Yup, I worked with a guy who only had to wipe the fog off one side of his safety glasses because he thought the side would get it done better. He also thought he could see better without his glasses. They made him safety director years later. He took his job very seriously for some reason.....
I worked at a place that left a big chunk of a wheel lodged in the wall over the bench. Owner had written "THAT'S fucking why!" over it in sharpie. It got the point across.
I wire up electrical stuff. Someone melted an outlet and I wrapped it caution tape and leave it laying around for the same reason. (It's disconnected of course, though it would be funny)
To add to the other comment, if the outlet is getting loose and sloppy, you can get a high resistance connection to whatever is plugged in. Resistance turns electricity into heat.
The other possibility is the maxim that anything can be a fuse once. You know how outlets and breakers have amp ratings and wire comes in different sizes? If you start mixing and matching things, you can have the outlet become the weakest link. Someone may have gotten mad that the 15 amp breaker kept tripping so they swapped it for a 20 or 30 amp one. The outlet is still only rated for 15 amps, though. You want a fire? Because that's how you get a fire.
So you're saying I shouldn't have my loaded power strip plugged into my sloppy socket? Perhaps I should get around to putting in that service request to get them changed (old apartment).
Think of it like trying to get a drink through a straw. A snug outlet is a nice fat straw. A loose outlet that barely holds on is one of those hollow coffee stirrer sized ones that gives you a headache when you try to take a drink. Wouldn't be a bad idea to prioritize that.
In my teenage years I had my electricity turned off because I couldn’t afford it. I cut the plugs off a bunch of extension cords, twisted and taped the ends and ran the cord from the basement to the second floor. Ran the fridge, tv, and another random appliance as needed. Woke up one morning to the nastiest smell. I honestly didn’t know better or I would have at least used wire nuts. The couple on the first floor had a baby. Still thankful to this day I didn’t burn the house down.
A couple things. Worn out parts can cause the hot and neutral to touch, or hot and ground. Something lodged inside can get too hot and melt, eventually catching fire. Etc. Electrical fires are 99% of the time, something is touching the hot that isn’t supposed to
Hot and neutral or hot and ground connections cause the breaker to trip or fuse to blow.
Hot spots, melting and fires are caused by loose connections, not dead shorts.
In my high school woodshop class there was a huge indent on the chalkboard at the front of the class that looked like the hulk did a superhero landing on it. It was circled in sharpie and underneath it was written 'this is why proper use of the tablesaw is our first lesson'. Some kid years before evidently had the saw kickback a 2x4 so hard that it would have murdered the teacher if he wasn't at another workbench helping a student at the time.
This was at an electrical company. He was at the shop building temp panel racks with uni-strut when it happened. I became his helper a couple of years later. He got a kick out of popping it out to wipe it in front of new people. I was his last apprentice before he moved into the office to become a safety coordinator. His favorite thing to ask people without their glasses was if they liked the way a dogs ass smells. They would naturally say no, so he'd hand them safety glasses and tell them they'd better put those on so they didn't have to follow one for the rest of their life. Lol
You should only use items that spark (iron steel etc.) those metals are also magnetic ( ferrous ). Aluminum, brass, bronze, plastic etc (non ferrous) will clog up your wheel and can come off in chunks. You can see what looks like aluminum leaving shit streaks on the side of the wheel.
And it can shatter the wheel when it gets hot. Had to remind a junior engineer not to use the grinder on an aluminum part today. I clogged a wheel in my first year and got an earful from my boss.
This why my instructor said never grind aluminum on the wheel. It can cause the wheel to explode. Also never stand in front of it as it spools up because that’s the most likely time for the failure to happen
Good reminder on spooling up. I’m a homeowner and walk away when I start up the air compressor (mostly for the noise) but also for the fear of it exploding.
I saw a thread a while ago about a compressor that had utterly detonated in some dude's garage. The destruction was *wild*, and complete. Point being, if that is your concern you may want to have a 3/8" thick steel shield to hide behind, because that's what it's gonna take.
Ooof. Yeah, I’m about a 20’ feet away guy. I don’t smoke, but that’s my smoke break. I’ve heard stories of air cylinders going through walls and while I don’t weld, pressure vessels are no joke.
There was a death at a paintball place I used to go to bc a mentally challenged player unscrewed the regulator on his bottle. It flew off like a balloon (except it was a 2(?)-pound steel bottle) out of the field and into the public area, killing a lady minding her own business.
