Angle Grinders

[alib103]

Been reading a lot of posts recently with guys recommending angle grinders. I've had my eyes on the one in CTD and just wondered if it had many uses. I'm used to cutting porcelain with my wet cutter and nibbling out the rest which takes a little while but i can get a decent result. Are the angle grinders easy to use, do they do a good job? What else can i use them for? The CTD one looks a bargain so i might snap one up.

[Dave]

I have one of those ones from CTD but i would get a better blade for porcelain...they are very comfortable to handle....some fixers use them a lot and some don't...but deffo a bargain for £20..

[robbbin]

Get a cheap one from wickes comes with a carry case £18 I think also as Dave says a good blade I use grinder a lot especially for travi and slate much quicker than wet

[frogeye]

...... I use grinder a lot especially for travi and slate much quicker than wet

I found the exact opposite. Most of the slate I was using was too thick for my little plasplugs (one down from the expensive(ish) one) I was using Cutting with the angle grinder was real pain and very dusty - out comes the respirator - but when I started using the slightly thinner stuff and the wet cutter was bought into use - joy of joys - rapid clean cuts - apart from the 6" streak up my tee shirt front.

Mind you I was only using stone cutters supplied so I will accept the points about a proper blade being important.


frogeye

[enduro]

My wet cut getting dusty in my shed these days only use angle grinder these days, took a bit of getting the hang of.

[cp3147]

splash out and get a cordless grinder, i had a hitachi cordless grinder untill some tea leaf lifted it a couple of week ago! worth its weight in gold, comfortable & easy to use, i replaced it with the dewalt one but im not kean, its not as comfy to use and its not got a li-ion battery so dosnt last aslong. iI still have a 110v grinder tho for porcelain n a wetcutter but thats covered in dust in the garage, and i agree with dave dont buy budget blades get the marcarist one www.Tradetiler.com sell them at fair prices, On that has anybody tried the rubi grinder wheels??

[rob]

Angle grinder is all I use now. used to use a wet saw, but find that a good quality angle grinder and blade makes a faster and neater job. I even cut pipe holes out with mine, and do all my tile mitres with it. No need for water, or bulky wet cutter and does a great job. Just takes a while to get used to using it. Saves having to use nippers a lot as well. It is one of me best tools. I got a good quality Makita one

[doug boardley]

must say that I prefer to use wet cutter than angle grinder,dust,grab,noise etc, but an angle grinder does have a place in a tilers box tho'

[alib103]

Think i'll treat myself and give it a go. I'm sure i'll need some practice, used to my wet cutter now but it is bulky and if i can get the same result with a grinder, maybe its the way to go. Is it easy to get a straight cut with the grinder, just a biot worried i'll end up with wavy cuts

[Dave Ramsden]

I recently bouth a 115mm bosch grinder to replace my makita, I find it lags a bit under load. Back to makita for me next time.
Ive been using Marcrist blades for over 6 years now and have never had any problems with them at all.

Grinders are excellent tools for awkward cuts and once youve been using one for a while there wont be any more impossible cuts

[365drills]

As I've mentioned in other angle griner posts:

1) They kick like mules so be very careful when starting off.
2) A wetsaw gives you back both hands to hold the tile. Angle grinders take up a hand !
3) Always wear goggles (not glasses) because they spit fire, dust, sparks and tile.
4) They cant really be used wet so can cause a lot of dust. Use outside if poss

But they do have a use and I use them on my shop displays when carving out tiles.

Go for a small grinder (110mm) not a big paving slab cutter (230mm) and try and put in a quality diamond blade. Then sit back, hang on for the ride - and watch out for your vitals !



Above is my little grinder



Always wear goggles. Your eyes are important!

[rob]

Yep I agree about the dust, that is one problem with them. Also, buy a small one so that it is easy to opertae with the one hand.

Try This Method: If you want to cut a straight line perfectly, rule your line first and then put some masking tape along the line. This gives you a straight line to follow (dust wont keep covering up your pen line) and it will also stop the edge from chipping.

Works perfect for me, and great when you only need to take a couple of mm's off.

Try it out

[frogeye]

I found the best way for me to maintain a straight line (realised I needed a sure fire method after the first attempt) was to use a piece of lath along the line. Tried one with it clamped to the slate and all the others using my foot on one end of the lath and the clamp on the other end working off a piece of plywood - don't worry I was miles away from slicing my toes off. It worked a treat - the pressure from the lath kept the tile rock solid while I ran the cutter down the side. Once a few stokes had been done the cutter was easy to control in the channel cut in the tile.

Worked for me but each to their own - still dusty though

frogeye

[graybags]

I agree that a mini grinder does the trick nicely, I was not relishing the thought of all those nasty cuts in porcelain tiles, but the grinder (with a diamond blade) did the trick easily. Also worked well for some longer cuts using a block of wood as a straight edge.

[atec]

totally agree a grinder has its place, got one last week used it to score tiled walls before tiling on tile,

[doug boardley]

totally agree a grinder has its place, got one last week used it to score tiled walls before tiling on tile,

now you couldn't do that with a dw200lps

[frogeye]

totally agree a grinder has its place, got one last week used it to score tiled walls before tiling on tile,

I don't want to teach grannies to suck eggs but watch out when using them to score walls - I had a blade explode on me - used the way I bet we all have - 45 degree dabbing the wall to score it prior to plastering as it happens, I must have put a tad too much sideways pressure on it and bang, I stood there watching it wrap its power cord around itself until it stopped. Nightmare. Another close shave

frogeye now a respecter of tools

[doug boardley]

mmm not the type of close shave you want in a bathroom

[frogeye]

I was in the kitchen of my first house. Luckily it was completely empty. I escaped without a scratch. Not so lucky a few weeks later when a pair of old step ladders broke as I was stripping paint from the bay window. Fell straight through the glass. Thabk god my wife was there - I managed to slice through the side of my neck and nick my jugular - blood pumping all over the place

frogeye nearly and ex frog on so many occasions

[Grace'sDad]

I got a likkle Bosch (green DIY 'un) from B&Q for £25.
Bought a diamond blade for it and I have to say it's one of the best little grinders I've ever used. Feels as good to use as a Makita - really!

[365drills]

You know it makes sense....

[frogeye]

That's one hell of a mains cable!

[trevortine]

Scoring with your rubi makes if even better!

[MarbleMaster]

If you want quality that lasts a long time then the Flex is the one for you.

Ed

[atec]

whats a dw200lps