The Many Faces of an Angle Grinder
By: The Working Man
Almost everyone knows an angle grinder can, well, grind. But
did you know there are many more uses for your angle grinder
by your simply changing out different types of wheel
attachments?
There is a large variety of wheel attachments that can be
bought for your angle grinder. Some general categories are:
Grinding, Metal Cutting, Stone Cutting, Wire Brush, Sanding
and Buffing Wheels.
First, lets look at the grinding aspect of your angle
grinder. Not only can you grind metal, but with the right
wheel you can also grind masonry, stone or concrete. Angle
Grinders can be used for smoothing out small blemishes in
concrete slabs or stone patios and can even be used in the
making of stone or concrete sculptures.
With a hook and loop or rubber backing pad attachment you
can use all kinds of non-woven nylon pads or lamb’s wool
pads for smoothing and buffing almost any type of surface.
An angle grinder and a buffing pad and are often used in
auto detailing, restoration and body work.
Wire wheel and wire cup attachments can be used in all kinds
of jobs, such as removing rust, cleaning slag off of welds,
and much more. Angle grinders are a staple of almost any
welder’s tool arsenal.
Diamond wheels can be used on masonry, stone, or concrete
for making small cuts and cutting grooves. Many professional
tile installers use these for making on the spot cuts in
their tiles to fit around fixtures and the like. Angle
grinders have even been used in dairy bars for cutting
grooves into the concrete floor for better traction for the
cows' hooves and for water run-off grooves in ramps.
With various sanding pad attachments you can sand and smooth
all types of ferrous and non-ferrous materials such as iron,
steel, aluminum, copper, brass, wood, and even fiberglass.
There are also various types of cutting discs for metal
items like rebar, sheet metal, nails, bolts and such. These
are even used sometimes by emergency rescue workers to get
into an area or vehicle as quickly as possible.
And, oddly enough, you can even find attachments for use in
carving wood for bowls, furniture and sculpture, such as the
chainsaw blade wheel, the tungsten carbide blade attachment
or other wood carving blade attachments.
Who knew that your angle grinder was actually an awesome
angle multi-tool?
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