Loose Cutoof Discs in DeWalt DW400 angle grinder

On mine, you simply turn the nut over. One side is flat & one side has a projection.

MikeB

What's that Lassie? You say that Andrew Barss fell down the old rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:21:15 +0000 (UTC):

I made a custom 'washer' that goes on the shaft and has a recess to take the 7/8" part of the nut. I made the thickness of this washer just right so that the shaft is just flush with the nut when tight. This keeps the cutoff wheel as far away from the gear housing to allow better access in tight places.

This is quite common - most decent tool shops will have shims made for just this purpose, a few cents each - take the grinder and disc in with you, select the one you need....

Andrew VK3BFA

A thin piece of non-corrugated cardboard works fine for a shim washer.

Dave

Easy fix. Stick in a washer with a 5/8" hole

Gunner

One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. Gunner Asch

Home Depot, etc. Sells an adapter for flat cutoff disks. About $2. goes on in place of the cup washer.

To date, every one I've had held cutoff discs quite well by simply putting on the outer retainer backward. Mine all could use a 7/8 hole disc or a 5/8-11 one. The 7/8 retainers each had a ring that filled half of such hole just enough to tighten solidly on a standard thickness disc. It would tighten adequately on a 7/8 half-thickness cutoff disc with the flat side of the outer retainer drawn up against it. You're not using the disc flat to the work. So the boss ring on the outer retainer being exposed doesn't matter as long as you don't set it down on anything while the grinder's turning.

DeWalt sold a "diamond wheel adapter" for just this purpose. I've used these with the "Razor Blade" cutoff disks, run about .020", grabs them very well. On some other makes you just turn over the bottom washer, HF does it this way on their mid-grade cheapie. They won't grab the thinnest cutoff wheels available, but good for most.

Looks like they've dumped their whole line of angle grinders and have all new models and accessories, was just on their web site. Closest thing they've got is the "Type 1 wheel adapter" now. Guess I'll have to keep that adapter under lock and key to keep it from wandering.

Stan

OK, found what I have here:

Stan