230mm angle grinder cutting disc woes

[Nozzle]

I have one of these:

One of these

And I've tried both an Ultex (which I thought was a good brand but might have turned out to be an ITS special) and Norton

which might also have turned out to be a toolstation special

I have not particular beef against either company, but something about this set up meant it took literally HOURS to split a rusting 40mm box section length ways twice (2.4m x2)

It seems that the discs "clog" up after a minutes use in a way I've never had happen to me with 115mm grinder and thin cutting discs, even the cheapest brand. The speed of the angle grinder is fixed at 6600rpm so there's nothing I can do about that.

What with the grinder being fixed to the stand it's always cutting at the same angle as it were, no back and forth rubbing action (giggidy) that can be done with a handheld.

Are these discs ****e? Is the speed wrong? I find that the heavily rusted surface seems to clog up the discs quicker but once I'm through to clean metal progress is still dead slow, it's dragging and can hear the 2kW motor slowing. I turn the disc over and cut with it briefly (NAUGHTY!!!) and turn it back again and it seems to muck out all the crap and work well again for a minute or so.

Which brand should I go for, or is it just the fixed angle of attack that is causing this problem?

Nozzle

 

[Burnerman]

It looks like a perfect combination - how strange! Are you getting a good shower of sparks here?
Norton is a long established brand of cutting / grinding materials.
John

 

[Nozzle]

When it's cutting well there is a huge shower of sparks. When it's not cutting well, there are still a lot of sparks but quite localised heating turns the steel cherry red suggesting it's just brute force and ignorance melting the steel rather than grinding it away. The Norton disc is the better of the two.

One thing I've noticed is that some discs say "inox" AKA Stainless steel, some say inox AND steel and others marked Inox and non-ferrous. Which is an odd combination.

Nozzle

 

[Burnerman]

I go for Rhodius discs personally (Toolstation) and have had no problems. I can't see how a steel cutting disc is actually suitable for non ferrous stuff though - the grit size just isn't big enough and clogging is inevitable.
Maybe a slightly thicker disc could help you?
John

 

[Nozzle]

Cheers burnerman, I've used Rhodius, they seemed to work well in the 4.5" format. I'll see if they do them in 9". No-where else have I seen Stainless steel refered to as Inox other than on these discs. Must have been a tradename back when it was formulated? And to think that a disc that is suitable for stainless is also suitable non-ferrous but unsuitable for mild steel is crazy. The discs I'm currently using are 1.8mm and/or 2.5mm (the better performing Norton one is 2.5mm).

Screwfix stock flexovit who seem an extablished brand, I'll give them a shot

Nozzle

 

[rsgaz]

No-where else have I seen Stainless steel refered to as Inox

Inox(inoxydable) is French for stainless steel, but you'll find various other non-French language speakers using it too.
e.g http://www.ebay.es/sch/inox

Gaz

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Those angle grinder stands are c**p, your better off using the grinder freehand.
The stands have so much slop in them that the blade flexes sideways and drags in the cut.

 

[Nozzle]

Those angle grinder stands are c**p, your better off using the grinder freehand.
The stands have so much slop in them that the blade flexes sideways and drags in the cut.

That they do! Though they only flex when pushing too hard... (which is too hard for the disc anyway). I get what you mean, but I'm trying to cut box section into 2 L sections so I've fashioned up a guide using some other angle iron and can feed the stock through and perform a cut that is properly parallel and 3mm away from the edge. The stand does has its limitations, granted!

Nozzle

 

[SammyInnit]

I've had alright results from these:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-cutting-discs-230-x-2-x-22-23mm-5-pack/33315

As said though I'd always prefer to cut freehand with the 9" grinder.

If you do a lot of metal cutting, invest in a TCT saw. I got a Makita LC1230 the turn of the new year and it's brilliant. Certainly beats abrasive wheel cut off saws. The DeWalt D28710 hasn't been out the shed since.

 

[Nozzle]

I do love to splash out on nice power tools (giggidy) but I can't justify the cost of that chop saw for a couple of uses. I note the Evolution Rage range at Screwfix seems to be similar but has more widgets and wodgets and is cheap as chips, and alledgedly cuts steel. I think the blades might be a bit "custom" and I fear will soon become NLA if they start getting warranty failures of the abused saws that drive them!

My Flexovit discs turned up today and I can confirm they do a much better job. Still problematic cutting rusted box section length ways (but that was more an issue of keeping the cut true). When turned perpendicularly and used as designed it cut through scaff pole like a knife through butter.

Nozzle

 

[SammyInnit]

I do love to splash out on nice power tools (giggidy) but I can't justify the cost of that chop saw for a couple of uses. I note the Evolution Rage range at Screwfix seems to be similar but has more widgets and wodgets and is cheap as chips, and alledgedly cuts steel. I think the blades might be a bit "custom" and I fear will soon become NLA if they start getting warranty failures of the abused saws that drive them!

My Flexovit discs turned up today and I can confirm they do a much better job. Still problematic cutting rusted box section length ways (but that was more an issue of keeping the cut true). When turned perpendicularly and used as designed it cut through scaff pole like a knife through butter.

Nozzle

I have one of the small evolution cut off saws. The rage 4. It was a good saw for the money. Certainly handy on jobs that are all stairs and mine has taken a battering. I'd recommend them but for heavy duty the makita is the winner I feel.