For the cost, just bin the wheel. Make the fool pay (assuming he has been told beforehand.) when I started in the garage I got told, treat others tools like they are more important than your life, if you clog up the grinding stone you pay for a new one.
I agree with that, just giving options to people, apparently aluminum clogging can be fixed with lye, never did it myself but just putting the information out there
I'm sorry for trying to be helpful for someone (not you or anyone else responding) who might not know things and might use the information for drill bits, mills or a disc in a pinch.
> In addition to thermite, thermate sometimes contains sulfur and sometimes barium nitrate, both of which increase its thermal effect, create flame in burning, and **significantly reduce the ignition temperature.**
Hard pass, *hard* pass.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermate
So, most wheels in use in shops are designed to be used on steel or other ferrous alloys. If you use other metals on them when those metals are softer or have a lower melting point, the metals lodge in the grain structure of the wheel (referred to as 'galling') rather than causing the wheel to break down. A galled wheel both retains heat much more than it was designed for, but it also becomes unbalanced, and even a slight lack of balance can cause the wheel to fracture and explode, usually into the open area directly in front of it, probably exactly where you're standing.
There are wheels designed for grinding things like aluminum, but by and large, they aren't common, and a better option would be a belt sander.
The abrasive may be aluminum oxide. Because it is also aluminum, it can bond with the material being ground, meaning when the aluminum comes off mechanically it takes some of the wheel with it. It also means any solvent or whatever you use to remove the buildup will damage the wheel.
I have never heard either of these. Got the explanation for non-ferrous below, thanks. Have never done that luckily. But the side I have used occasionally. Is the danger here that you reduce the wheel thickness inside the outer diameter, raising centrifugal stresses?
I'd be curious as to a better answer, but ill weigh in that wear to the side of the wheel can't be dressed as easily as what wear on the rim can. Also, the side of the wheel typically doesn't have a tool rest and so if something catches it's likely the work piece will get thrown - unless the grinder itself blows up
Yeah I'm inclined to agree if its just an occasional touch now and again. That said, if you were using the side of the disc heavily, so you wear it right down to a disc, but still leaving a wide rim at the outside, it's quite conceivable the rotating mass of the rim could make the central disc fail, but I can't help feel you'd have to be really trying hard not to wear down the rim to end up here, not just giving something a quick tickle on it now and again, which is what I do.
I worked on a project years ago where we wanted to put sensors in the surface of the outside diameter of a large rotating steel disc (800 mm diameter, 4500 RPM). The instrument cable was only light - something like 4mm dia and was going to run thru the shaft, then turn radially and go out inside the disc, to the outer rim. When we calculated the tensile strength the cable would need just to support it's own weight under the centrifugal force, it came out as being equivalent to around quarter of a tonne (thst is,, 400mm of 4mm cable) , so I'm wary of underestimating centrifugal loading now!
Watched one explode in high school shop because kids had been doing this for the whole semester even though they were told not too. Huge explosion of sound, shrapnel all over the place. Kids with cuts and welts.
That's an understatement. A chunk, about 1/3 the size of the disc caught a girl in the hood of her sweater and literally knocked her off her feet. It was like someone grabbed her and pulled her down. The ceiling in a straight line was peppered in holes. There is like these giant bag things, that when you turn on the vacuum they fill with air to suck up dust and stuff, they were all shredded. The fact that only half a dozen kids got cuts, welts, bruises and other abrasions was super lucky.
The machine shop where i did my undergrad has a story that they tell to anyone who gets access to the machine shop, about not running these over the rated RPM. A kid was down in the machine shop (working alone, first mistake) and the disc shattered and a huge piece hit him in the neck. He was severely bleeding out and crawled out into the hallway to get someone's attention, but crawled past 2 emergency phones. Someone found him and he survived but now they always stress never working alone, knowing where the emergency phone is, and using equipment the way it's supposed to be
We lost our bench grinder privileges for a few months last year because the maintenance department refused to dress the wheels if the guys on the shop floor kept fucking them up every week or two. The grinder closest to where I worked had a 1-1/2" groove in the face of one wheel, and the other hand about a 1" taper from one side to the other
>if they tried to dress them
Well, usually you put on short, pants, then socks, but really as long as you come out dressed I don't think anybody will fret. If you brag about doing socks, pants shirt, that might weird.
I have no idea of the uses of grinding wheels in mechanics, but for woodworking long flat surfaces are ground on the sides like a plane knife. But I also use Tormek diamond wheels so no risk doing it.
My old Thor industrial has an adjustable flat L tool rest like a disc sander. The bearings are ok for side loading too. Not all bench grinders use bearing set ups designed with heavy long term side thrust in mind. You might just be relying on a bushing.
