*Are you planning to use a power tool in the process of doing home repairs, but don’t know how to use the grinder properly so as not to get injured? Agree, it would be unreasonable to break a disk in the first minutes or, even worse, to hurt yourself out of ignorance.
An angle grinder, also known as a side grinder, is a very traumatic tool. If it were not so indispensable for many types of work, it would probably be worth restricting its use. Work with grinder is strictly contraindicated to unassembled, absent-minded people, so it is better to familiarize yourself with bench grinder reviews. But if you still use side grinder, it is very important to know how to work with the tool correctly.
Mandatory Safety Rules
Getting to work with an angle grinder, you need to be extremely focused. Don’t use a tool when you are tired, ill or drunk. Fatigue leads to negligence, which can be dangerous when working with a grinder.
- Protective cover and glasses — prerequisites for safe work
The two most important rules that must be strictly observed are that grinder cannot be used with the protective cover removed and without glasses. Sparks, abrasive particles, metal fragments, and scale always appear when working with an angle grinder. Eye contact may result in injury.
Glasses or their replacement mask must be closed. Sparks and splinters fly along a complex path and can fly behind glasses or a mask if they are open from the side. It’s good if the mask has a safety net since the impact of the fragments of the circle can be so strong that the unarmored mask can not withstand the impact.
The protective cover is the first barrier between the operator and the circle rotating at great speed. Destruction of the latter is a fairly common case. The protective cover is installed so that sparks and debris are not ejected towards the operator.
- Other personal protective equipment
In addition to glasses, mittens or gloves should also be referred to a mandatory personal protective equipment when working with a grinder. Hands are close to the rotating circle and must be protected from sparks, abrasive particles, and metal fragments. It is best to use thick leather gloves to protect your hands; cotton gloves cannot serve as reliable protection against sparks.
- It is unacceptable to install larger circles on the grinder than those for which it is intended
You can also not use damaged circles: with cracks, chips, and potholes, having deviations from roundness or flatness. This can lead to a back strike and the final destruction of the circle leading to a traumatic situation.
- Removable tool
Each type has its own abrasive tool, which you can choose on jonsguide.org. You cannot use circles that are not intended for this type of operation.
Small size angle grinders have higher rotational speeds than large size angle grinders. Circles of large diameters can not withstand high speeds and collapse. This is all more dangerous because to install a large circle you have to remove the protective cover. Moreover, too high load due to the rotation of a large circle causes increased bearing wear and reduces tool lifespan.
- Do not place saw blades for wood on a grinder
This is because a tree is a heterogeneous material in which some knots can lead to a strike back. Moreover, the grinder has very high revolutions, and the saw blade becomes dull quickly.
After installing the tool, it is necessary to check the operation of the grinder idling for at least 1 minute at maximum speed. In this case, the circle should rotate freely, without touching the protective cover, and the vibration should not be more than usual.
- Workpiece fastening
If the dead weight of the workpiece does not provide its guaranteed immobility during operation, the part must be securely fixed in a vice or clamps on a heavy structure. You can’t work while holding the workpiece in your hands. This violates two safety requirements at once — the grinder is held with just one hand instead of two, and the workpiece is not stationary. With such work, the workpiece is inevitably offset relative to the circle.
Safety precautions and an understanding of the working principles with a grinder guarantee high-quality tasks fulfillment without any injuries and harm to human health.
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