what dangers it can conceal and how to avoid them

How to properly cut with a grinder so that no sparks fly at you. It is interesting that angle grinders can be found in most households and garages, but most owners of such tools simply do not know how to properly hold and cut with a grinder.

For this reason, they often make mistakes, which are ways to lead to marriage at work, and even worse - to serious injury. It should be remembered that the grinder is a very dangerous tool.

For this reason, before using it, you should know about certain safety rules.

How to cut the angle grinder correctly

First, we suggest that you pick up the tool. Note that right-handers hold the grinder with their right hand by the body, and the circle is located on the left side, and the gearbox on the right does not interfere with use. With your left hand, hold the tool by the handle, which is screwed into the body. The correct position of the handle is up. The protective cover must necessarily cover the hands and disc in order to throw sparks away from the master.

For left-handers, the handle must be screwed in from the other side of the body, and the protective cover must be rotated, and then attached in the desired position.

Please note that tool manufacturers give three basic tips for working with the grinder - you should hold it firmly with your hands, not be on the cut line, and also stop and start the machine if the disk is jammed for some reason.

How exactly and in which direction to cut the material, everyone decides for himself independently, taking into account the fact that when biting, the grinder throws out in different directions.

Cutting material from yourself

This a great way, but here one condition should be observed - you should cut from yourself so that the sparks go under your feet. In this case, when biting a disc, the grinder will begin to throw out, and therefore it will not be able to harm human health.

In this case, the cut line of the cut will be clearly visible, and besides, there will be a very small chance of doing something wrong. The disadvantage of this method is that sparks begin to fly under the feet and onto the trousers.

Cutting the material towards oneself

This method has many supporters. Here it is only important not to forget that when you pull the grinder towards yourself, the sparks in any case should fly in the other direction, because this will minimize the likelihood of biting the disc, although there is always a chance. For this reason, when moving the tools towards yourself, be sure to move away from the cutting line so as not to harm.

Safety precautions while working with the grinder

The use of cutting and grinding power tools is a very dangerous type of activity.For this reason, when working with an angle grinder, it is imperative to take into account the possibility of indirect or direct

hazardous factors for human health:

• Heat or cold ...
• Loud noise, vibration from machines.

• Poor lighting in the workplace.
• Great physical activity.
• Parts of equipment that rotate.
• Items that fall (workable materials).
• Work at height, in a hard-to-reach, confined place, maybe even at depth.

• Risk of electrical injury.
• Sparks that fly off and hard parts.

To minimize the action of dangerous factors, and as a result, preserve life and your own health, you can follow the safety rules for the operation of devices that are equipped with open rotating parts. This will require the use of certain personal protective equipment, as well as securely fixing the workpieces, choosing safe places, and also starting and ending work correctly.

Personal protective equipment

This phrase (personal protective equipment) can be understood as means that are used to protect against pollution, prevent or even reduce from dangerous and harmful factors.

When we cut with a grinder, the employee must have special clothing that corresponds to the profession. This usually includes trousers, closed shoes, and a hat. The fact is that the grinder is a tool of a high level of danger, and therefore clothing must be

must be supplemented with some protective equipment:

• Anti-noise earplugs or ear muffs (plugs for the ears).
• Shield or glasses.
• Anti-vibration gloves.

• Respirator, particularly important for cutting tiles, stone, slate or concrete.

It is the glasses that will help protect against sparks, small crumbs or grinded discs. The use of ear plugs or earplugs helps to eliminate noise, and this makes it possible to avoid difficulties with hearing after work. Gloves help protect against vibration waves and abrasives, and a respirator will prevent you from swallowing dust from work.

How to fix the workpieces

All parts of medium and small size must be securely fixed in a vice or using a tool such as clamps.

When fastening, be sure to provide a safe place for the possible fall of the cut parts. Sometimes it is required to process large parts or even structures with a grinder that simply cannot be fixed in a vice.

We are now talking about profiles, metal sheets, structures / machines / mechanisms and pipes.In this case, you will need to make sure that the processing surface is securely fixed (that is, it lies or stands stable) so that after processing work it does not lose stability, and the cut off part does not fall on others or the worker himself. Even if you have the slightest doubt, you should support everything with stops, a jack, or tie and securely attach the slings to the surrounding reinforced concrete / metal structures.

Safety at the workplace

Regardless of where the workplace is located - in the country, in the garage or even on a free site, it must be perfectly lit, and also meet all safety requirements, and then it will be easier to cut with a grinder, and you will be more confident.

