Angle Grinder / Meat Grinder

[Big Bri]

So yesterday i go out to the shed to do a little work on a project i have. I get out the 9" angle grinder. I start by grinding off some old welds on a tank. My trigger finger was getting a little tired so i used the little button that locks the trigger on. well things were going good till ether the grinder got hung up on something or it just kicked back but next thing i know my leg is in tremendous pain and the grinder is spinning and dancing on the floor. after unplugging the grinder i look at my leg. . . . yep time to go see the doctor. Call my wife as i was home alone. She was chaperoning my oldest daughters homecoming, so she had to leave to come get me. Took about 10 min for her to get home. We head to the ER where we were brought to the back in less than 5 min. the nurse takes off my shoe and sees a small cut on my big toe as well. Well the main cut is about 4 or 5 inches long and almost to the bone. the doctor comes in and puts 9 internal stitches and 6 external stitches. Was told that it chewed up the meat in my leg pretty good. the toe got a band-aid. Had to get a Tetanus shot and have been put on antibiotics for 10 days. The worst part is i had to stop working on the project. What i've learned is that i won't be using the locking trigger anymore. and i think i'm going to buy a new grinder with a break as mine (15 to 20 years old) didn't have one.
Stay safe out there.

 

[hawkeye08]

Hope you heal up fast. Glad you got it taken care.

 

[timswi]

Hope you get better soon.....I did the same thing once on my hand with an angle grinder....That REALLY hurts.

I never use trigger locks on anything anymore. Too many things can go wrong.

 

[Egon]

Glad all is well or not more serious.:thumbsup:



Smaller diameter grinder would be easier on the arms from a Fatigue Standpoint.

 

[JCB]

Glad to hear you're alright. Heal well!

 

[gtrippleb]

I hope your healing goes well.

I was just wondering what you would use a 9" grinder to grind on? I would be afraid one that size would grind me instead. Let alone my arms get tired of holding it. For the projects that I have done, the 4.5 works just fine especially when I need to get into areas that are hard to reach.

 

[Big Bri]

Thanks for the well wishes guys.

changed bandages a little while ago and still have a little bleeding, that kinda concerns me. (enough to soak through the gauze pads) going to watch it and if its still bleeding by midnight i might call the doc and see what she thinks.

as to why i was using such a large grinder, it takes a who lot more off a whole lot quicker. I've been working on a lawn roller/compactor. i picked up a large tank from a plant, its 7' wide and about 2 1/2 foot tall. it was a pressure pot and was standing vertical when used. The legs were 8" angle 1/2" thick and were welded to the side of the tank. after cutting them as close to the tank as i could i was grinding down the weld beads that were left. I did start out using the 4 1/2" grinder mainly because i don't get as fatigued using it. but it was way to slow. so i busted out the 9" grinder and was making a lot more progress. well until the accident.

The more i think about what happened the more i feel that i was in too much of a rush to get things done. This was the first time in 2 weeks i had to work on it, and i could only work on it for 3 hrs so i was hurrying my self. I'm sure i wasn't thinking in a safe manner. I just wanted to get the welds ground off that day so i could move on the the next step.
Work slow and safe my friends

 

[zman007007]

glad to hear ur fine and have another day to finish the job. zman

 

[Redgoatea]

Ouch!!! Hope ya heal up well and intact. I took off the outside half of my right thumb with a 4" grinder as a teenager but you get the prize. 7

 

[Mousefield]

Glad to hear you are relatively OK. Lucky you didn't get into tendons or muscles then it would be a bit more of a problem. Heal quickly and keep safe. Think that is a good plan of yours to get a new grinder with a brake on it. :thumbsup:

 

[Scooby074]

nothing better than a grinder for taking a gouge out of you

hope you heal up fast!

Theres a reason why alot of industry wont allow lock on grinders

check out fien's grinders with "auto stop"FEIN | Grinders. they lock on electronically and if you remove your hands, the unit stops. Theyre starting to gain acceptance in industry where mechanical lock ons are forbidden. expensive though

 

[wdchyd]

Glad it wasn't worse Big Bri.....Hope you heal OK.....

This story reminds me.....25 plus years ago a BIL had a rockwell 7" grinder that had a "Stuck On" switch......He borrowed a cup wire wheel to clean up some rusty steel and he went right to it off in the distance......after a few minutes I heard an awful growling sound.....when I looked up he was standing there with only is neck band from is Tee Shirt on.....the cup wire brush glabbed is shirt that was not tucked in.....

He couldn't understand why I was LMAO.....:laughing:

 

[magicheater]

Happened to me too with a 4.5 " hand grinder. Took a chunk out of my leg. Rolled the sock down, packed in some comfrey to stop the bleeding, rolled the sock back up and went back to work. Mine was not near as bad as yours but had the trigger locked. There is a lot of gyroscopic force exerted when the grinder catches, more than you/I think.

 

[doall]

I was helping a buddy of mine fix his lawn mower deck. Had to do a little welding and grinding. I was using his grinder and I suppose cheap-o rocks on a 4.5. I was almost through and the rock just busted apart into about 5 pieces. Hit me all in the legs and my right foot. My foot was black and blue from my big toe to the back of my heel on the inside. The strange thing is it broke apart when it wasn't touching anything.

 

[k0ua]

I have one of them old Skill 9 inch all metal grinders with the lock on button, I never use the button tho, the silly thing weighs a ton, you just lay it on the work and hold on, and it really removes material fast, I have never thought of it as really all that dangerous, as say compared to a saw or something, but I guess you are right, it could really take a chunk out of you pretty quick. It has no brake, and spins for a while after you take your finger off the trigger. I really like it, but I am going to really respect it in the future. Hope you heal up soon.
James K0UA