Cordless Angle Grinder for chasing stone wall? Plus can I use a mortar rake with stone?

[saveasteading]

47 minutes ago, joe90 said:

the chase will be a straight line (parallel to the roof below)

missed that message and info.

But how straight is straight? lead is very bendy and could perhaps follow the line of the mortar if close to horizontal.

 

Maybe i have also missed this, driving 600 miles. from the project to home,  but are we looking at soft sandstone or hard granite  (or even harder, flint?), as the extremes?

[joe90]

9 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

lead is very bendy and could perhaps follow the line of the mortar if close to horizontal.

I would think that is very difficult, whenever I have done this I preformed the bend using a straight piece of timber to slot the lead into the cut, not sure how you would be able to manipulate the lead without distorting the rest to lay flat 🤔

[Oxbow16]

Thanks a million @Gus Potter - that's exceptionally kind of you to share all that.  And thank you for the posts that followed too   

 

To answer the latter posts first...  Sorry if I wasn't clear, but the work to be done is where a pitched roof abuts a wall, so it's diagonal not horizontal.  There's no chance of following a mortar line unfortunately, apart from at the apex where I'm going to use a preformed lead saddle.  With regards the stone, it's a soft sandstone.  And the mortar is lime, NHL3.5.      

 

On to a few of your points @Gus Potter (thanks again!):

 

- I'd ruled out a 9" grinder thinking it would be too unwieldy and awkward to use.  So perhaps I should rethink based on what you've said.  However, I don't think it will get a tonne of use after this job and did wonder if a 4.5 or 5" grinder would be more versatile going forward for other jobs.  Advice taken though, cheers.  

 

- What's the disadvantage of using an 8-10mm thick disc?  Being quite new to this, I thought a single cut would be easier and eliminate the risk of not keeping the two cuts parallel (or even finding the disc working its way into the first cut).  But if I'm overseeing the disadvantages would be good to know what they are is possible please?  

 

- All other points I have learnt the theory on, but time will tell how it comes out in practice!  I was planning to use hall clips instead of rolled lead wedges.  And roofers sealant instead of mortar.  I've got some of this stuff:

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/geocel-trade-mate-roofers-seal-lead-grey-310ml/72630

 

I've got some follow up/new questions about angle grinder choice, but thought might be best to put them in a new thread than take this one off course...  

 

Thanks again everyone!  I'm looking forward to getting stuck in once I'm all in order.  Cheers

 

 

 

 

[joe90]

57 minutes ago, Oxbow16 said:

I'd ruled out a 9" grinder thinking it would be too unwieldy and awkward to use. 

I always used a 9” grinder, make sure it’s got “soft start”, although big you have more leverage over where it’s going. You will have to stand on something solid (no balancing act). With my diamond disc only one cut required to slot the lead in and wedge tight. I always used lead seal as you linked too.
 

[SteamyTea]

2 hours ago, saveasteading said:

driving 600 miles

Normal Sunday to visit my mother.

 

1 hour ago, Oxbow16 said:

I'd ruled out a 9" grinder thinking it would be too unwieldy and awkward to use.  So perhaps I should rethink based on what you've said.  However, I don't think it will get a tonne of use after this job and did wonder if a 4.5 or 5" grinder would be more versatile going forward for other jobs.  Advice taken though, cheers. 

I hardly ever use my large one and am actually thinking of selling it.

 

I find an angle grinder the second most useful tool, use it for all sorts of things.  Door sticks, grind the edge, screws to long, grind them off, car headlights failed MOT, polish them with a bonnet on the angle grinder, floor boards not laying level, sanding disk on an angle grinder, welding up rusty metal, angle grinder with a sanding disk again, metal curtain rails too long, angle grinder and a diamond disk, lost key on bosses shed, angle grinder sorts it in seconds.

I have recently bought a multitool, that is pretty good as well.

Edited August 31, 2023 by SteamyTea

[Oxbow16]

And the winner is....

 

On 29/08/2023 at 07:51, SteamyTea said:

More like 2mm thick.

 

On 30/08/2023 at 12:21, SteamyTea said:

Did you check that it is really 10mm thick and that is not one of the spindle sizes?

 

 

Turns out the discs probably aren't 10mm thick after all! It took a LOT of digging to find that out! I'd even had various emails with their tech discussing my intended use, within which I'd mentioned several times that I was using them because the 10mm thickness was perfect for the 10mm width chase I was planning to cut, and not a word said. Bl00dy useless! It seems the 10mm refers to the width of the diamond, NOT the width of the disc. Grrrr.

 

Also, it seems they are one of these companies that have two different trading names and branding styles, but with the same items, the same website, etc. That's what first got me to suspect the discs weren't 10mm. All seems a bit odd and I think I'll steer clear. For reference, the other "brand" is TopsTools.

 

Cheers, and sorry I didn't listen harder to you @SteamyTea   I had intended to ask them directly when they responded to my last email, but they hadn't replied yet so it was in the pipeline.  I found out inadvertently in the meantime.  

[Oxbow16]

Duplicate - deleted.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Oxbow16

[Oxbow16]

Duplicate - deleted.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Oxbow16

[SteamyTea]

Just get some cheap 125mm diameter ones.

They will do the job just fine.

Make sure whichever angle grinder you get has the larger spindle. My little one is only 10mm diameter, that limits the size of disks that can be fitted.