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Cut off blades

I went today to pick up some cut off blades for my Makita die grinder. 1/4" shaft. I found some larger 4" round discs, and some 3" ones. My Makita is a 14,000 rpm unit. I have an air 25,000 unit.

I need to do some surgery on some wrought iron. Cut some pieces away that have been MIG welded. I need nice controllable cuts, not like those you get with regular 1/8" or so grinder wheels.

I couldn't find anything with a mandrel. And the sales geeks couldn't tell me much about if they were fiberglass reinforced or not.

What am I looking for in name brand? Or size? Or mandrel? I think I need fiberglass reinforcement so they don't fragment on me. I am going to cut slowly, just so I can break the weld and separate the pieces, so won't be bearing down a lot. I want something that won't blow up or turn to dust in a nanosecond.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B
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4" etc. discs to my knowledge don't go into 1/4" shank mandrels. They seem to go in place of grinding wheels on the spindle of 12,000 rpm angle grinders.

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

Reply to
Grant Erwin

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

McMaster-carr,

4550A151 $1.81 each I use these on almost a daily basis at work. Thin kerf (0.035), cut fast, last a long time, and are very controllable.
Reply to
Anthony

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

Reply to
stans4

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