There has been a resurgence in interest in DIY and home improvement recently, as a number of factors have driven households, homeowners and budding DIY enthusiasts to put their money towards the discipline. The coronavirus pandemic was initially responsible for an uptick in expenditure in DIY retail, as more people had time on their hands to fix household issues or begin renovation. Simultaneously, interest in re-training for the trade industry began to grow; more people are interested in learning a vocational skill than ever before.
An important part of learning such skills is understanding the practical utility of the tools used within them. An angle grinder is a powerful tool that has utility across industries, with different professionals having their own specific uses for the versatile tool. Here are four of the most important uses for the angle grinder.
Cutting Tile and Stone
One surprisingly common use for angle grinders can be found in the cutting-to-size of tiles, bricks and masonry. Stonemasons will use cordless angle grinders as part of their everyday work, helping them shape and cut stone – whether concrete panels, bricks or stone flags. Bathroom tilers will also use the masonry attachment of an angle grinder to cut stone tiles with ease, enabling them to create bespoke tiles for fitting around unique fixtures like shower pipes or other porcelain fittings.
Stripping Paint; Removing Rust
Angle grinders are a particularly useful tool for the removal of surface material from a plane or other material. Brush attachments are used by painter decorators to skim the paint from harder-wearing surfaces like brickwork, enabling them to re-paint house exteriors from scratch.
Metalworkers will also use wire brush attachments to remove paint, and thick gritted grinding discs to remove oxidised material, from metal – giving them a brushed-clean surface with which to work. Removing rust not only helps with painting but also with ensuring a solid bond when welding.
Cutting Metal
Perhaps the most common use for angle grinders is the cutting of metal. Diamond-gritted angle grinder discs are used to cut through tough metals, enabling metalworkers to cut girders and beams to size for structural work. Metal-cutting attachments are thinner than the aforementioned grinding discs, but still, remove a considerable amount of material in the process of cutting through.
Sharpening Tools
Lastly, angle grinders are a permanent fixture on workshop tables, for the purpose of polishing, grinding and sharpening tools. Hand-powered methods like whetstones are useful for achieving a supremely sharp cutting blade but are time-consuming and inefficient for high volume workshops or daily work. Using powered grindstones, attached to a bench or angle grinders, to sharpen chisels and knives is commonplace as a result.
Even in specialist workshops where whetstones and other traditional sharpening techniques are used to create an edge, the angle grinder still has a place. Buffing attachments are available, which comprise felt strips or wool; in attaching these, a clean finish can be achieved, and any remaining burring removed from the blade.
