Angle grinder disk thickness

[ts]

Hi,

being new to angle grinders, I thought I should check with those who know about them before making all the known stupid mistakes myself.

I'd like to cut some iron /steel rods & plates. I see that metal cutting disks come in thicknesses from 3 and down to 1 mm. I like the idea of removing the least material possible, but are the thinnest disks practical in terms of not shattering if the AG is not held absolutely rock steady when cutting? Would 1.6 mm disks be a good compromise?

Also, any advice on where to get, and recommended brands of disks would be appreciated. I've seen lots offered on eBay, but with little mention of manufacturer and quality standards.

TIA,

[Jules Richardson]

I think if you support the workpiece, it won't be a problem - even the thinnest discs will tolerate a bit of [slow] movement of the grinder itself; it's if the workpiece is allowed to slop around all over the place that they can snag and then break.

I don't seek out specific brands, but I do always buy from a local shop - but that's just me; I like to see what I'm getting at the point where I hand money over rather than buying online.

cheers

Jules

[polygonum]

I have bought discs from Lidl, Axminster and Screwfix. All local, as it happens. And all have worked as expected.

I am not best at holding power tools still, and have very successfully used Bosch ultrathin discs.

But I did only get a 115 mm machine - maybe different on a 230 mm model?

[newshound]

I've never broken one, and I'm not particularly delicate. That said, have never used ultrathin ones. I think my standards are about 2 mm and these are *much* faster for cutting than the thick, dished grinding ones. Havn't gone for branded ones for years, Aldi / Lidl / Screwfix seem to be fine IME.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Funny, came across this just yesterday when someone posted that other angle grinder thread...

[ts]

Many thanks for all your comments. I had a look at a few local shops, which only stocked thick (3mm) disks at e.g. £3.99 each. So I ended up ordering some thinner ones online. Good ploint of securing the workpiece well before cutting. If I keep posting here, it'll be proof that I've still not cut off my fingers with it :-)

[Rick Hughes]

Usually buy mine at Machine Mart ...

[ts]

I've still got ten fingers to type with, now after a couple of stainless steel cutting seesions :-))

The 1 mm disks I ended up buying (Blue spot SS cutting disks x 10, for £6.25) measured actually 1.3 mm, which probably was as well as if they had been thinner. No problem with cutting speed, which actually was limited by the need for pauses to cool down the workpiece.

[polygonum]

Where did you get the extra two from? :-)

[ts]

Fingers? I've had the habit of using my thumbs on the space bar. But often my typing can be described as with "both fingers" . . .