Iplayfarmer
Super Member
Will that grinder take the 4 1/2 inch disks?
I've debated about getting an oversized grinder and using standard 4 1/2 inch disks.
4 1/2" Angle Grinders - How Many??
- Thread starter crash325
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Will that grinder take the 4 1/2 inch disks?
I've debated about getting an oversized grinder and using standard 4 1/2 inch disks.
rjmack
Platinum Member
that's the problem to begin with... complete waste of money. that 1/2" you don't get is the best part.
one thing is for sure, you won't find a 4 1/2 inch grinder in the alberta oil patch, or most other industry up here either... all 5", mostly makita, some dewalt. I suspect that the pro's south of the border have probably come to a similar conclusion. why would you put a 6" disk on a 7" grinder? it's the same thing, you lose the best part.
maybe my use of the language isn't as good as it could be, but after all these years using grinders for a living, I can't imagine spending good money on a 4 1/2" grinding disk.
greasemonkeyok
Veteran Member
Hey rjmack, I read the forum rules and didn't see anything that requires the use of the Queen's English. What you did is communicate your point effectively, and brought attention to an issue I haven't thought of. (dangling preposition.)
Thanks for bringing up the idea.
Thanks for bringing up the idea.
davedj1
Veteran Member
29 dollar ryobi 4.5" grinders at the depot! I have used them all and don't seem to get any more life out of the "good" ones than I do the cheapo's.
Oh and I agree, you need 4 of them...lol:laughing:
Oh and I agree, you need 4 of them...lol:laughing:
AKwelder
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I weld for a living, and fabricate at home even more. Sometimes I outfit crews, meaning gather the tools to outfit crews that are welding pipe and steel in remote locations where replacements are not available.
I have about 10 4-1/2grinders at home, both Milwaukee and Dewalts. Then you can throw in a couple odd ball ones from garage sales and such. I also keep several 9 inch Dewalts around, the old ones, copies of the black and decker wild cats. And for the little Cut Off wheels i use a Metabos. Then you can add the "they were going to throw it out" from work. I have to many grinders.
IMHO here is the break down.
The cheapest GOOD 4-1/2 grinder is the Dewalt, The milwaukee is better but larger and more expensive. For the money and durability that also keeps within OSHA's safety requirement the Dewalt is hard to beat, but they don't last forever, and the plugs are horrible. Please remember that we are welding 12 hours shifts and using these all day every day. They still last several months being abused.
There are better grinders, and more opinions. Dewalts are everywhere, and cheap. But they have a lot of different models, RPM's, and grades
I LOVE the Metabo's for cutting off steel, the 1/16" wheels are great. I will not use a locking on-off switch on a grinder. I have the scars to show why. Please remember that the Metabo turns at a high RPM, AND SOME DISKS ARE NOT RATED FOR THIS. the cheaper the disk the lower the rating.
Almost everyone makes a larger than 4-1/2 inch but smaller than the 9 inch. these work great for some jobs with out the weight.
One thing i do like to do is to keep with one brand of grinder, then when things are slow we take our junk grinders and start the Frankenstein process. Tear 6 apart and put 4 together.
I have about 10 4-1/2grinders at home, both Milwaukee and Dewalts. Then you can throw in a couple odd ball ones from garage sales and such. I also keep several 9 inch Dewalts around, the old ones, copies of the black and decker wild cats. And for the little Cut Off wheels i use a Metabos. Then you can add the "they were going to throw it out" from work. I have to many grinders.
IMHO here is the break down.
The cheapest GOOD 4-1/2 grinder is the Dewalt, The milwaukee is better but larger and more expensive. For the money and durability that also keeps within OSHA's safety requirement the Dewalt is hard to beat, but they don't last forever, and the plugs are horrible. Please remember that we are welding 12 hours shifts and using these all day every day. They still last several months being abused.
