Cutting straight with angle grinder

[Newsmoke]

IS there a trick or tips to cut perfectly straight with an angle grinder? My last build many of the cuts weren't perfectly straight. Should i use a metal ruler of plate to use as a guide?

[JKalchik]

Hah.... my experience as well.

The shop where I bought my stock for my double pan GF rather highly recommended a handheld metal cutting circular saw (I can go dig out their product if you'd like.) It will be noisy, but you'll get both a much straighter cut, and much faster, but at the expense of being pretty noisy.

[Chromeski]

I think the main thing is practice. I haven't got enough practice to be good at it either. I have seen tools that hold a 4" grinder to use as a chop saw although kinda neat they only help for small cuts and those are not the difficult ones. Just be safe a broken wheel is scary.

[Dirtytires]

Hard to do straight with an angle grinder. I used to do a lot of dressing on a bench grinder.

I ditched the grinder method and upgraded to a carbide tipped cold cut chop saw. Works a heck of a lot better than a handheld and allows you to dial in angles. I don’t use it anymore now that I have the Ellis tho so if you are near Phoenix....

[Newsmoke]

so if you are near Phoenix....

Do you ship to France?! I guess I will stick to angle grinder cutting...

Is there a thread for insulation of a square FB?

[ajfoxy]

Of course he ships to France.... if you pay the packaging and freight

To cut steel sheet you could buy a budget plasma cutter and use a straight edge to keep the thing on track.

As for insulating the firebox if not already build... look at the Mack build thread. There was quite a bit of info in there.

[Dirtytires]

100 ways to do it. Most difficult part for me was building out all the vents and door. Take your time. Plan it out.

[Enrgizerbunny]

IS there a trick or tips to cut perfectly straight with an angle grinder? My last build many of the cuts weren't perfectly straight. Should i use a metal ruler of plate to use as a guide?

Iron worker here. Mark your lines with soap stone or bright paint marker. Clamp a straight edge a couple inches away as parallel as possible(or use the factory edge if you're close), but doesn't have to be perfect. Hold grinder with wheel on line, motor toward the clamped guide. With the hand up near the wheel, drag your fingers on your guide and follow your line. The hand holding the switch supports the weight and the top hand does the driving. Don't rush, you'll eat up fewer wheels that way too.

[McBroom]

I think the main thing is practice. I haven't got enough practice to be good at it either. I have seen tools that hold a 4" grinder to use as a chop saw although kinda neat they only help for small cuts and those are not the difficult ones. Just be safe a broken wheel is scary.

I can vouch for the broke wheel being dangerous.
I have a scar on my leg about 5” long from a cut off wheel that shattered. I spent 9 days in the hospital and 2 surgeries to get all the debris out. And another 4 months with a vacuum patch over it to make it heal up.
Use serious caution with cut off wheels.


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Tradesman Power Wagon

[Stewart]

I make my cuts long and flap disc em to the line. Takes a few minutes longer but works accurately every time.

[Chromeski]

I think the main thing is practice. I haven't got enough practice to be good at it either. I have seen tools that hold a 4" grinder to use as a chop saw although kinda neat they only help for small cuts and those are not the difficult ones. Just be safe a broken wheel is scary.

I can vouch for the broke wheel being dangerous.
I have a scar on my leg about 5” long from a cut off wheel that shattered. I spent 9 days in the hospital and 2 surgeries to get all the debris out. And another 4 months with a vacuum patch over it to make it heal up.
Use serious caution with cut off wheels.


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Tradesman Power Wagon

Wow not good. I knew a guy that took one to the head and he wasn't the one with the grinder. I've had them break , but avoided injuries thus far.

[Dirtytires]

Ouch....safety glasses are your friend tho they won’t save the rest of your face.

[Chromeski]

Ouch....safety glasses are your friend tho they won’t save the rest of your face.

I usually wear my electronic welding hood in grind mode. I admit I sometimes make the quick cuts without a full face shield even tho i know better.

[McBroom]

This is the scar from 7 years ago.


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Tradesman Power Wagon

[Pete Mazz]

Wow!

[JKalchik]

I try to learn from other people's mistakes.... and I really don't want to do that. I make it a point to 1) Wear PPE, and don't work in shorts, 2) keep out of the plane of the spinning disc, and don't put sideways stress on the disc (strongest in the spinning plane.) Safety glasses are no replacement for full face coverage.

McBroom, thanks for posting the picture and the reminder.

[jadstar]

This is a topic that comes up often in our home..... Better half is manager of optical store. I have to admit I have cut and without protection more than once . The pics she shows me of eye /facial injury are hard to look at but, that's the point....I still can look at them she hammmers home eye protection and face shield Everytime she knows I'm headed to shop . Having said all that when you think of RPM cut off wheels grinders run it is not surprising they can fail catastrophically pretty much anytime.

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