Thread: 9" grinder which one?

Originally Posted by bwal74

Stupid people with girly arms using them or doing dumb things with them.

Probably a bit harsh, 9" is less tolerant of mistakes.

Ben

Agreed, we are fast turning into a country of nancy boys. The apprentice cut his leg off, because he was distracted by an 'app' on his I Phone?

Originally Posted by BobL

I agree it is the go to grinder but personally I reckon all angle grinders are horrible things, noisy, spray metal and disc grit and dust all over the place, and the burrs make nice finger slicers but I guess if you don't mind all that . . . . I try to use my small bandsaw for cutting metal but sometimes this is not doable and my welding is still bad enough to require an above average use of grinders and flap wheels.

The MSDS sheets for bonded cutting and grinding wheels make for interesting reading.
This is the Flexovit one http://www.flexovitabrasives.com/fil...d-Resinoid.pdf
Here is the Pferf http://www.pferdusa.com/info/PDF/PFE...rg_Bond_T2.pdf

They all say that there is no known problem, but some of them do insert get out statements, e.g. the Pferd one also says; "Contains material which causes damage to the following organs: blood, kidneys, lungs,heart, gastrointestinal tract, upper respiratory tract, skin, central nervous system (CNS),eye, lens or cornea, stomach."

The wheels that use a phenolic resin and other organic binders are possibly the ones to watch out for as these are on the watch list for cancer and other nasties. At low temperatures phenolic resin is not a problem but angle grinding is hardly a low temp process whereby it can decompose the binders to form low levels of phenol, formaldehyde and other stuff. The amounts involved in most hobby level grinding situations are small but the recommended OHS levels are also very small and I wonder how many people know about this.

The intermittent way grinders are used means that few people (including myself) stop to put on a dust mask when picking up a grinder. Interestingly most will put on ear muffs but the dust from the grinder and sometimes the metal being cut probably represents a greater risk. I am fortunate enough to have installed a small fume hood in my shed where I do all my grinding - sometimes I can see it is not keeping up with dust removal while the grinding is happening but I leave it running all the time as it is very useful when welding and it does eventually clear the shed. Some time I should get my particle counter out and do some measurements.

(EDIT) sorry I forgot to say that the above info - correct or otherwise, along with other possible problems with angle grinders is why they are coming under increased OHS scrutiny. 'm just being the messenger here and FWIW I personally don't think there is much of a risk for hobby level operators.

Welding is more dangerous than a 9" grinder, I 'spose that is also on W***safe's 'we can't do that in Australia but we can buy it from China putting Australians out of work' list?

Originally Posted by Gerbilsquasher

Welding is more dangerous than a 9" grinder, I 'spose that is also on W***safe's 'we can't do that in Australia but we can buy it from China putting Australians out of work' list?

Comprehensive Surveys done in Victoria during the last two decades suggest otherwise.

Top 10 DIY tools/events resulting in a visit to an emergency care facility are
1. Grinders (5 angle grinders cause an injury for every bench grinder)
2. Lawnmowers,
3. Ladders,
4. Motor vehicle maintenance
5. Welders.
6 Nails, bols and screws
7. Knives
8. Power Saws
9. Hammers
10, Axes and Hatchets

Top 10 for hospital admissions
1. Ladders,
2. Lawnmowers,
3. Power saws
4. Circular saws
5. Motor vehicle maintenance
6. Grinders
7. Chainsaws
8. Axes and Hatchets
9. Knives
10. Welders

Top 7 for death
1. Electrical Maintenance,
2. Ladders,
3. Tractors,
4. Backhoes and
5. Tree maintenance
6. Motor vehicle maintenance
7. Burns

Watch out for those ladders

Originally Posted by Gerbilsquasher

Welding is more dangerous than a 9" grinder

Can you back that statement up? An ER doctor told me angle grinder injuries were the most frequent worksite accidents she had to deal with.

Edit: you beat me to it Bob.

There are lies, damn lies and statistics.

Motor vehicles kill more people than any other inanimate object, yet we are all driving them. When will they be banned?

What have cars got to do with your incorrect claim that welders are more dangerous than angle grinders? If you believe Bob's stats are wrong then give us some alternative stats.

Here is the reference for the above stats - it makes interesting reading in terms of just how stupid some people are.
http://www.monash.edu.au/miri/resear...ther/dhs01.pdf

BTW I do think that welding fumes are more likely to be dangerous than angle grinder dust but that is not a reason to ignore either.

Sorry, I am too busy paying taxes to google stats to support my argument (as opposed to the Climate Change Commission ) I have actively sought to educate myself in the relevant training facilities and have attained accreditation in the use of both items.... unlike the 'weekend warriors' who frequent emergency rooms. Unfortunately a few nuffers take themselves out of the gene pool and everyone else suffers.

I still maintain that welding (in all forms) is more dangerous than using a hand held power tool.

You live in a very black and white world don't you?

Originally Posted by jack620

You live in a very black and white world don't you?

Binary... lol!

Consumerism has made these tools cheap and plentiful, when once they were only available to those working in trades.... governments love the sales tax from the sales of power tools and other 'The Block' must-haves, yet are reluctant to attach any form of warning label or basic training to the purchase of a power tool, instead reacting in a knee-jerk fashion to the 'bleeding hearts' lobby....

However, I must admit *some* people need to be protected from themselves...

Yeah, it's the government's fault (again). So it's only 'weekend warriors' who injure themselves with power tools then? No workplace accidents on your planet? I'm pretty sure there were power tool accidents before the iPhone was invented too.

Originally Posted by jack620

Yeah, it's the government's fault (again). So it's only 'weekend warriors' who injure themselves with power tools then? No workplace accidents on your planet? I'm pretty sure there were power tool accidents before the iPhone was invented too.

The people subcontract management of the country to the government through taxation.

And there is no such thing as an 'accident'... there is always a series of errors and/or missed training opportunities that lead to injury.

OK, give me one word that means "a series of errors and/or missed training opportunities that lead to injury."