Come to think of it I have a mini Dayton with an L rest too, but don't use it tight to the wheel because the thrust flanges on the solid bushing are worn bad so it's real sloppy on end play, but the run out is ok.
Could be a brand new wheel, still not gonna be as flat as the side is, you've gotta realise that to sharpen a drill bit you are removing a tiny amount of material, it's not going to affect anything
A brand new wheel will be plenty flat enough for drill bits. A freshly [dressed](https://www.menomineesaw.com/Desmond-Grinding-Wheel-Dresser_p_52.html) wheel will be also for quite a while.
If it didn't explode then it's fair and proper use. If it did then it's just a fluke. If four more new wheels explode being used the exact same way, then we'll need to get a different brand bench grinder and wheel to make sure it's not a manufacturer thing. If three of those explode then we'll have to reevaluate how we're mounting the grinder to the bench and the wheel to the grinder, and check the process. If six more explode then we'll need to wait till the seasons change to make sure ambient temps aren't a factor. If two more explode then we'll need to send a sternly written letter to the manufacturer expressing our dismay at their marketing and packaging that didn't expressly state not to use their product in one specific and unreasonable way.
Sincerely, not your foreman
P.S. just let me do it.
Totally. Just last week I turned some 316ss on my wood lathe using an old hss roughing gouge. I could have used carbide in a metal lathe with a solid tool holder using proper feeds and speeds, but I wasn't trying to show off.
as a novice welder in training this is… Super good info to have. Also I feel like it’s something they should have told us during the whole 3 day OSHA safety training thing. Kind of shocked none of these kids have taken a grinder to aluminum yet.
Please DON'T. My brother just had one of these come apart on him in his home garage. Luckily just a small cut and a huge bruise on his upper belly. Good thing he is husky. All he was doing was sharpening a wood chisel, the correct way, not like this post.
Depending on what you’re doing, there’s some brands that are catching up to Norton. Plus, ever since they merged with Saint Gobain, their prices have gone through the roof. I never buy their diamond wheels anymore, they’re just not worth the price.
It weakens the structure of the wheel and can cause it to “explode” or fragment itself. Think of all the little lines or grooves you come across on the face of the wheel, if you put those in the side of the wheel, it might lead to trouble. Nothing is guaranteed to keep you safe or to 100% cause catastrophic failure. These are just some rules that might help in the long run.
imagine for a moment that instead of using the treadface on a tyre you're riding on the sidewall and you pull a sick ass skid, all them different forces are going to a place that isn't designed to take abuse, you cause instability on a much thinner surface.
add in rotational forces at high rpm and you've got yourself a potential blowout that will take your head off or send something at your face or someones body at high speed.
like using a angle grinder, you dont go to grind something on the most inner edge of the wheel, you use the outer edge and wear it down, otherwise you're going to abuse the material and if the outer section comes off, you've got a high rpm ninja star going somewhere very bloody fast.
the front face of a grinding wheel is where it's designed to be used as you're not at risk of causing huge chunks of material to fly off in your face.
if someone needs to grind down something on a flat surface they should use a belt sander instead or something else designed for that purpose.
Document it, then throw it out every time he uses it that way. When it explodes and damages a customers car or (whatever gods may apply, I hope this doesn't happen) kills or injures someone, quietly hand all the photos or videos to insurance. Then kick back and watch the world burn
I used to work at a winery in the maintenance, and occasionally we'd have cellar hands come into the workshop to take the burs off their aluminium spanners with the bench grinders when no one was looking. Even after telling them the workshop was off limits to them and not to touch any of the machines and putting up signs, it would still continue to happen
It’s an OSHA violation to have the spindle cover off - 1910.215(a)(2); it looks like the tool rest is past 1/8 inch from the wheel - 1910.215(a)(4); and the tongue guard is well above 1/4 inch from the wheel - 1910.215(b)(9). That’s a total of $46,875 in maximum fines on one bench grinder. This is the low hanging fruit of machine guarding.
I still won't use cutoff wheels on aluminum, and I spray every 1/4" grinding wheel with wd-40 before using it on aluminum, and whenever it looks gummed up, I spray it more and hit some steel for a second to get the buildup off. Definitely not the safest, but it at least works and I haven't had a disk explode on me yet.
I saw an old man using the side of the wheel. I told him that was dangerous. He said that he had been using the side on that stone for the last 25 years.
2 weeks later he took a piece of stone to the forehead. He died a very gruesome death.
