Angle grinder self mutilation, how to avoid.

[epsilonGreedy]

Given the gruesome my wound photo is worse than yours in a recent thread, I have been wondering how to stack the odds better in my favour when using my new angle grinder.

 

 

@joe90 and @AnonymousBosch what as the sequence of events that lead to your injury and how could it have been avoided? Someone suggested that a reduced worn disk could jam on the material being cut thus leading to disk fragmentation.

[SteamyTea]

9 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

Someone suggested that a reduced worn disk could jam on the material being cut thus leading to disk fragmentation.

I did.  But more thee material jamming between the disk and the guard.

I have used angle grinders for decades and only twice 'sanded' the side of a finger.

I am not sure what you are trying to cut.  Are you cutting a screw/bolt from between two bit of wood i.e. stick the blade in the gap ad cut the bolt.

Or are you trying to just knock the top off the screw and them pull the timber apart?

Edited May 28, 2019 by SteamyTea

[joe90]

In my case I already had arthritis in my left thumb, when I finished the cut I was doing (being very careful about using both hands and being steady on my knees as I was working near the ground), I went to put the grinder down to my left, releasing the hold with my right hand. I had not noticed the power cord was around my wrist and when my left thumb let go because of the arthritis the grinder flipped and bit me on the thumb. This would not have happened if I had waited for the blade to stop before I went to put it down. (Which is what I do now). It’s a little ironic in that a wood carving blade (small circular saw blade) in an angle grinder LOOKS dangerous as it has no retractable blade like a circular saw. I would estimate however that a lot of accidents with angle grinders occur with blades disintegrating at very high speeds leading to “shrapnel “ at high velocity.

 

The case fir the defence rests Milud.

[Russell griffiths]

SIDE HANDLE   Always install and always hold it, no matter how strong you think you are if it kicks it will jump at ya. 

Never use it without the guard in place. 

Watch a few you tube horror vids it will wake you up a bit. 

[Vijay]

20 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

SIDE HANDLE   Always install and always hold it, no matter how strong you think you are if it kicks it will jump at ya. 

Never use it without the guard in place. 

Watch a few you tube horror vids it will wake you up a bit. 

 

Yep, a builder mate didn't follow that rule, was trying to hold a 9" angle grinder cutting into a wall - until it kicked  out and went straight into the top of his hand. Thankfully the surgeons managed to reattach nerves etc and he has full use of his hand, but he was out of action for nearly a year with his hand in some traction device . 

[SteamyTea]

Like this guy, he uses school kids to catch the sparks.

13:30 in