What is a good angle grinder cut off wheel that doesn't

For cutting what?

Metal(aluminum,steel,ect)

You would use a different thickness for different kinds of metals. You're being pretty vagie

I need to cut stainless steel.

They are also stainless steel beams.

I dont know bro. Anything is gonna burn up on steel. The thicker the blade the longer its gonna last though

Oh okay. Thanks tho!

>>937827
Longer it will last but the longer it's gonna take to cut.

It's a balance you have to find between blade thickness and how long you're willing to stand there doing it. I prefer to go through 10 thin discs and save the time doing it

>>937827
>>937841
In cases like that, I just get a couple dozens of cheap chines blades and change them at the end of the day, in the long run its cheaper to throw away 20 or so blades for $5 each then to pay for 5 that cost 30+ each

Just my 2 cents

>>937841
>>937843
Real talk. Stainless is a bitch and eats wheels. Buy the thin cheapos

>>937825
Grab some jet fuel

>>937844
Pretty much what this guy said

>>937816

to cut stuff?

dewalt's thin cut-off wheels work great for me and last the longest (the ones made in germany or slovakia) i think they were <$2/ea

>>937844
>>937843
and have them explode in your face :^)

>>938004
Not saying anything past my personal experience, but I have seen one composite wheel go off like a handgrenade and it was cause the guy as using a real thin worn wheel on iron. Wheels shouldnt explode on stainless if used properly. Not saying it wont, but the only time Ive seen it is on iron

Or just do what >>937880 said. Jet fuel usually works

any homeshop brand is usually made by saintgobain and is of good quality, its the chinese crap that will shatter, break or have a shitty use time.
i once tried the cheapo ones, the disks just get eaten too fast to be worth it

>>937816
>What is a good angle grinder cut off wheel that doesn't wear down that much?
They all wear down. They don't cost much. If you buy them in packs of a dozen or two dozen wheels, it's not a major issue. The generic ones cost like $2 each in bulk packs.

There's only two kinds that are common: aluminum oxide and silicon carbide. Aluminum-oxide wheels are rust-red or black, and silicon carbide wheels are green.
The aluminum oxide is for carbon steel (non-stainless steel), as it abrades the steel but also partially burns through the steel when it gets hot enough.

You can also get diamond-coated wheels, but those aren't for metals. Those are for ceramic tile and stone cutting and they will just barely work at all on metals.

>I need to cut stainless steel.
None of them are going to work well on stainless steel.
Stainless steel is a metal that melts far below its burning temperature (like copper and aluminum), so it spalls instead of abrading cleanly.
You can still cut these metals with a cutoff wheel anyway, but the metal tends to stick to the wheel and clog it up. The wheel then tends to jam and break in deep cuts.

Stainless steel is a bitch to work with; it is far tougher than regular carbon steel.
The only easy ways to cut stainless well is with a laser or a plasma torch, or an oxy-acetylene torch... And the oxy-acetylene torch makes a mess of the cut edges. The other two is really the only good ways to do it.

>>938060
Thank that was very informative. What is the carbide (green) wheel made to cut?

At work where im not concerned by price in the least i buy jet brand cut off discs and grinding discs. These are the best ones that I have tried they seem to last longer than other brands. If I want some for personal use i get whats cheapest.

>>937816
They all wear down by design to keep sharp grit exposed. I haven't noticed a huge difference between brands. Not enough to justify switching based on that. Performax is the cheapest at the local Menards, and they may hold up a bit better than some others on stainless. Just get thin wheels in bulk. If you cut stainless regularly, they won't go to waste.

Walter makes ones that are rated for stainless steel. They are usually softer so they wear down faster to reveal a coarse cutting surface. There is no grinding wheel especially 'zip' disk that lasts long.

Why don't you rent a welder that has a high amperage output and gouge the metal using gouging rod and a compressor to blow the melted metal away?

>>937816
Check exp date of the wheel. newly made ones are less like to disintegrate.

>>938060
>You can also get diamond-coated wheels, but those aren't for metals
The problem with using diamond on metals isn't with metals per se, it's with iron-based alloys. At high temperatures (as associated with abrasive use) the carbon of the diamond dissolves into the iron and causes excessive wear. Diamond abrasives are sometimes used to cut non-ferrous alloys, but they're not as common.

> so it spalls instead of abrading cleanly
Austenitic stainless galls at room temperature. The problem is that it is very ductile and work-hardens aggressively. A fresh-cut sliver is much harder than the base metal, and scratches dig in and bind to other stainless surfaces under presssure. That's why it's a good idea to use an anti-sieze compound on threaded stainless fasteners if they'll need to be taken apart later. Also, the thermal expansion is about twice that of ferritic alloys, which contributes to the tendency of cutting wheels to jam.

