Cut off blades

I use the 1½" wheels on a mandrel (you buy that mandrel separately) in a 1/4" die grinder. I wouldn't exactly say cutting welds with a thin abrasive wheel running at high speed is "nice" or "controllable" but I usually brace my hands solidly and think through exactly how to move the grinder to support it throughout, and keep a firm grip on it, and move it very carefully, and I get reasonable results.

GWE

"Steve B" wrote in news:9ipqf.6890$_L5.1812@fed1read06:

McMaster-carr,

Most of the really thin cutting wheels you find at a weld supply are meant to be used with an adapter on an angle grinder. I have such an adapter for my DeWalt 4 1/2", they sell it for use with diamond cutting wheels, it works fine with these thin cutting wheels. They're a little thicker than the Dremel cutting disks but last a whole lot longer and cut about as fast. The brand I like is called Razorblade, run about .040" thick. The other sorts with small center holes are for use in a pneumatic cutoff tool, like HF blows out occasionally for $15-20 or so. These use an integral mandrel on the tool with a cap screw to hold the disk in place. These disks are usually $5 for 10 or so and are 3" in diameter. Work well for muffler work on the cars and for cutting off threaded stock and studs. If you've got a lathe, you could probably make up a mandrel for these last type for 1/4", watch your speeds, though, with the die grinder. Unlike the small Dremel wheels, these cutoff wheels can do some damage if they come apart through over-speeding.

If you're welding big things, get an angle grinder, die grinders are for small work. If you go looking for one, get one with a 5/8"-11 arbor, there's others out there but that's the size that has the most accessories available for it.

Stan