VIDEO: DEWALT Product Guide–Grinder Basics

Hi, I'm Nate at DEWALT.  Today we're gonna look at the basics of grinders. These are very versatile tools, with the right accessory, the right guard and protective equipment.  You can use it a lot on a job site, at your home, or on any other projects you're working on. With any of these tools, please be sure to refer to the instruction  manual for additional operating instructions and any PPE requirements.  If you're using it on a job site, be sure to follow a job site or company specific policies that you may have. 

First thing we'll look at here is for a cutting application.  I have this grinder set up with a type one cutting guard.  This is enclosed on both sides of the guard to help protect you during a cutting application.  And I have a type one wheel installed on it which is a very thin wheel,  which allows the wheel to go through material easier when cutting.  There are also other types of cutting wheels. There are smaller ones like this one here, which is a four and a half inch cutting wheel, similar to the six inch we just looked at.  Or there are type 27 cutting wheels that have a bell-shaped top on them that allow the wheel to sit a little bit lower.  These are great for any kind of flush cutting activities, cause it sits  he wheel lower to the application and a little bit less grind if you're cutting something off close to the bottom. Whenever you're using any of these tools and especially from a cutting perspective, you want to make sure you have the side handle on.  If you're doing any cutting, have the wheel on the  left-hand side of the grinder.  The wheel rotation is in this direction.  If the wheel starts to pitch it'll pull the grinder forward.  If you have it on the right hand side, when the wheel starts to pitch as the wheel is spinning this direction, it'll push it back towards you as a user.  So always make sure you're cutting with the wheel on the left-hand side. 

Another thing you can do, which is great with the grinder,  are grinding applications.  You can do these in a variety of ways with a bonded abrasive wheel.  Here, I have a type 27 bonded abrasive wheel.  You can do it with flap discs.  These are similar to those, but they're using a sandpaper like substance to remove material.  Again, nice and flat, another option.  And then there are ways to attach it to the grinder that involve hub wheels.  So these are wheels that have the threads to go right on the spindle built into the tool, reducing the need to use a locking flange and a backing flange to lock it to the tool.  Also, there are options like these where it's a wire wheel that will allow you to remove paint, some metal materials, get down into cracks easier using these very sturdy and strong wire wheels.  During grinding applications you're going to use a type 27 guard.  As you see here, this has an open face on it, which allows you to get closer to the material as you're grinding, but it still has protection around the edges.  And then we also have our side handle installed.  The side handles should always be used when using your grinder. When you're doing a grinding application, you have the opportunity to have the side handle on either side of the gear case.  Left here or again on the right-hand side.  So depending on the location where you're grinding, or if you're left-handed or right-handed, there are a couple of different options to install that side handle.  Again, always using two hands on the tool when operating it. 

These that we just looked at are very great for metal applications.  What if I need to go and cut concrete or grind concrete?  That's when shrouds come into play.  Very similar to guards, these help protect the user from the debris that's being created but even more specifically, these help collect the dust that's created when you're cutting or grinding concrete.  Refer to OSHA table one, to make sure you understand the rules around collection of that.  OSHA requires that if you're going to grind or cut concrete, that you collect the dust from that application and requires that a shroud be used and also that you use a dust extractor with the right CFM for the application, as well as a filter cleaning mechanism to collect the dust.  In cutting applications, a standard accessory would be a diamond wheel.  These are used for cutting into concrete, brick, any kind of mortar.  They allow you to go into those situations and cut them out.  When these are installed on the grinder appropriately with a shroud,  all the dust will be collected in your extractor, reducing any risk for that on the job site.  If there's any kind of application where you need to do any surface grinding, a turbo wheel or a diamond wheel like these are great to be used to remove material off of the rough surface or to remove any kind of uneven edges on a piece of concrete.  Again, these are utilized with a shroud, like one of these that allows it to still sit up against the surface and grind properly, but also collect the dust while they're doing the application.  These are just some things you can do using a grinder and the different accessories that are involved.  Please be sure to make sure you're following all the proper instructions and the rules when using these tools.  And we appreciate you watching and have a great day.