TOOL OF THE MONTH
Ralph rabbits on about angle grinders.
When I started chopping up the frame on my Z900 project, I dug out my angle grinder and then had to try and find an extension lead because corded power tools never have leads long enough to get from the nearest socket to where they are needed.
As a rule, they are tantalisingly close so you do plug it in and try, even though you’ve been down this road before and you know that the wire will be as tight as a banjo string. When I started work all power tools were plugged in and you were grateful for their might and power, but these days mains powered tools seem so inconvenient.
I try and avoid using grinders in my workshop as they spray abrasive grit and shards of metal as far as the eye can see and further. If any of the bi-products of grinding get into an engine they will cause all manner of badness.
To set up the mains leads to do grinding outside is yet another faff that one can do without and a cordless grinder would answer this issue nicely.
Sealey has recently released a new brushless, cordless 20-volt angle grinder and were keen for me to try it. When it arrived, I immediately plugged in the charger and prepared the battery for play time.
The frame for my Z900 project had a couple of brackets that would be easier to chop off with an angle grinder, and there was lots of surplus weld left to grind away after I chopped away the bracing to make way for my more elegant and stiffer tubular version with Sealey’s excellent air saw.
When the charger gave me the green light, I fitted a 1mm metal cutting disc on the spindle of the machine and attached the battery. The bike frame was sat on an old pallet, waiting to be turned into kindling for our wood burner, and the fun began. The machine announced its presence to my neighbours in much the same manner as my Bosch professional one did – loudly. The customary shower of sparks, like a Catherine Wheel, came from the blade as the machine tore through the mild steel with the same hunger as its corded predecessor. The joy of the battery grinder is that you have unfettered movement and you’re not constantly worried about cutting through the cord, so all one’s attention can be focused on shaping the workpiece.
The last time, a few days ago, that my grinder bit my finger was actually caused because I was trying to keep the power cord away from the running cutting disc… These cuts don’t hurt immediately, but the pain and inconvenience increase as the days go by.
Once you’ve bought a professional power tool they tend to last, so I haven’t looked at angle grinders for some time, but this one has a new trick I’ve not encountered before and that is the facility to fit the side handle not just left and right, but in line with the spindle. This might not sound much of an innovation, but using an angle grinder requires good control and I found on vertical cuts such as the one shown in Photo 1 this extra position to be of serious advantage.
This grinder needs some serious power and a 4amp hour battery is a minimum and I would suggest that you really do need two if you are going to do more than the odd job. I was concerned that the weight of the power pack would unbalance the machine, but I can assure you that it felt far more stable than having a mains tether. I changed to a grinding disc to remove some superfluous weld. This operation really needed some accurate control and would have shown up any lack of balance. The tool passed this with flying colours.
Sealey sell a stripping disc for angle grinders and I bought one ages ago and hadn’t tried it. I found it and it’s a bit vicious for rust removal, but I had an old Zed tank I had chemically stripped, which revealed a load of filler. This can be a ball ache to remove, so I tried the stripper disc; that was clearly its forte. I suspect that it would be good for paint stripping, but I haven’t any to strip currently; I’ll report back when I next do.
I did try a great big wire cup-shaped, knotted wire wheel which I use on my 2 kilowatt 9-inch grinder, which was a bit unfair, but it actually handled it remarkable well. It did slow it down at times, but it really made the rust fly off. I have now bought a smaller wheel and that works very well without putting too much strain on the tool.
The guard around the disc is usually fixed and is adjusted with a screwdriver or is too loose and moves around on its own, in my experience. This one has a nice lever mechanism that makes moving the guard to another position easy and removing it to use the wire brush a doddle.
This is a serious professional tool and is currently on offer for around £200 for a full kit with a brace of 4ah batteries, a fast charger and a canvas bag, but you end up with a tool that will last for years and comes with a manufacturer’s three-year guarantee and, as with all Sealey products spares, are readily available. Bargain!