[carlitoway3]

Anyone can suggest any good grinding disc? Would anyone suggest this Smith & Arrow? (http://stores.shop.ebay.com/smith-an...__W0QQ_armrsZ1) I'm planning to do some major makeover on my old school car and I hope someone here can help.

[F&J]

What exactly are you removing and with what tool?

For knarly welds I use a 4.5 electric angle grinder with the solid grinding wheel. It cuts fast, but very noisey. For medium work and finer, I use 4.5 flap discs in various grades 36 to 80 grit. There is a huge difference in quality as far as how long they "cut good". Problem is finding a good brand and writing it down for next time ....I did not, and am still trying brands...again.

I've tried 4" angle grinders but they seem like a toy compared to 4.5

[carlitoway3]

thanks man.. like i said im doing some major makeover so i think it will cover pretty much everything, from inside out. any idea about this smith & arrow?

[martylum]

for grinding discs try a business which sells welding supplies. they have to stand behind their products and can give you advice on various kinds of discs.
Martin Lum

[Ivan Saxton]

Look at the country of origin of discs of all types. I can tell you from experience that cheap ones from the eastern orient may be very variable. One brand from Europe which are universally good is Pferd. You will likely find that zircon grit flap wheels give better service. These are blue colour. Aluminium oxide grit is dark brown. Try different ones to see what suits you. The thinnest cut-off wheels cut most quickly because less material is being removed. (I use one of these in a cheap angle grinder mounted in the toolpost of the lathe to do parting-off cuts, giving perfect cuts and saving material.)
The small angle grinder is not only versatile, but also a precision tool in careful hands. Power rating is important determinmant of work speed. And tool quality is closely proportional to price. A good brand is one for which repair service and replacement parts are readily available. A Chinese grinder is unlikely to outlast its first set of brushes. I had the switches die in two of these within several days. One would not switch on; the other would not switch off, which is hairey. Late yesterday I specifically drove into town, and bought two new 5"Hitachis. Everything about them is nice. Chinese plugs have bad fit into the sockets of extension leads, and frequently fall out. If you were to re-connect the lead without turning off the switch the grinder will start a manic and threatening dance. Do not ever be tempted to buy one of the smart wood-shaping discs that has teeth like a chain saw. These are far too dangerous to use, and you can hand-shape wood much better and more safely with a new 40grit aluminium oxide flap wheel, (using a dust mask of course). I don't buy 5" coarse grinding wheels. I use worn-down discs from the 9"grinder, or use flap wheels which are smoother and quicker anyway. For cutting, I mark scribe lines with a piece of tungsten carbide sherpened to a chisel point. With the thin cutting disc 40thou thick you can cut precisely to the line. Ivan Saxton

[abh3usn]

It also depends on what grinder you're using. Is it pneumatic or electric? Pneumatics generally turn much faster and run around 25-30,000 RPMs. Wearas their electric counterparts are usually under 20,000. This affects the amount of material you can remove and the thickness of the material you can cut through. I use a 4.5" electric for general bench work. For serious work, such as cutting through angle iron or cutting sheet metal panles, I go for the air grinder. The air grinder is much quicker and there also tends to be a better variety with them. For example an angle grinder or almost any other configuration you can imagine. The air tool has no brushes to wear out so the tool itself will outlast an electric. However one down side is that for extended cutting they eat up a lot of air. You do want to keep them lubercated before and after use.

I've also found that the larger electric grinders are a problem in confined areas. The air grinders are usually more compact and are easy to use in tight spaces.

With the grinding wheels, there is no one wheel that will do everything our restoration projects demand. Generally, you need a good cutting wheel, sanding disc, and those flap wheels are excellent for paint removal although they don't last to long. When buying wheels you can go for quality or quanity. There are places you can buy a bunch of the wheels in bulk so to speak. Or you can get a good one and it should last longer. Be careful to match the weel to the RPM specs of the grinder you're using. Just because the arbor is correct dosen't mean the wheel is designed to run at 30,000 rpm.

Ivan is correct on the price Vs quality issue. Good quality tools such as Ingersoll-Rand, older Craftsman, Snap-On, Matco, exc. are worth their price. You get parts avialibility (I have a Craftsman 109 metal lathe from the 1950s and you can still order parts through them.) Also they have warrenty periods and real people you can talk to if you have access to a Snap-on or Matco rep.

You can try MSC Direct or McMaster-Carr they are an industrial suppliers who sells good quality stuff. McMaster-Carr