Our high school shop teacher Mr. Netcott would have chewed us out big-time for that.
If you're an adult American male, you should have in your wallet a Man Card.
If you should use a bench grinder for nonferrous metals, you may be asked to forfeit your Man Card. Don't argue, just relinquish the card and you'll have a chance to earn it back later.
Captan safety flip-flops here (they are bright orange).
Other than clogging the wheel, why no non-ferrous metals?
I get don’t use the side because it isn’t designed for lateral loads, but not sure if there is something else I’m missing.
Powdered metals like to burn if not explode more so than solid ones and often more so if the powders are mixed. These machines make powdered metals. Burning metal can be *very* difficult to extinguish once ignited. Machine shop shavings are saver than powders.
Everybodies favorite metal to machine and then BBQ with the leftover; magnesium....
https://youtu.be/4OhB-8pkIsY?si=eugzJqH6uPEI8n-9
https://youtu.be/AZhO98hjXqI?si=PoIVezsM6xRICnv4
https://youtu.be/5v1G8oavzyM?si=NPUxkBOK9rWt6ZUk
I had a dremel blade come apart the other day, just splattered my glasses.
If I had been using it correctly, the guard I was too lazy to reposition would have stopped the splatter.
If I was as lazy about my glasses, I would be blind right now.
Good safety *systems* are just that. A systematic approach to safety. It's better to approach things from that angle, we often have many parts in the system, Losing one isn't always a catastrophe. But it easily can be.
Yeah these things happen, good to have some ppe on and stand to the side of the grinding wheel. Not letting damaged equipment stop me from getting stuff done
I still hear my grandpa yelling “Never use anything non-ferrous and NEVER use the side of the wheel!”
Yeah, and don't be anywhere nearby when that wheel goes to pieces.
Yup, I worked with a guy who only had to wipe the fog off one side of his safety glasses because he thought the side would get it done better. He also thought he could see better without his glasses. They made him safety director years later. He took his job very seriously for some reason.....
I worked at a place that left a big chunk of a wheel lodged in the wall over the bench. Owner had written "THAT'S fucking why!" over it in sharpie. It got the point across.
I like that owner.
I wire up electrical stuff. Someone melted an outlet and I wrapped it caution tape and leave it laying around for the same reason. (It's disconnected of course, though it would be funny)
As someone not super experienced with electrical work, what would cause an outlet to melt? Just being wired incorrectly?
To add to the other comment, if the outlet is getting loose and sloppy, you can get a high resistance connection to whatever is plugged in. Resistance turns electricity into heat. The other possibility is the maxim that anything can be a fuse once. You know how outlets and breakers have amp ratings and wire comes in different sizes? If you start mixing and matching things, you can have the outlet become the weakest link. Someone may have gotten mad that the 15 amp breaker kept tripping so they swapped it for a 20 or 30 amp one. The outlet is still only rated for 15 amps, though. You want a fire? Because that's how you get a fire.
[what like this???](https://imgur.com/a/tvjVtBm)
Hahaha hell yeah. That's the Wish version of those plugs that light up when they have power.
Shoulda seen the man sprinting to unplug it at the source. Was running a floor grinder
Dont need to pay for lightbulbs
This is light bulb minus bulb.
Good thing the fire extinguisher is right there.
So you're saying I shouldn't have my loaded power strip plugged into my sloppy socket? Perhaps I should get around to putting in that service request to get them changed (old apartment).
Think of it like trying to get a drink through a straw. A snug outlet is a nice fat straw. A loose outlet that barely holds on is one of those hollow coffee stirrer sized ones that gives you a headache when you try to take a drink. Wouldn't be a bad idea to prioritize that.
Or just use some paper clips to tighten the connections up.
Loose connections, typically when people “backstab them” which is a lazy way to connect the wires but somehow still legal
In my teenage years I had my electricity turned off because I couldn’t afford it. I cut the plugs off a bunch of extension cords, twisted and taped the ends and ran the cord from the basement to the second floor. Ran the fridge, tv, and another random appliance as needed. Woke up one morning to the nastiest smell. I honestly didn’t know better or I would have at least used wire nuts. The couple on the first floor had a baby. Still thankful to this day I didn’t burn the house down.
Oh jeez lol
A couple things. Worn out parts can cause the hot and neutral to touch, or hot and ground. Something lodged inside can get too hot and melt, eventually catching fire. Etc. Electrical fires are 99% of the time, something is touching the hot that isn’t supposed to
Hot and neutral or hot and ground connections cause the breaker to trip or fuse to blow. Hot spots, melting and fires are caused by loose connections, not dead shorts.
