Angle grinder help required

[Nick Leverton]

No seriously, this is a real question. I had to use my angle grinder one-handed today for a small job due to the following problem, and would like to fix it before I need it for anything bigger.

The side handle on my trusty Black+Decker BL550 has broken off and this part is not available from any of the online spares places I've found. It's part no. 21 on the exploded diagram here:

's broken because it consists of a hard plastic moulding (bakelite or some modern equivalent!) with a bolt embedded in it, and it's broken from stress around the bolt head. I don't fancy trying to Araldite it back on as the contact area is small and sod's law says that this will result in a trip to hospital to re-attach parts of my body if the glue gives way.

I can't tell bolt sizes by eye I'm afraid but the protruding stub of the bolt is about 8mm over the threads and around 6 entire turns exposed in the (also 8mm long) stub. Wish I'd bought that Aldi micrometer now but was too skint, and I still am. Does anyone have suggestions, please, for the cheapest way to get a new handle to fit ? I can wait until finances pick up if necessary as I don't need it that often, but would still appreciate any pointers since it's not a current spare part anyway !

Many thanks,

Nick

[Bob Minchin]

> It's broken because it consists of a hard plastic moulding (bakelite or

Good chance that it is M8 thread. Find a bolt to suit, cut off the head and araldite (real mans full lead slow cure araldite NOT quick setting) it into a wooden file handle.

Job's a good un

Bob

[Bob Minchin]

> It's broken because it consists of a hard plastic moulding (bakelite or

Good chance that it is M8 thread. Find a bolt to suit, cut off the head and araldite (real mans full lead slow cure araldite NOT quick setting) it into a wooden file handle.

Job's a good un

Bob

[Dave Liquorice]

Remove bolt from body of drill take to local tool spares place and ask for a handle with same sized bolt.

[Andy Dingley]

Angle grinder!

Get another one. Then you've got two, where you can use one one-handed and one two-handed. I mostly use single-handed anyway. The threads are prety much standard and the handles are swappable.

If you want a better one, get a better one. If you already have a good one, just get an Aldi cheapie as a sacrifical one for use on dusty masonry jobs.

[Nick Leverton]

Not a bad suggestion, but I prefer the old file handle idea (note to self: stale NFS file-handle not the same thing at all).

Today's usage was grinding out the rivets on a so-called guaranteed Spear+Jackson garden fork whose tines had bent under the strain of real gardening, so as to re-use its handle on another broken fork, so there would be a pleasing symmetry in that.

Nick

[Nick Leverton]

Cheers Andy, I might do when money permits, as this model has an awkward latch-on power control which keeps going if you accidentally let go of the bugger. No conventional trigger, you slide the thingy until it latches to apply power, and have to press a release catch to stop it. Are they all like that ? I don't feel comfortable using it one handed due to that mis-feature.

Nick

[Adrian]

Nick Leverton gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Never come across one that's quite like that sounds - default to sticky- on - but never come across one that you can't sticky-on. (for want of a better term)

[Tabby]

Looks like you forgot to tell us what the problem is with attaching a new handle. I saw the results of a disc breaking recently, the guy was cut down to the bone by the flying debris. I would not want to use one single handed, its not stable enough imho.

NT

[John Rumm]

could upgrade to an anti vibration handle - these are a bit more resilient in the first place as well:

the small grinders are ok single handed for some jobs.

[The Medway Handyman]

I think you will find the threads are all standard. Check out a few boot fairs for el cheapo angle grinders & get another.

[The Medway Handyman]

My 'Site'(made by Makita) has that feature, which I find surprising on this Effin Softy obsessed age.

[Andy Dingley]

My Bosch (the most used) is like most of my power tools - the grip is wrapped with 3mm neoprene Arbaflex tape for some vibration proofing.

For anti-vibration replacement handles, Metabo's (my 'best' grinder, for steel fabrication) is much better than De Walt's.

[Nick Leverton]

I don't have a new one, can't afford one, can't find one online anyway and don't know the fitting size. And I'm a tight git, err a strong believer in re-using the resources to hand. Apart from that, there isn't a problem :)

Exactly, hence my concern, thanks. Excuse briefness of reply, am typing remotely on a Windows laptop at the moment ...

Nick

[Matty F]

My workshop manager asked me to use the big scary 9 inch angle grinder to do a job. It had an enormous gyroscopic precession effect. When I used it the grinder would twist at right angles to the force I was applying. I got used to it but had o be very careful.

I later discovered that he never used that grinder, and was probably hoping I would injure myself and go away for ever. I think he was scared that I would take over his job. He always got me to climb the high ladders as well, and never supplied any safety gear such as goggles, leather gloves, ear muffs etc, so I bought my own.

He died of a heart attack a while ago, and now I am doing many of his jobs!

[1501]

But; are they paying you his money?

[Tabby]

Hopefully the bolt from the old handle should be ok, and you can make a new one form whatever you want. Hard to make suggestions without knowing what you've got. Medium weight angle iron could be folded over and welded, the bolt could be resinned into a wood handle etc.

NT

[Matty F]

Both of us were volunteers. It gives us something useful to do in our declining years.

[Nick Leverton]

Top idea, I'll get the M-i-L on the job - trouble is I'll then get landed with all sorts of other lqt as well "because it was only a pound" ! Still beggars can't be choosers :)

Nick

[Andy Dingley]

Yes. I really wouldn't want to use one without two hands and a side handle.

My 9" is rarely used. It's used a fair bit as a masonry saw, but rarely for steel. When I do use it on steel, it's mostly with a 7" flap plastic-backed disk, which avoids the gyroscope trouble.

The other problem with 9" grinders is that they run more slowly than 4

1/2", so they keep the same edge speed. Although they have more power and can have more of a flat disk in contact at once, for many jobs they're only cutting at the same rate as a small grinder anyway. What I really want is a fast 7", but these sem to be a particularly American piece of kit.