>>938192
I've got grinding discs from the 80s sitting around that work fine.

Hmmm, i have to cut a 2mm wide stainless pipe for making an exhaust, and all that i have is an angle grinder, now im in doubt

Angle grinders are completely handy, but not rocket science.

I'm no expect, but pretty much only bother with a 10 pack of the thin ones for cutting metal (they wear quick) and diamond tipped ones for stone, brick and concrete.

The thicker abrasive stone cutting types wear too quick meaning the diamond blade is the best economy. The thicker discs are 'multipurpose' for detailing/cutting/grinding etc which I rarely need where as the thin ones while they wear quick can still do that job. No need to have a bunch of different types. Use files for cleaning up work.

Also can report they age badly, I've had old discs come apart at the centre hole, break up, fly apart etc. You'll always have a bitch of a job with stainless. Work slow, use a skinny disc.

I like using mine to cut wood. Mortar might as well use diamond discs too, but cheap ones because you don't need super clean lines. I've had the cheaper ones where all the diamonds fly off the disc making them worthless. Also those huge deep vented ones are trash, the edge is designed to wear really quickly giving the illusion that the deep vents cut quickly, but they are just tearing shit up.

Don't sweat it, they are a consumable. I remember wondering why smaller drill bits came in like packs of 10, 25, 50, 100. Because you'll be snapping and tossing them every third or forth use.

I only buy Walter disc's.

>>938070
>Thank that was very informative. What is the carbide (green) wheel made to cut?
The silicon carbide wheels are made to cut concrete, brick and other coarse stone. They will also cut ceramic tiles, but not as clean as a diamond wheel will.

With a lot of grinding disks and wheels, the label just says it's for "steel" or "concrete".
The DeWalt brand 'steel' ones say "for steel or stainless steel", and it will work,,,,, but they are just regular aluminum oxide, and the stainless will still stick to them in use. Aluminum sticks too.

>>938283
>The problem with using diamond on metals isn't with metals per se, it's with iron-based alloys. At high temperatures (as associated with abrasive use) the carbon of the diamond dissolves into the iron and causes excessive wear. Diamond abrasives are sometimes used to cut non-ferrous alloys, but they're not as common.
The diamond wheels are made by coating a steel disk with a thin layer of brazing metal, and then embedding a coating of diamond grit in the brazing one way or another.... As I was told, the problem with using diamond cutting wheels in metals is that (when used dry) the diamonds heat up so much that they melt the brazing holding them in, and fall out. This will happen in aluminum, copper, brass, any dry metals.

Diamond cutting tools really need to be used wet, and most pro-grade equipment that uses diamond blades has the accommodating features for this (like GOOD tile tile saws and concrete saws). Normal angle grinders generally don't allow this; the only ones I've ever seen that did were stone-working air-powered grinders that had a water feed through the spindle.

File: diamond.jpg (220KB, 500x500px) Image search: [Google]

220KB, 500x500px

>>938390
Pic related is a diamond blade for cutting metal dry. Such blades are rare, but they do exist.

>>938376
>Don't sweat it, they are a consumable. I remember wondering why smaller drill bits came in like packs of 10, 25, 50, 100. Because you'll be snapping and tossing them every third or forth use.
mebbe you are doing it wrong...

the way you drill small holes is in a drill press, using a sensitive drill feed
http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?Product =3790
video-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OWIXkFVoi0

less than a half-milimeter or so you begin to a micro drill press, because the run-out on larger machines is enough to break the really tiny drill bits (that are often carbide, and so are very brittle)
like these-
http://www.minitoolinc.com/microdrillingandpunching.htm
the motors of these machines are special types that run with very low vibration, the bearings are all conical (no bearing looseness at all) and the spindle runout is extremely tiny. bring $$$$

a dremel is not a real micro drill press. dremel run-out is shit and dremel speed control is shit.

I use 6" cutting wheels. Smaller ones are shit. There are plenty of brands, but I buy by the box at my local welding supply instead of chain stores. You can find good deals online. Pferd work well, but I've gotten excellent use from Radnor.

Don't run without a guard! I modify my smaller guards, and when I buy new grinders I get 6" capacity. They'll take common 4 1/2" grinding rocks and flap discs. Flap discs are superior by far for most work. See welding forums for online sources such as Lehigh Valley Abrasives who are popular.

I almost never use my 9" grinder but my 6" Metabo is love. I've made cuts more than a foot long in 3/8" steel plate by taking my time, and the 6" discs cut easily.

Wear a face shield. Goggles don't protect your face.