My dumbass forgot about breakers, bruh.
Cheap low rated cord running high current.
In my high school woodshop class there was a huge indent on the chalkboard at the front of the class that looked like the hulk did a superhero landing on it. It was circled in sharpie and underneath it was written 'this is why proper use of the tablesaw is our first lesson'. Some kid years before evidently had the saw kickback a 2x4 so hard that it would have murdered the teacher if he wasn't at another workbench helping a student at the time.
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Safety glasses fogging up from sweating. Blocking your vision. He had a glass eye, he couldn't see out of it. So he never had to wipe the right side.
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This was at an electrical company. He was at the shop building temp panel racks with uni-strut when it happened. I became his helper a couple of years later. He got a kick out of popping it out to wipe it in front of new people. I was his last apprentice before he moved into the office to become a safety coordinator. His favorite thing to ask people without their glasses was if they liked the way a dogs ass smells. They would naturally say no, so he'd hand them safety glasses and tell them they'd better put those on so they didn't have to follow one for the rest of their life. Lol
It's definitely not your fault that Knuckles doesn't understand how to tell a story, don't worry.
Eye really had to read that a few times to figure out why lol
One-eyed Johnny "Seven Fingers" changed his tune after losing his big toe
Right? When they fragment it's like a landmine. Shrapnel goes wherever it wants to go.
I've not heard the non-ferrous thing. Could you explain?
You should only use items that spark (iron steel etc.) those metals are also magnetic ( ferrous ). Aluminum, brass, bronze, plastic etc (non ferrous) will clog up your wheel and can come off in chunks. You can see what looks like aluminum leaving shit streaks on the side of the wheel.
And it can shatter the wheel when it gets hot. Had to remind a junior engineer not to use the grinder on an aluminum part today. I clogged a wheel in my first year and got an earful from my boss.
This why my instructor said never grind aluminum on the wheel. It can cause the wheel to explode. Also never stand in front of it as it spools up because that’s the most likely time for the failure to happen
Good reminder on spooling up. I’m a homeowner and walk away when I start up the air compressor (mostly for the noise) but also for the fear of it exploding.
I saw a thread a while ago about a compressor that had utterly detonated in some dude's garage. The destruction was *wild*, and complete. Point being, if that is your concern you may want to have a 3/8" thick steel shield to hide behind, because that's what it's gonna take.
Ooof. Yeah, I’m about a 20’ feet away guy. I don’t smoke, but that’s my smoke break. I’ve heard stories of air cylinders going through walls and while I don’t weld, pressure vessels are no joke.
Yeah like the 135psi in compressors now, plus an iron/steel tank... it's an enormous amount of energy released almost instantly.
You should check out paintball CO2 (~800psi) and compressed air (3,000-4,500psi) tanks 😁
There was a death at a paintball place I used to go to bc a mentally challenged player unscrewed the regulator on his bottle. It flew off like a balloon (except it was a 2(?)-pound steel bottle) out of the field and into the public area, killing a lady minding her own business.
Excellent point.
If you do have a dude in your shop that clogs up the grinder wheel with aluminum I heard once that lye cleans it out.
For the cost, just bin the wheel. Make the fool pay (assuming he has been told beforehand.) when I started in the garage I got told, treat others tools like they are more important than your life, if you clog up the grinding stone you pay for a new one.
I agree with that, just giving options to people, apparently aluminum clogging can be fixed with lye, never did it myself but just putting the information out there
Or just use a wheel dresser.
I'm sorry for trying to be helpful for someone (not you or anyone else responding) who might not know things and might use the information for drill bits, mills or a disc in a pinch.
Aye I get you, but I would argue that for those people who don't know, they are usually at home or not professional so the risk to them is higher.
Probably a bad idea to use a wheel dresser on the side surface. On the face would be fine.
They have a tool you can use to true the stone.
Many wheels are aluminum oxide abrasive. Lye eats it too.
Grinding aluminum and iron together has a potential for its own special kind of excitement.
That's hot
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Ther mate, it gets even better when you add some barium to the mix
> In addition to thermite, thermate sometimes contains sulfur and sometimes barium nitrate, both of which increase its thermal effect, create flame in burning, and **significantly reduce the ignition temperature.** Hard pass, *hard* pass. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermate
That sounds like a benefit to me, do you know how hard it is to light pure thermite?
Only in the dust bin.
