When you purchase products through our independent recommendations, we may earn an affiliate commission.Ī staple in every metalworking and machine shop, bench grinders are a versatile tool that can do so much more than just sharpen cutting tools. Thomas has been connecting North American industrial buyers and suppliers for more than 120 years. If you get that feeling that you might get hurt, stop.Welcome to the Thomas guide to the best bench grinder 2023. I want to remind everyone is that is is probably still the most dangerous tool in the shop. I have also started using much thinner diameter wheels and wheel widths. I starting using air powered angle grinders which do not have nearly the kick-back of electric grinders. However, I have now started to take a lot more precautions. Some major internal washing to remove dirt by the doctors and 14 stitches an I was good as knew. It ended up that the wire wheel grabbed the item and threw it back into my hand. I have always taken safety precautions but in this event I was brushing an item that was too large with too many bends to be safe. First let me say that the one and only time I have gone to the emergency room blacksmithing was from a wire wheel accident. Take it from someone not smart enough to learn the old adage that a wire wheel is is the most dangerous tool in our shops. Grinding sparks are a good indication of the distance the wires (flechettes) can travel. Please keep in mind the wires that do not hit your apron or body and can travel remarkable distances to get to the dog, or the wife as she calls you to dinner or the phone. Leather aprons protects the body in most cases, but not all the time. The wires are thrown as the grinder is used. Now I use a leather apron if I use the angle grinder. I donated a t-shirt to an angle grinder once, using most of the shirt to stall the motor. I had one fellow tell me he had a wire brush on an angle grinder climb up his pants leg and actually rip his shirt off his body. They too like to grab clothes, leather aprons, and blue jeans. Hand held angle grinders grab onto corners and edges of metal and change direction in a instant. It continues to run and continues to eat the shirt with hopes of chewing on your hand and or arm. The grinder does not turn loose of the clothing as you raise your arm AND the grinder into the air trying to get away. ![]() Jim Paw Paw Wilson had a 3/8 inch square stock S hook jerked out of his hands and thrown back into his face breaking his safety glasses and fracturing his skull.īench grinders grab sleeve shirts, and loose clothing when you least expect it. Wire wheels have a bad habit of grabbing and throwing things so please keep the original OEM or secondary guards in place. It needs to be mentioned that so far y'all have been talking about a bench grinder. The big thing is to let the wheel do the work, too much pressure only bends the wires, and doesn't allow the tips to do the work. Preferably dress them the opposite direction of the wheels rotation to push any burr forward. With mounted wheels, like that one, if they get too badly rounded you can dress them on a disc sander, or grinder to bring the tips back to working order. Makes a huge difference in how well they work. ![]() As they are used the tips get bent/worn back, and by flipping the wheel around it gets the tips pointed back forwards. The only part of the wire that does any work is the tip. Wire wheels on a bench grinder need to be reversed every so often to keep the edges sharp. ![]() During the process I usually ended up with a few wires stuck in my shop apron. In the gunsmith's shop we wire wheeled the heavy rust off with a wheel on a bench grinder. Wire wheels never scared me, more of an annoyance due to the wires being thrown.
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