Grinder...Be Careful!!!

[marvin2]

Just to re-state the obvious...

I almost seriously injured myself today working with a cut-off wheel on the grinder. I had taken off the screw-in side handle and was working with the grinder fairly close to my head. The wheel caught hold causing the grinder to shoot out of my hands, and fly back at my face. Luckily I deflected it fast enough for it to only scrape across my nose. My heart nearly stopped when I realized how lucky I was.

Just another of the many, many grinder scare stories on this site. Be smart...and be careful!!!!

[sillbeer]

I was staying with a buddy about 5 years back and this same thing happened to him. It was my grinder and I warned him of the potential danger. I came home from work and there was blood in the garage and drive way where he was running around. A friend drove him to the hospital where I met up with them. He cut his nose from the side and went across the bridge of his nose and through the center section. His nose was hanging on by the outside skin on the right nostril. He also cut through his upper lip and nicked his front teeth. I had to leave his side when the doctor folded his nose over on his cheek and started jabbing needles in there. I was almost out for the count when I saw that. I waited outside his room till it was over. I also had googles and a face shield but he didn't bother. He calles it the nose grinder.

-Destin

[CNM67]

A few years back pops was using a cut off wheel to clean up a weld (he didnt have a grinding wheel) but is a 30 yr union ironworker who should have known better almost cut his thumb off when the wheel jumped and ran across his thumb. Scary stuff man but he just told me he'd be dump for me and I should learn from his F up's.

[cheek]

Marvin, I had a very similar thing happen to me but it kicked back from jamming in two pieces of unsupported steel (facepalm) and now I got scars on my wrist that look kinda awkard. Could of been alot worse though :/

[eggman918]

About a year and a half ago I was removing the rotten transom from a fiberglass boat and the tool that worked best was a wheel with a chainsaw blade on it!!
The scariest tool I have ever used,it worked like a champ but I handled it like a rattlesnake
.

[Bumpside Collector]

Man that is scary! One more reason for me to wear my face shield. Where I work safety is a big deal so I have taken that idea home and changed a lot of the things I used to do to a safer way. I still do stupid stuff from time to time though!

[Madman]

I think almost everyone has a "Durhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" moment with grinders at some point or another. just the ones who are a bit slower have multiple moments!

[JG F100]

The grinder especially with a cutoff wheel is one those tools you have to respect, my dad slit the top of his hand when a co-worker tripped over the cord, he was lucky but out of work for weeks. BTW the Dewalt grider I have has the ability to lock the trigger in place, something they dont allow in his shop and something I always think of when I push that trigger.

[BobbyFord]

When I was younger, I was fearless (which sometimes = stupid) . I have had metal removed from my eye 3 times (was even wearing safety glasses). Now I wear safety goggles or shield.
I breezed an O/A cutting torch across my hand without gloves on once, too . Now I wear my welding gloves. I also wear fabricator gloves when doing metal work. PPE is very important and must never be forgotten; it only takes once for it to be permanent.

[flyboy2610]

I will not have a grinder with a slide switch. If you drop that thing it will go in any direction... including YOURS! My Milwaukee grinder has a paddle switch on the bottom, it must be held in by hand pressure and has a safety lock that must be disengaged to operate the paddle switch. If I drop it it shuts off. I think that is much safer than a slide switch.

[STROKER69]

Also use the hearing protection when grinding, maybe you want have to listen to all this ringing I hear and have to have a fan running at night to cover up some of that ringing so I can sleep.

[Montana71-F100]

I use hearing protection too. A former co-worker showed me a great way to make ear plugs. Bunch up a square of toilet paper, wet it, shape it into a dull point and put it in your ear.

[sillbeer]

An advantage to not wearing hearing protection is you don't always hear what your wife has to say.

-Destin

[bindernut]

Both my 4 1/2" Makita's have trigger locks, but if I drop them they still shut off. (Lock in your trigger lock and hold it 2" above a hard surface, drop it.... they should pop off.) That doesn't mean I'd test the drop method on my face, always, always full face shield for anything above me (I'm plenty ugly enough as it is ) That said, trigger locks are a must have for me, I've spent full days doing nothing but thin wheeling and grinding, PIA holding a paddle that long...my grinders probably average 60-70 hrs a week...not to mention some of the positions we end up in and having to run them one handed. Sometimes you're 30-40+ft up sitting on a beam and holding onto the piece your cutting with the free hand. Couple of months ago we had a guy run his across the back of his own hand... severed tendons and had to have some surgery to chase them. (In the middle of cutting some unistrut he decided it was a good time to look up and talk to someone. go figure ) He didn't have a trigger lock either. I think if you figure on what could happen before you pull that trigger and pay attention you'll be that much less apt to be suprised. To be honest, I feel I have more control/touch with the trigger lock on. And thus more precise cuts/cleanups. one hand holds the weight and the other guides...all the mines I work in outlawed them long ago, it's an MSHA thing...of course the rule makers don't spend much time running one. matter of choice if you ask me. Some spot's they're safer, some spots (above you) not the safest. I figure them alot like guns. A gun in itself is not dangerous... it usually come down to how it's handled