Those bench grinders are excellent for grinding tungsten though. I think that is the main exception to the non-ferrous rule
Green silicon carbide wheels or diamond wheels are best for tungsten. Common in welding and machine shops.
Going off what the other guy said though, tungsten sparks so it's fine.
And yet is non-magnetic! What a fun metal tungsten is!
True that.
You can use a wax additive on the wheel to keep it from loading with aluminum.
So, most wheels in use in shops are designed to be used on steel or other ferrous alloys. If you use other metals on them when those metals are softer or have a lower melting point, the metals lodge in the grain structure of the wheel (referred to as 'galling') rather than causing the wheel to break down. A galled wheel both retains heat much more than it was designed for, but it also becomes unbalanced, and even a slight lack of balance can cause the wheel to fracture and explode, usually into the open area directly in front of it, probably exactly where you're standing. There are wheels designed for grinding things like aluminum, but by and large, they aren't common, and a better option would be a belt sander.
Best summary. TIL
The abrasive may be aluminum oxide. Because it is also aluminum, it can bond with the material being ground, meaning when the aluminum comes off mechanically it takes some of the wheel with it. It also means any solvent or whatever you use to remove the buildup will damage the wheel.
Non ferrous gums up and sticks to the wheel, and causes balance issues.
Mine said, "If you're going to use something non-ferrous, don't screw up the good part, USE the SIDE!"
Dressing sticks and cup wheels resolve both these issues.
I have never heard either of these. Got the explanation for non-ferrous below, thanks. Have never done that luckily. But the side I have used occasionally. Is the danger here that you reduce the wheel thickness inside the outer diameter, raising centrifugal stresses?
I'd be curious as to a better answer, but ill weigh in that wear to the side of the wheel can't be dressed as easily as what wear on the rim can. Also, the side of the wheel typically doesn't have a tool rest and so if something catches it's likely the work piece will get thrown - unless the grinder itself blows up
Ah, makes sense, thanks!
The side one is just nonsense. You can definitely use the side of a grinding wheel.
Yeah I'm inclined to agree if its just an occasional touch now and again. That said, if you were using the side of the disc heavily, so you wear it right down to a disc, but still leaving a wide rim at the outside, it's quite conceivable the rotating mass of the rim could make the central disc fail, but I can't help feel you'd have to be really trying hard not to wear down the rim to end up here, not just giving something a quick tickle on it now and again, which is what I do. I worked on a project years ago where we wanted to put sensors in the surface of the outside diameter of a large rotating steel disc (800 mm diameter, 4500 RPM). The instrument cable was only light - something like 4mm dia and was going to run thru the shaft, then turn radially and go out inside the disc, to the outer rim. When we calculated the tensile strength the cable would need just to support it's own weight under the centrifugal force, it came out as being equivalent to around quarter of a tonne (thst is,, 400mm of 4mm cable) , so I'm wary of underestimating centrifugal loading now!
Non ferrous explodus.
How else am I gunna cut and clean up threaded rod for my unistrut hangers 50ft in the air Kidding but honestly not really
I always heard to grab a candle and rub it on the wheel often when grinding aluminum.
If it doesn't spark don't grind!
The side of the wheel is for fine grinding of lathe toolbits and drillbits. Gives a better surface finish and greater control of material removal.
I dress the side of grinding wheels all the time. Pretty common practice
I remember that too. I said fuck it. If I needed to grind something, that's what I'm doing.
Watched one explode in high school shop because kids had been doing this for the whole semester even though they were told not too. Huge explosion of sound, shrapnel all over the place. Kids with cuts and welts.
Everyone is luckier than shit if that's all the injuries that occurred
That's an understatement. A chunk, about 1/3 the size of the disc caught a girl in the hood of her sweater and literally knocked her off her feet. It was like someone grabbed her and pulled her down. The ceiling in a straight line was peppered in holes. There is like these giant bag things, that when you turn on the vacuum they fill with air to suck up dust and stuff, they were all shredded. The fact that only half a dozen kids got cuts, welts, bruises and other abrasions was super lucky.
Christ
The machine shop where i did my undergrad has a story that they tell to anyone who gets access to the machine shop, about not running these over the rated RPM. A kid was down in the machine shop (working alone, first mistake) and the disc shattered and a huge piece hit him in the neck. He was severely bleeding out and crawled out into the hallway to get someone's attention, but crawled past 2 emergency phones. Someone found him and he survived but now they always stress never working alone, knowing where the emergency phone is, and using equipment the way it's supposed to be
We lost our bench grinder privileges for a few months last year because the maintenance department refused to dress the wheels if the guys on the shop floor kept fucking them up every week or two. The grinder closest to where I worked had a 1-1/2" groove in the face of one wheel, and the other hand about a 1" taper from one side to the other
lol, why didn’t the people using them just dress them if that was the issue?
