Completely serious angle grinder question

Even the Makita jig saw is difficult to get in, as is the Lidl SDS etc. The Bosch Multitool in its L-Boxx is very easy and has plenty of room for the flex and tools and instructions and plenty of spares.

Funnily enough, reminds me of the second outing for my first angle grinder. It had been sitting in a box for a couple of years and I suddenly remembered it when I was trying to undo a mullered brake caliper bolt. It was 5pm in December and I was full of cold.

I'd donned gloves, goggles & ear defenders and was hacking away when suddenly, schoomp, it sliced its way through one of the glove's fingers though thankfully not deep enough to get me.

I forget quite how I must have been contorted for it to bite a finger, but it taught me exactly how much care and attention one must pay to the business end of such tools and where to keep body parts in relation to them!

Er, you don't need a grinder to cut slate.....:-)

Ah now you mention that and Power Devil being red it all comes back yes the exploding random orbital sander was a "Performance Power Pro".

I'd agree, but I can see the logic.

For a light graze or similar snick of your finger, it'll be the difference between blood and a wake-up call. Obviously, for anything more

- umm - determined, it's going to make bugger all difference.

Rather more to the point, though, where the bloody hell are you buying rigger gloves that you'd realistically call "medium tough"?

Last few pairs I've bought have been about as tough as a pair of blue nitriles. Never mind shrugging off angle-grinders, they've not even coped with brambles. Always assuming all the seams have actually been intact to start with.

Whether you do or not depends entirely on the circumstances.

Thanks for that; I'll take a look.

Bert

Aye, I needed one as like you the slates needing an 1" or less trimmed off their edge where already attached to the roof.

If you have room, old office filing cabinets make for good equipment storage and you can get them for just a thank you.

My suggestion was to assist the careful user who might not have noticed that their free hand was creeping closer to the disk/blade/cutter than was safe. If someone is in the habit of blithely poking their bits into the pointy end then I don't think there's anything that will save them from themselves.

My situation is similar. Though there's no roof involved, the slates are positioned such that any undue force such as shearing or nibbling would not be a good idea.

Bert

I haven't acquired any for a good few years, but back then I paid something like £15 each for secondhand cabinets and a great deal more than that to have them delivered. I discovered afterwards that it wouldn't have cost much more to have bought new from a local company which offered free delivery.

But assuming it could be done more economically, it's a good idea. Thanks.

Bert

Well, I am now the owner of the Bosch GS600 4.5" angle grinder. The tool seems to be very well made, but the package as a whole is seriously lacking. Firstly, there's no supplied Allen key for fitting the blade guard: how many casual users won't bother, I wonder? But more seriously, the instructions are hopeless: despite being a 261 page book in 31 different languages, crucial information is rendered only in uncaptioned illustrations, peppered with childish icons and buried away at the end of the manual. What's worse, several different models are illustrated, including, inexplicably, a circular saw.

Most disturbing of all, as far as I can see there is no information whatsoever about the controls and their functions. Am I expected to learn by simply having a play with the thing? Frankly I'm reluctant even to plug it in. I'm seriously considering taking it back.

Local Freegle always have them listed as free to a good home, those plus desks, plus printers, but transport is always a problem. They don't make do and mend like they used to, they just buy new.

OK, a correction: there is an Allen key. I found it clipped to the mains lead and invisible in the coils.

But I was right about the instructions: not one word about the controls, their locations and their function.

The Screwfix website tells me that the Bosch has a spindle lock. Presumably it's the small circular button on the head of the machine. But I've no idea why it's there and why and when I should apply it.

Similarly, the advertised lock-on switch, and in fact the power switch in general. I know where it is and I experimented (with the grinder unplugged) until I finally managed to lock it in place - but in general use is it recommended to lock the motor on or just hold the switch in its temporary position?

Not to explain these fundamentals seems to me to be astonishing.

Bert

What "controls" are there, apart from a switch?

I'm not clear why you thought it necessary to use inverted commas, but apart from the on-off switch (which has a locking function) there's also, apparently, a spindle lock. As I said above, the manual gives no indication whatsoever as to when these locks should be applied and why.

Bert

It's there to lock the spindle so that you can unscrew the collar holding the disc on.

Depends on how you intend to use it. If you're just tickling something, don't lock it. If it's going to be on for any extended time, use it - especially if it helps you to move your hand around so you can use the grinder in a tight space.

They're absolutely common to all angle grinders. Have you ever used one before?

Adrian thanks for your reply and the information.

No I haven't, and I surely can't be the only purchaser in that position.

Looking at other models on the Screwfix website I downloaded the manual for their sub-£18 Energer. What a difference: it's written in clear, correct English with no puerile pictures, covers all the essentials and generally imparts a real feeling of confidence that the user can handle the tool properly and safely.

Bert