cables. The powers that be had taken 24 hours in port time off us to load and sail and we had to add a container at the last minute thereby screwing our load plan... cutting corners is what happens, it's called calculated risk.

Anyway on the 2nd point, now you're getting it. If it happens to someone else overseas, it's all good.

I used to be a permanent member of the OH&S committee to short-circuit the worst stupidities. Someone got a hand squashed in a steel watertight door going out onto a weather deck in rough weather. Committee debated removing the doors & replacing them with something lighter to prevent these sorts of injuries. When I was asked for my opinion, I told them I thought it was a wonderful idea provided the intent was to get a new ship after this one sank in the *next* Force 11 gale from stove-in doors.....

God help us if they ever discovered the hydraulic powered doors linked to fire alarms in the engine room and other generally off-limits spaces. Those things shut *fast* and could cut you in half. You did get a 30 second warning though....

I still don't like 9" grinders, FWIW. But whoever commented on the time difference between using one when needed, and trying to use a 5" grinder instead, was spot-on. That's exactly *why* I went and bought one.

PDW

Originally Posted by rat52

This is the definitive word "grinder". Not cutter. If you want to cut steel or stone or tiles then use the appropriate tool. As a grinder they are fairly safe. When used with thin blades to cut is where the trouble starts.

Before I bought my bandsaw the 9 inch grinder was my preferred cutting tool with a cutting disk in it. Still today I will take plate or whatever outside and cut it down to fit in the saw or if the pieces I need will not fit the saw they are cut to size with the grinder.
As long as your on the ball and treat it with respect it will not hurt you at all even if it grabs in for some reason.
By being on the ball I mean to expect the unexpected all the time when using it and keep a firm grip on it as though your waiting for it to happen.

Dave

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

Just need some advice on which 9" grinder to buy as my faithful 20 year old Ryobi has gone to god, any ideas?

I see this thread has gone way off track, what brands have you narrowed it down to and what sort of prices are they?

Dave

Originally Posted by .RC.

No, but saying something is dangerous and we must do something about it, but equally ignoring something equally dangerous makes your argument look hypocritical..

Grinder and motor vehicle accidents are unrelated so it is somewhat irrelevant in terms of OHS to look at them together. Should we forget about motor vehicle deaths because cigarettes or burgers kill more people.

It is only natural to deal with the greatest risks first and in terms of regulation and $ per driver/motor vehicle I would suggest that motor vehicles get more attention that just about anything else, or would you like a little more? We can say all we like about motor vehicle safety regs and practices but the facts are that if we drove with the same vehicles/roads and training that we did in the 1920s some 28,000 people a year would be dying on Aussie roads. This also does not take into account that motor vehicles are a lot closer together now than they were in 1920 simply because there were fewer cars. Sledge hammer safety is painful but it usually works.

Your position reminds me of the OHS officer who told an employee ( a close relation of mine) he should not be riding a motor bike to work because it represented a unsustainable risk to company work practices. The employee promptly told him where to go and what to do but the OHS officer still put it in his monthly assessment and hounded my relative until he left. It is none of a bosses or OHS officers business to tell anyone how they get to work - for all practical purposes they are unrelated.

The way motor vehicle accidents and tool accidents could be looked at together is to look at the the motor vehicle accidents that occur in the same environment eg workplace. ~13% of motor vehicle fatalities occur associated the workplace. In 2012 there were 1137 deaths from work related motor vehicle accidents in Australia so that means 149 people died in motor vehicles but this also includes people travelling to and from work. I think 149 people is still very disturbing. but suddenly Karl's 374 people killed at work doesn't seem quite so trivial.

Originally Posted by Dave J

I see this thread has gone way off track, what brands have you narrowed it down to and what sort of prices are they?

I think I might sell all my tools and just stay inside and watch t.v. And read books and write things on the Internet. I wasn't really after a referendum on power tool safety just some advice. A lot of you must have a lot of time on your hands. Thanks for the replies.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

I think I might sell all my tools and just stay inside and watch t.v. And read books and write things on the Internet. I wasn't really after a referendum on power tool safety just some advice. A lot of you must have a lot of time on your hands. Thanks for the replies.

LOL, but they say to much TV, internet, reading etc is not good for you either

Seriously though do any of the stores close by have one in stock to go and look at? At least with buying something local you can claim warranty, where buying off the internet usually makes it not worth while sending it back as it costs so much.

The soft start is OK, but I don't like it because if you take your finger off the button it takes a while to come back up to speed, which is a pain to me when your just trying to get the job done.

Dave

Riverbuilder

You are quite right and you beat me to the punch in saying we have digressed . It comes down to money and the purpose to which you intend to put the tool and to some extent how often you will be using it.

If you are using it at waist height for cutting or grinding, then the weight is not so much of an issue. I really have been very pleased with the Bosch, but any of the better brands would probably suit.

If you are using the tool infrequently you may be ok with a cheapie. You have been a little quiet on what use to which you will put it. I have an Ozito reciprocating saw which has lasted well, but I only use it once a year for ten minutes in a big year. I can live with it's shortcomings because of that.

Regards
Paul

I have a Fein 9" angle grinder (2000watt) ... soft start, two hands, slipping clutch on jam. Around 600bucks from memory.

I too had a 20 year grinder that died ... This should last as long again, and they will be illegal soon ... So if your going to buy one, buy one to last.

Greg

HI,
Personally I would go with either Hitachi or Metabo. The one fault though with the Hitachi 9" that we have is that the Drive Lugs on the back Flange are a bit soft. Every time We have had it Jammed, the back Flange has had to be Replaced (better than replacing the drive shaft though I guess).
Here is a Link for a Metabo on Ebay at a Bargain Price METABO H/D 230MM 9" ANGLE GRINDER- 3YR WARRANTY!-GERMAN ENGINEERED-USED BY PROS | eBay

That is a good price as well as postage price Stuart, good find. It only weighs 5.8 kg as well.

Dave

Interestingly the Metabo is "German engineered". That's usually code for "made in China by a German company". Say it ain't so.

Yes I h

Hitachi for me.