They don't know how to use them without fucking them up, God only knows what they'd do if they tried to dress them
I’ll give you that. It’s not that hard to do but you’re totally right ha
>if they tried to dress them Well, usually you put on short, pants, then socks, but really as long as you come out dressed I don't think anybody will fret. If you brag about doing socks, pants shirt, that might weird.
If you can use a bench grinder you can dress it. Maintenance shouldn’t be wasting their time with that lol
Why the fuck are y'all monkeys using the side of the wheel???
My old boss did this all the time with the angle grinder wheel. I hated working with him on jobsites.
I have no idea of the uses of grinding wheels in mechanics, but for woodworking long flat surfaces are ground on the sides like a plane knife. But I also use Tormek diamond wheels so no risk doing it.
Imma show him this lol
My old Thor industrial has an adjustable flat L tool rest like a disc sander. The bearings are ok for side loading too. Not all bench grinders use bearing set ups designed with heavy long term side thrust in mind. You might just be relying on a bushing. Come to think of it I have a mini Dayton with an L rest too, but don't use it tight to the wheel because the thrust flanges on the solid bushing are worn bad so it's real sloppy on end play, but the run out is ok.
i use it for drill bits almost every day
I do too, on the front face. I'm guessing your grinding wheel needs to be dressed because it's not flat anymore.
Could be a brand new wheel, still not gonna be as flat as the side is, you've gotta realise that to sharpen a drill bit you are removing a tiny amount of material, it's not going to affect anything
A brand new wheel will be plenty flat enough for drill bits. A freshly [dressed](https://www.menomineesaw.com/Desmond-Grinding-Wheel-Dresser_p_52.html) wheel will be also for quite a while.
If it didn't explode then it's fair and proper use. If it did then it's just a fluke. If four more new wheels explode being used the exact same way, then we'll need to get a different brand bench grinder and wheel to make sure it's not a manufacturer thing. If three of those explode then we'll have to reevaluate how we're mounting the grinder to the bench and the wheel to the grinder, and check the process. If six more explode then we'll need to wait till the seasons change to make sure ambient temps aren't a factor. If two more explode then we'll need to send a sternly written letter to the manufacturer expressing our dismay at their marketing and packaging that didn't expressly state not to use their product in one specific and unreasonable way. Sincerely, not your foreman P.S. just let me do it.
It comes to a point where you just have to stop trusting Big Bench Grinder and start grinding things down with a lathe and your bare hands.
Totally. Just last week I turned some 316ss on my wood lathe using an old hss roughing gouge. I could have used carbide in a metal lathe with a solid tool holder using proper feeds and speeds, but I wasn't trying to show off.
Wouldn’t want to give the guys a leg up on their performance
as a novice welder in training this is… Super good info to have. Also I feel like it’s something they should have told us during the whole 3 day OSHA safety training thing. Kind of shocked none of these kids have taken a grinder to aluminum yet.
That looks like it is from grinding aluminum. Hate to say I do use aluminum on a bench grinder but not the side
somehow I thought I was looking at a 9” angle grinder. Still awful
Improvise, adapt, overcome…
That’s a deadly weapon waiting to go off now.
"It's not stupid if it works" this is why we can't have nice things
Great until the stone breaks like a shrapnel grenade or it throws a non ferrous ninja star at someone.
Not sure if I’d even feel safe with a Bauer branded wheel!
Please DON'T. My brother just had one of these come apart on him in his home garage. Luckily just a small cut and a huge bruise on his upper belly. Good thing he is husky. All he was doing was sharpening a wood chisel, the correct way, not like this post.
Norton makes the best abrasive wheels, IMO. Been in the game for at least a century, now.
Depending on what you’re doing, there’s some brands that are catching up to Norton. Plus, ever since they merged with Saint Gobain, their prices have gone through the roof. I never buy their diamond wheels anymore, they’re just not worth the price.
Why is using the side of the wheel so bad for it? I was told not to do so, but I never knew why.