Requirements for the workplace and its equipment:

1. There must be a table, workbench, cabinet or storage cabinet, a rack for placing devices and tools for safety and work productivity.
2. All monolithic equipment must be securely placed (attached) to the floor surface.
3. The surfaces of the rack and workbench must be no less than the size of the workpieces and tools used.
4. The surface of the workbenches is made of sheet steel, aluminum or other materials that are not combustible.

5. The vise must hold the workpieces securely, and on the surfaces of the vise jaws there must be a cross-type notch, and its depth is from 0.5 to 1 mm for every 3 mm.
6. The vise should be fixed in such a way that the workpieces are at the level of the elbows of the working people.
7. On a closed vise, the gap between the jaws cannot be more than 0.01 cm, and the jaws and the handle must be free of burrs and gouges.

8. The floor around the workbench, as well as the rest of the work area, must be level and dry.
9. Power tool sockets should be located higher than the level of the workbench work surface.

When carrying out work at a height of more than 1.5 meters, it is imperative to use scaffolding (or scaffolding) with a handrail 1 meter high, and from below everything should be completely sheathed to a height of 15 cm or even higher.

Please note, that it is better not to try to use casks, stands or even boxes that accidentally come to hand.

Under no circumstances should you overload the scaffolding, and in any case, when working with an angle grinder, you should have a solid and perfectly flat surface under your feet.

Correct start, stop and rest breaks

Before connecting the devices, it will be necessary to carefully inspect and check carefully disk. Do not use tips with delamination, chips, cracks, or any other damage of any kind.Before the device is connected to the network, a grinding (cut-off) wheel should be placed on the grinder with the pattern up, and then tighten it with a special nut. The size, as well as the permissible revolutions, will be indicated in the technical documentation for the tool itself.

Interesting fact ! The mismatch of characteristics will (at least) lead to a defect in the work, to the fact that the disc will wear out prematurely, and in the worst case, even to injury.

When inspecting the instrument, check that:

• There are no cracks or damage to the body.
• The cable (cord) is OK, the protective plugs and tubes are all right.
• The handle is perfectly twisted.
• The circle is fenced and the casing is well secured.

After that, before cutting the tiles with a grinder without chips, check the idle operation of the tool. To do this, connect the plug to the outlet, and then turn on the power button and the latch. Then observe the operation of the instrument for a minute. It is worth making sure that it will work without extraneous sounds, unnecessary vibration, and the disc does not touch the protective type casing. When disconnected, you will understand whether the power button and latch are working or defective.

If everything is in order, then you can start the workflow.

Please note, that for a break in work, turn off the power with the button, and wait until the disk stops completely, put the device down and disconnect it from the network.

Interruptions in the work process are usually associated with overheating of the discs or the grinder itself, replacement of the nozzle, the need to move processing parts or the worker himself. In any case, you should first turn off everything using the buttons, and then disconnect from the network. It is important that you watch the instrument and do not overheat.

Recommendations for work

Most of the recommendations relate to the safety of work.

It is forbidden to use an angle grinder if a number of faults appear:

• Damage to the plug and cable.
• The lock and power button has failed.
• Sparking brushes.
• Grease has leaked from the gearbox.

• A characteristic smoke or a smell of burning insulation has appeared.
• Very loud vibration, knocking or even noise.
• Cracks or even breakage of the guard, handle or body.
• Damage to the tip.

In any case, it is required to turn off the grinder, remove the plug from the socket, correct defects, and after that it will be possible to work further.

Attention! In no case should you even try to cut elastic, soft and viscous materials with a grinder, for example, clay, wood or rubber. It is important that you objectively assess the danger, and not hope that the injury will pass by. There are special tools for cutting soft materials, and this is not a grinder.

Only hard materials can be cut successfully, and here are some guidelines for machining:

1. Cutting workpieces or thick-walled workpieces is extremely straightforward. Rounds should be cut in sectors.

2. When working with long corners, pipes or profiles, cut off the overhanging edge. Cutting between the supports will cause the workpieces to bend and jam the discs. You should try to arrange the workpieces so that they do not have to be mixed during operation.
3. After cutting corrugated board, metal siding or metal roofing, the edges should be treated with an anti-corrosion coating.
4. Care must be taken when cutting gas cylinders because they can explode easily, so make sure that condensate and gas are completely removed from the cylinders.

   Better not to do this kind of work at home.

5. Highly sharp ceramic discs are suitable for cutting glass or mirrors.
6. The flat and wave slate is cut with a disc on the stone without effort, and then there will be no chips, and the cut will turn out to be smooth.

When working with any materials, you should make accurate markings, determine an action plan, and then start working. The grinder is a versatile assistant for households and large construction sites.

With its help, you can process any hard materials, and at the same time spend a minimum amount of effort and time. To gain experience and successfully work with this tool, you should follow simple safety tips, and most importantly, do not forget about this at all stages of work.