There are better grinders, and more opinions. Dewalts are everywhere, and cheap. But they have a lot of different models, RPM's, and grades
I LOVE the Metabo's for cutting off steel, the 1/16" wheels are great. I will not use a locking on-off switch on a grinder. I have the scars to show why. Please remember that the Metabo turns at a high RPM, AND SOME DISKS ARE NOT RATED FOR THIS. the cheaper the disk the lower the rating.
Almost everyone makes a larger than 4-1/2 inch but smaller than the 9 inch. these work great for some jobs with out the weight.
One thing i do like to do is to keep with one brand of grinder, then when things are slow we take our junk grinders and start the Frankenstein process. Tear 6 apart and put 4 together.
I have (4) 4-1/2" Harbor Freight grinders. I only have the orange ones. The others seem way too cheesy feeling, even for HF. I would never say they are great, but for the amount of work they see, they do seem to hold their own. And more importantly, I can afford them all. Whereas if I had to buy Yellow, Green, or Red, I would probably only have 1 or 2 and I would hate the inconvenience of having to constantly change wheels, which is the reason I ended up with the number I have now. I could actually use 1 or 2 more, but I get by for now. I have a paint stripper wheeled grinder, an abrasive wheel, a wire cup, and a flap disk/sanding disk. The abrasive wheel sometimes gets changed for a cut off wheel when needed.
I also have an old 9" Makita I bought off of Ebay for use only with a shrinking disk.
Dave
edit: and in the 10 or so years I have had a couple of these HF grinders, the only problem I have ever had with them is the brush retainers backed out on one a couple of months ago. Granted, I don't use these 8 hours a day and they are not as smooth as some of the name brands, but they get me by.
I also have an old 9" Makita I bought off of Ebay for use only with a shrinking disk.
Dave
edit: and in the 10 or so years I have had a couple of these HF grinders, the only problem I have ever had with them is the brush retainers backed out on one a couple of months ago. Granted, I don't use these 8 hours a day and they are not as smooth as some of the name brands, but they get me by.
deereman75
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we have 3 grinders, and i wish we had 1 more. We have an old strong arm $12 from princess auto (way too loud and vibrates too much) with a wire wheel on it. Then we have a 5 inch makita barrel grip grinder got it for $99 on sale, it is wonderful. Finally we have an old black&decker industrial 7 inch (identical to the metabo 7 inch) that we got for $45 at a pawn shop, this thing is a tank, it grinds material off extreamly fast and I doubt we will ever kill it. (draws 15 amps though):thumbsup:
Tobias Dunlap
Member
I also have 3. A DeWalt 3" straight grinder, Makita 5" 9005b and a Makita GA9117 9". If the 9" won't take care of it I pull out my air arc and the dragon rods.
AlbertaDan
Bronze Member
When I worked with a pipeline contractor all our welders only used 2 grinders. They were usually a 5" Makita. One would have a grinding wheel the other would be a wire wheel for buffing the weld. They used the Makita because of a few reasons, they were relatively cheap compared to similar models. For the price they held up to years of abuse, and thy had plenty of power for grinding out long sections of welds.
These were pipeline welders that are used to long hours 10+hours/day of welding. Usually 6days/week. The Makita were by far the most popular choice.
One tip-They also made stands for their grinders to hang from. Most were just a steel plate with a couple of semi-circular notches cut into them so the grinder could hang from the back of the guard and be readily available.
These were pipeline welders that are used to long hours 10+hours/day of welding. Usually 6days/week. The Makita were by far the most popular choice.
One tip-They also made stands for their grinders to hang from. Most were just a steel plate with a couple of semi-circular notches cut into them so the grinder could hang from the back of the guard and be readily available.
OP
crash325
Elite Member
I do need a new grinder. It will be 4.5" as that will do what I need to do.
What I do want is a ball bearing model with a paddle switch. But no one talks or says what kind of bearing they have.
Anyone know what models have Ball Bearings.
It will never get used 10 hours a day. That cuts into my beer time.:laughing::thumbsup:
What I do want is a ball bearing model with a paddle switch. But no one talks or says what kind of bearing they have.
Anyone know what models have Ball Bearings.
It will never get used 10 hours a day. That cuts into my beer time.:laughing::thumbsup: