Modern angle grinders, better known as the "grinder", are used for various technological processes in construction work and repair. When choosing a disc for a grinder on wood and rubber, it is necessary to take into account the features of not only the tool itself, but also the objects being processed.
Key features of cutting wheels
Depending on the material of manufacture and design features, three main types of circles are distinguished:
- Abrasive disc for grinder on wood, used for working with various surfaces. Depending on the thickness, the wheel can be cutting and grinding.
- A diamond blade designed for work with stone, concrete and other building materials. Such circles are divided into segmented and solid. The first view due to the better removal of the bayonet through the slots and more efficient cooling provides high performance. Such discs can be used when cutting thin metals.
- The usual circle for circular. However, it is immediately worth noting that it is not recommended to use it for sawing wooden products without work experience, as there are many cases when people got rather severe injuries when clamping in a disk array. If possible, when performing such work it is better to use another tool, such as a jigsaw, chainsaw, etc.
Circle selection
When choosing wheels for grinding wood with a grinder, pay attention to such points:
- The size of the circles should not exceed the maximum permissible diameter for which the grinder is designed. A tool designed for discs with a diameter of 125 mm cannot work with a 230 mm cutting wheel for many reasons. Firstly, the speed of movement of the edge of the grinder is significantly exceeded (with a significant increase in its size, the disk can simply fly apart). Secondly, to work with such a disk, you need more power than the one for which a small tool is designed. Thirdly, to install such a consumable, you need to remove the protective cover, which makes work more dangerous.
- When working with different types of materials, you should choose a drive that is designed specifically for them.
- Pay attention to the rotational speed of the circle, which is the maximum permissible (or linear speed). These indicators are indicated on the surface of the circle. According to these values, you should choose the mode of operation of the grinder.
Outer diameter of the disc
One of the important indicators of the cutting wheel is its outer diameter, which is calculated in millimeters and is standardized. For domestic purposes, as a rule, a disc for a grinder on a tree of 115-230 mm is used.
The diameter of the tool shaft (seating size) on almost all disks is now the same - 22.2 millimeters, and special intermediate rings are used to install on older models of grinders.
The most universal disk is considered to be a grinder for wood 125 mm, 150 mm and 230 mm.
A circle of 125 mm is convenient to use when it is necessary to cut metal reinforcement and a rod.
A disc for a 150 mm wood grinder can not only grind and cut metal, but is also able to cut a beam or dissolve a board.
If the diameter is more than 230 mm, then such circles have an industrial purpose.
Disc for wood grinder 230 mm has a wider scope, as it can be used in the processing of metal alloys of various grades.
Grinding discs
As already mentioned, abrasive wheels for the grinder are divided into cutting wheels (up to 3 mm thick) and grinding wheels (thicker). Despite the fact that the classification is very conditional, there is another significant difference between the discs - the reinforcement of cutting wheels is usually carried out in 2 layers, and grinding at least three.
Abrasive Disc Shape
Abrasive wheels are distinguished by their shape. Distinguish:
- Standard flat discs.
- Curved discs (in the form of a plate). They can be used when performing work in hard-to-reach places. With this shape of the circle, the fixing nut is hidden, therefore grinding work is more convenient to carry out.
When purchasing a disc for a grinder on wood, pay attention to the marking (for example, A 40 L), which allows you to find out the following information about the product:
- The first letter (or two) indicates the type of abrasive material used. For example: A - corundum, AS - electrocorundum, C - silicon carbide, which is used when working on granite and stone.
- The numbers let you know the grain size of the abrasive. Moreover, the larger it is, the more work will progress faster. However, the cleanliness of the cut or grinding will deteriorate. A disk with coarse grain is used, as a rule, for processing soft (non-ferrous) metal, and with fine grain is used for steel.
- The last letter in the marking indicates the hardness of the ligament of the base of the circle (those letters located at the beginning of the alphabet mean that the ligament is softer). It is recommended that you follow this rule when buying - when working with soft material, use a disk with a soft ligament and vice versa.
Almost all manufacturers of abrasive wheels use color marking products. Green is for stone, blue is for metal work. It is also worth mentioning about the inner landing ring. For circles that are designed for cutting, it is made of hard metal, and for polishing or grinding use cutting discs with a softer washer.
Diamond cutting wheels for grinder
Depending on the purpose, diamond blades can be divided into several types:
- Concrete. Circles of this type can easily cope with monolithic, including concrete and reinforced structures.
- Granite. Such discs are used when working with particularly hard rocks.
- Asphalt. Cutting wheels are best used in the processing of concrete and, accordingly, asphalt.
- Construction Materials. Disks of this type can be used for cutting ceramics, bricks.
Diamond cutting wheels of some manufacturers are also color-coded:
- Green is granite.
- Blue is concrete, marble.
- Yellow - gypsum, tile.
- Gray is ceramic.
Segmented diamond cutting wheels are used for cutting materials using the dry method. When using solid disks, a wet cut (water cooling) is used. This is primarily due to the very large heating of the continuous surface of the cutting wheel.
Partial segmentation models exist. These are the so-called turbo disks, in which the slots are placed in the body of the circle (they do not go to the outer edge). Such products can be used at a higher speed than fully segmented ones.
So, choosing the cutting disc most suitable for all parameters for a grinder on wood, you can efficiently and safely perform any work.
Safety regulations
When working with a grinder, no matter what type of disk is installed, it is necessary to strictly observe the safety requirements.
- The tool must be equipped with a thrust handle and a protective cover.
- All work must be carried out in overalls and using personal protective equipment. It is also very necessary to be careful about the choice of glasses or masks, because damage to the eyes (according to statistics, this is the most common injury) can be obtained even from small chips or a fragment of the circle itself.
Price
The cost of all cutting wheels for the grinder depends largely on both the model and the fame of the manufacturer. For example, a diamond blade for a grinder on a small-diameter wood (125 mm) from Bosch costs at least 400 rubles. However, despite this, it is recommended that you give your preference to trusted manufacturers, since this tool is with increased danger. Therefore, it is not worth saving on a consumable such as a cutting disc.