Angle grinder and my finger

I

i_am_fubar

Joined
1 Oct 2007
Messages
607
Reaction score
22
Location
Hampshire
Country
United Kingdom
It's good to be reminded on occasion just how squishy the human body is. And how the loss of concentration for a fraction of a second can instantly change your life.

This one, thankfully, isn't bad. But after 3 hours of grinding a floor, I was tired and the goggles were getting a bit fogged, but I only had a little bit more to do, so I adjusted by grip with the grinder running and grabbed around the finger guard... ouch.

Untitled

Untitled


Lesson of the story. If you feel tired, just stop and take a break. If you can't see, clear you goggles. And never forget that every single tool has the ability to chew you up if you slip.

Fubar.

p.s. I'm all for a H&S forum section as Munching suggests here //www.diynot.com/forums/diy-di...up-asbestos-boards-unknowningly.387743/page-2
 
Sponsored Links
I smelt my leather gloves burning and realised that was a subtle clue that my finger was too close to the grindy bit.

Angle grinders seem spectacularly badly designed with nothing to properly hold on to.
 
I'm not a big glove advocate. For one, my history with machine tools taught to never, ever, ever wear gloves as they can get caught. And I carry that through to anything spinny. My finger got a bit chewed up without gloves on. If I had gloves on, they could have got caught, pulled in and my finger twisted off.

Unfortunatly, due to their nature of being hand held, high powered large faced abrasive stock removers, there's little you can do to make them safer.

Fubar.
 
Sponsored Links
use welding gloves! there is NO way an angle grinder can entangle a welding glove!

im guessing that you dont have the guard fitted either? most people take them off-as do i because they get in the way-but they do go a long way towards keeping your fingers the correct length!
 
ekmdgrf said:
Of all the tools I've got, I think my angle grinder terrifies me the most.
Click to expand...

Angle grinders are pussy cats in comparison with rip saws for wood. The blades have so much momentum that when shut down and the blade cover has un-re-tracted there's still a gap which is idea for your finger. The sharp pointy bits on a running down blade are brilliant to cut fingers off, the running down angle grinder or cutting disc is tame in comparison... (Though I only use a 115mm tool rather than a 9" one)

Nozzle
 
Welding gloves would be mostly impervious. But then you start to loose the feeling of the tool and the risk of it slipping / cutting the wrong place can increase.

I do keep the guards on (half guard for 4", full or half for 9") depending on the job. But yea, got my finger trapped in the guard. So ironically, would have probably been better without.

Agreed they are some of the most terrifying hand held tools out there. Mine has a soft start which I love, but used one that didn't once and it almost ripped out my hand :unsure:
 
i used to fit conservatories and i always had to do the leadwork, i absolutely hated using the angle grinder, but i would rather do it myself than let any of the others use it, i used to cringe watching them if they touched it! i also used to be paranoid that it would grab and they would let go and it would hit me lol
 
*shudders* angle grinder to the shin would be a bit nasty.

I had a workshop bod at uni who used to work in a steel shop. Someone dropped their 9inch grinder once on the blade and just hid it back in the tool cupboard. Next person to use it got a piece of blade through their leg when it shattered.

6500rpm on a 9inch disk equates to a cutting edge speed of 280kph (173mph) and around 5400 G's of centripetal acceleration. So 100g of disk material is exerting over 500kg outward load.... Damn. I really hope those calculations are wrong, but I can't find a fault :unsure:

Fubar.
 
i watched my ex boss hit his femur bone after a kick back on a 9" grinder once, the trouble is they dont slow down quickly or stall like a stihl
 
A lot more energy in a disk than a chainsaw blade. Just not as much input power.

You can easily store a kJ of energy in a grind disk. About twice that of a .45 bullet, which is why they kick so hard if they catch. I'm somewhat happy they don't stop instantly as god knows what damage that could do.

Fubar
 
You were very lucky, like you say a nice little reminder that you can never be too careful. I know someone that managed to severe a few tendons on a circular saw. Thankfully he was ok too.
 
Are you a baker by any chance?

. . . just the old expression "a finger in every pie" came to mind . . .
 
D

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sponsored Links

Similar threads

dpm_dpmartin
Use Angle Grinder not at an angle?
2
Replies
19
Views
4K
Monkeh
M
T
Here's a cheap but very effective method of cutting large tiles for e.g. envelope cut showers
Replies
1
Views
7K
plastic_peanut
P
Back
Top