Bench grinder or angle grinder?

[RobJ]

Yep you need 3 total.

6" HF bench grinder...cheap, for stuff when you need a soft touch or lots of control

7" (or 9") angle grinder, $25 at HF. Start with 2 different discs..BOTH screw on. Heavy for grinding, thinner for cutting (but not like a real thin cutter disc). get the discs/wheels at a local weldind shop.

4" or 4.5" angle grinder, $9 at HF, I have 3. Then go to a welding shop and get a screw on grinding blade. Also pick up some thin cutting blades. These won't last long but they cut nice and clean and are a little over a buck a piece. HF has them but they don't last quite as long. Almost a wash. My local steel has been selling some 7" Dewalt wheels that are cupped, I do find them easier to round over and work with stuff.

And someone just mentioned, I had to use a dremel this weekend to. It's rare but handy.

Good Luck,
Rob

PS, while you are at HF grab a $15 sawzall.

 

[wushaw]

Your gonna need one or the other sooner or later so buy both now.

 

[barneyrb]

I agree that the angle grinder is more versital than the bench, but spend a little extra money and buy the Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices I find this unit to be as tough as a Dewault. Also while in the welding supply store be SURE and get a "flapper wheel" in 60 grit. It is the best thing I've ever found for sharpening blades and tools. Leaves a smooth and almost polished edge every time.

 

[Lanse]

bench grinder. Got one for christmas. Love it, and it is WAY more stable and easy to control then a 10k RPM angle grinder working on something in a vise. Craftsman has a very nice one (what i got) for $50 and a 2 year warrenty for $10. Cant beat that

 

[canoetrpr]

I bit the bullet and started with a 4.5" Mastercraft angle grinder from Canadian Tire. We don't have HF up here. Mastercraft is about equivalent to crafstman I guess. It was on sale with a whole supply of grinding disks.

Didn't realise that could also use the angle grinder to sharpen my mower blade. Makes sense - just never thought about it .

 

[Charlesaf3]

no HF out here either, but I mail order a lot of stuff from them. Their shipping is sillily cheap. Not sure how that would work to Canada of course, but I'm sure its come up before...

 

[3RRL]

Probably both, since they are cheap. I have an HF bench grinder, and an equivalent hand grinder, and together they probably cost $80. Been fine for my use.

You might start with a $20 angle grinder as its cheaper, and no biggie if you find it isn't ideal. Probably a bit more flexibility too

Charles, you beat me to it. I would say definitely both.
However, I agree that the angle grinder is a little more mobile. You do need a good vise to hold your stuff though. With a bench grinder, be sure it's bolted down well.

 

[3RRL]

Maybe I should ask you guys this silly question then.

How should I go about grinding down the swivel eyes on a top link with a angle grinder... never used a grinder of any sort.

I have a 3" bench vise. I was thinking of just holding the cylinder in it and using a grinding wheel at an angle to go after the swivel eye and try to grind it down uniformly on each side.

Sound reasonable?

Do you have a large magnet?
Use your vise and a magnet to keep the swivel quite. Or you could grind the swivels like this on a surface grinder. First photo shows the grind and second one shows one ground and what it used to look like.
So with that in mind, I would say get a surface grinder too!

 

[mjncad]

I have a 10" Delta bench grinder mounted on a floor pedestal (wish I bought the Jet instead), a 4-1/2" Bosch angle grinder, and a Dremel moto-tool. I wouldn't be without any of them as they all serve useful purposes in a shop.

The 4-1/2" angle grinder is great for mobility and shaping, plus I use mine extensively for wire brushing with cup wheels.

The bench grinder is great for finesse on some items, and it removes material fairly rapidly with the right wheel. I primarily use the coarse grit wheel.

The Dremel is handy for those times where you need to get into tight areas for light removal work. The keyword is "light". Make sure you get a variable speed Dremel as a single speed one spinning at 30k+/- RPM is too limiting in what you can do with it.

As others have said...EYE PROTECTION is paramount with all of these tools. Though I tend to shun gloves around machinery, I generally wear them when using the bench and angle grinder for heat and debris protection. Just keep them away from moving parts so your hand doesn't get sucked into the wheels. A well made (Makita) cup wire brush will still throw wires at 11K RPM and wire brushing can make the metal hot too.

I would like to get a combo 12" disc & 4" x 48" belt grinder/sander next. Either a Grizzly or a Wilton, and it will probably be the Grizzly due to lower costs.

OK 3RRL...a surface grinder! Now we are talking serious grinding with precision to boot!

 

[California]

... you could grind the swivels like this on a surface grinder. First photo shows ...
So with that in mind, I would say get a surface grinder too!

Aren't you going to tell him the price of that new toy?