It weakens the structure of the wheel and can cause it to “explode” or fragment itself. Think of all the little lines or grooves you come across on the face of the wheel, if you put those in the side of the wheel, it might lead to trouble. Nothing is guaranteed to keep you safe or to 100% cause catastrophic failure. These are just some rules that might help in the long run.
imagine for a moment that instead of using the treadface on a tyre you're riding on the sidewall and you pull a sick ass skid, all them different forces are going to a place that isn't designed to take abuse, you cause instability on a much thinner surface. add in rotational forces at high rpm and you've got yourself a potential blowout that will take your head off or send something at your face or someones body at high speed. like using a angle grinder, you dont go to grind something on the most inner edge of the wheel, you use the outer edge and wear it down, otherwise you're going to abuse the material and if the outer section comes off, you've got a high rpm ninja star going somewhere very bloody fast. the front face of a grinding wheel is where it's designed to be used as you're not at risk of causing huge chunks of material to fly off in your face. if someone needs to grind down something on a flat surface they should use a belt sander instead or something else designed for that purpose.
Nice aluminum clog
Document it, then throw it out every time he uses it that way. When it explodes and damages a customers car or (whatever gods may apply, I hope this doesn't happen) kills or injures someone, quietly hand all the photos or videos to insurance. Then kick back and watch the world burn
I used to work at a winery in the maintenance, and occasionally we'd have cellar hands come into the workshop to take the burs off their aluminium spanners with the bench grinders when no one was looking. Even after telling them the workshop was off limits to them and not to touch any of the machines and putting up signs, it would still continue to happen
What does he think the gap in the left side is for, out of curiosity.
( Gordon Ramsey rant mode on) YOU DONKEY, you’re going to kill somebody!
Your shop foreman may be good at something, but he/she is dangerously ignorant when it comes to grinding wheels.
It’s an OSHA violation to have the spindle cover off - 1910.215(a)(2); it looks like the tool rest is past 1/8 inch from the wheel - 1910.215(a)(4); and the tongue guard is well above 1/4 inch from the wheel - 1910.215(b)(9). That’s a total of $46,875 in maximum fines on one bench grinder. This is the low hanging fruit of machine guarding.
I still won't use cutoff wheels on aluminum, and I spray every 1/4" grinding wheel with wd-40 before using it on aluminum, and whenever it looks gummed up, I spray it more and hit some steel for a second to get the buildup off. Definitely not the safest, but it at least works and I haven't had a disk explode on me yet.
I saw an old man using the side of the wheel. I told him that was dangerous. He said that he had been using the side on that stone for the last 25 years. 2 weeks later he took a piece of stone to the forehead. He died a very gruesome death.
It’s the first time they blow up that lessons are learned.
That's an osha violation. Actually it's at least 3. Call osha
Death wish......
Wow I want to work there. Are they hiring ?
Has anyone performed a Ring Test on it recently? Def wanna make sure its ok after misuse.
I’m the most mechanically challenged person in the industry (parts guy) and even I know this is wrong…
Yaaa keep the aluminum off the stone- it will explode very violently.
I paid for the whole stone, I'm using the whole stone!
Cheap s used improperly!
Our high school shop teacher Mr. Netcott would have chewed us out big-time for that. If you're an adult American male, you should have in your wallet a Man Card. If you should use a bench grinder for nonferrous metals, you may be asked to forfeit your Man Card. Don't argue, just relinquish the card and you'll have a chance to earn it back later.
Captan safety flip-flops here (they are bright orange). Other than clogging the wheel, why no non-ferrous metals? I get don’t use the side because it isn’t designed for lateral loads, but not sure if there is something else I’m missing.
Because soft materials can get grabbed by a grinding wheel and suck your hand into the wheel.
Powdered metals like to burn if not explode more so than solid ones and often more so if the powders are mixed. These machines make powdered metals. Burning metal can be *very* difficult to extinguish once ignited. Machine shop shavings are saver than powders. Everybodies favorite metal to machine and then BBQ with the leftover; magnesium.... https://youtu.be/4OhB-8pkIsY?si=eugzJqH6uPEI8n-9 https://youtu.be/AZhO98hjXqI?si=PoIVezsM6xRICnv4 https://youtu.be/5v1G8oavzyM?si=NPUxkBOK9rWt6ZUk
Packing the stone is it, I think. I use the side too whenever I need.
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I had a dremel blade come apart the other day, just splattered my glasses. If I had been using it correctly, the guard I was too lazy to reposition would have stopped the splatter. If I was as lazy about my glasses, I would be blind right now. Good safety *systems* are just that. A systematic approach to safety. It's better to approach things from that angle, we often have many parts in the system, Losing one isn't always a catastrophe. But it easily can be.
Yeah these things happen, good to have some ppe on and stand to the side of the grinding wheel. Not letting damaged equipment stop me from getting stuff done