Grinders & Cut-Off Saws

Grinders and cut-off saws remove material and make cuts that a toothed blade cannot, using an abrasive wheel spinning fast enough that the wheel itself does the cutting. Angle grinders in 4-1/2" through 6" cover weld dressing, deburring, surface preparation and cutting steel section, with paddle switches and no-lock designs that stop the wheel the moment the operator lets go, and electronic braking that brings it to rest in seconds rather than coasting. Die grinders, both right-angle and straight, take the same idea down to small burrs and points for detail work, port cleaning and finishing in places a full-size grinder cannot reach. At the other end, 14" cut-off saws cut pipe, rebar, section and concrete on site, with braking systems that respond to a pinched or kicked wheel faster than a person can. Cart mounts turn a cut-off saw into a controlled, repeatable cut for slab and road work. All of these depend entirely on the wheel fitted — match the wheel to the material and the tool's rated speed, and pair with the abrasives held in Accessories & Consumables.

Match the wheel's rated RPM to the tool, without exception — a wheel spun past its rating comes apart, and a 4-1/2-inch wheel on a 6-inch grinder is exactly that situation. Type 27 depressed-center wheels are for grinding, Type 1 flat wheels for cutting, and using either the other way round is how wheels break. Flap discs blend grinding and finishing in one pass and last far longer than a grinding wheel on stainless. Guards stay on; the majority of grinder injuries involve a removed guard. A paddle switch with a no-lock design and electronic braking stops the wheel when the operator lets go, which is the difference between a dropped tool and a laceration. Cut with the guard between you and the wheel, and let the abrasive do the work rather than leaning on it.