UKC

It's an electric one, and the wood saw blade just got stuck in a bit of wood, and now there's no signs of life from it.

I'm guessing I haven't - so what might have happened?

Ta

In reply to Timmd:

I'm guessing I haven't - so what might have happened?

1. The fuse has blown.
2. There is a body part jamming the blade.
3. A combination of the above.

In reply to FactorXXX:

Thought it might be the fuse.

In reply to Timmd:

Didn't know you could get a wood saw blade for an Angle Grinder, what that look like?

In reply to Timmd:

Thought it might be the fuse.

Replace it with a nail.

In reply to Timmd:

If you'd done something horrible like burn out the motor you would not be in doubt due to the magic smoke and the horrendous stench... most likely the fuse or a current overload cut-off (Normally resolved by turning off for a few mins and turning back on)

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Right - thanks for the knowledge. It's rather a lesson on having spare fuses to hand, to simplify these puzzles.

In reply to pass and peak:


http://preview.tinyurl.com/zvw3qaf

Here you go. I got one of the tungsten tipped ones, on the theory that I could use a dremmel or similar to make a cutting edge on each remaining edge once the tungsten tips has worn away.

You can buy multi-material ones too, which can cut through tree roots, and nails and concrete and different things, but they can't be sharpened.

In reply to pass and peak:

On with my A-level, head's finally cleared enough to focus properly.

In reply to Timmd:

Damn, they look like a good way to lose fingers and maybe even a limb.



They look like a really good way to lose fingers and maybe an entire limb.
Scary stuff.

In reply to Dax H:

Once I was cutting a concrete slab and the angle grinder kicked up off a stone and took the front of my shin off... luckily the grinding blade burnt most of the injury shut so not too much blood spilt.

In reply to JIMBO:

People underestimate the danger of angle grinders.
I'm just imagining the wood blade catching on a knot and doing the same thing.

In reply to Timmd:

On the few occasions when I've wanted to cut a straight line in stone, I've used my circular saw.
I put in a grinding disk instead of the wood saw blade. Much easier to follow a line or use the edge guide to get a straight line.

Although I regularly abuse power tools, I wouldn't have considered an angle grinder to cut wood. You learn something new every day.

In reply to Timmd:

In all honesty my post was a bit tongue in cheek.
But now that you and others have replied, please help our cash strapped NHS who would have difficulty stitching your hand back on and just bin the grinder and the blade! (grinders f*cked anyway) If you want to cut wood then but a "jigsaw" at least you'll only loose a finger a best.
RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB!

In reply to Timmd:

Honestly I'd be surprised if you've blown the fuse. I've abused a few angle-grinders to death and never managed to pop a fuse. Usually the brushes break up and short the commutator blowing sparks and smoke out or the insulation on the motor windings breaks down and the fire comes out before the fuse goes.

That blade looks deadly. Do be careful.
jk

In reply to jkarran:

^ This.

What are you using it for? There's almost certainly a better option.

An "oscillating multi-tool" (this kind of thing: http://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/multi-tools/cat830708 ) might be a safer option for making the kind of smallish plunge-cuts I would guess you'd use your grinder for.

You're in Sheff aren't you? I have a cheap & cheerful "Workzone" version you'd be welcome to borrow & try out. (Aldi! I know, but some of their tools are surprisingly good. They had a biscuit jointer last year that's absolutely amazing for the money.)

Drop me an email if you'd like to give it a try. I don't normally like lending tools to people, but you seem like a good egg and I'd hate to hear about you accidentally cutting your own face off.

In reply to Timmd:

Take advantage of the offer above. A wood cutting blade on an angle grinder is Darwin award territory

In reply to 3leggeddog:

+1, find another tool.

Have you let the grinder cool down and tried again? They do often have a thermal cutout. I guess you've tried this, but worth a shot.

In reply to NottsRich:


It's fine now. The guard is fitted, covering the right hand side of the blade, and anything I'm cutting is a little bit off the ground to stop the blade from striking it - in case of causing it to 'bounce'. I'm wearing steel toe caps, and my leading foot is my right foot (matching the side the guard is on), and it's a foot and a half away to the right of whatever I'm cutting, with my other foot being a similar distance away and further back.

I'm chainsaw qualified, which makes me very aware that I don't have the same kind of emergency brake which is on chainsaw, so I'm having my feet and lower legs a foot and a half away from the spinning blade to compensate a little bit, theoretically hopefully giving me time to react and let go of the power before it reaches my lower limbs.

I potentially might tweak my back from how I'm leaning over to cut, but my feet are angled at 90 degrees (if you imagine them being placed on a square outline) which makes me more stable when I'm cutting while leaning over. The handle you can change the position of is on the right hand side too, to better control it potentially jumping to the side.

I may just wait for Xmas though, as I possibly have a circular saw in the offing come Christmas day, I have discovered. If I haven't - I think I've covered anything I need to think about though.

In reply to Timmd:

There have been cases of people cutting timber with an angle grinder and a wood saw disk, and due the speed of the kick back when hitting a knot/nail, they've been unable to register that the grinder has embedded itself in their head. If you're going to cut timber with a saw, get yourself a circular saw with the appropriate guards. No amount of safety equipment will save you from a kick back from a grinder used this way. With Christmas so close, you'll get some great deals from screwfix/toolstation/b&q, and stand a much greater chance of living

In reply to jkarran:


Scary, isn't it!
I'm a wreckless f*cker at times, but even I wouldn't use that blade on a grinder.
Our man's only going to get 40mm cutting depth at most, I'd use a handsaw or an axe if hacking through tree roots.

In reply to Timmd:

Please stop.

In reply to two_tapirs:

(Am up at the moment due to blood sugar needing sorting.)

There's circular saw specific wood blades, and there's angle grinder specific wood blades. The man who killed himself cutting into tree roots with his angle grinder, had fitted a circular saw wood blade onto it.

If you look at the 'kick back zone' on chainsaw blades, and compare the tooth profile of circular saw blades (for cutting wood) with wood specific blades for angle grinders, the teeth on the blades for angle grinders are of a more open profile, compared to blades for circular saws, and much more so (and very different too) chainsaw teeth - which also produce kick back around the front-top of a chainsaw bar, that this part is rounded where the teeth are moving forwards makes me think of a circular saw wood blade rotating a little bit. The three kinds of teeth are quite different, but it could seem that circular saw blades and chainsaw teeth share enough of the characteristics needed to generate kick back.

The guy who died after he ended up with the circular saw blade in his neck while using it on his angle grinder, would have (apparently) had the blade spinning much faster than it was designed for when fitted to a circular saw, which wouldn't have at all helped due to the force from kick back being higher the higher the revs. From using my Dad's circular saw, I've noticed there can be a certain kick back when using it - it can twitch in the hand a little when the button is pressed, and have noticed close to none at all when I've been using the wood specific blade developed to be used on my angle grinder.

I appreciate your concern, though, and I'm definitely cagey about it, but I figured it's worth pointing out that (as far as I'm aware) death from kick back has been from improvisation by not using the right blade for the tool.

In reply to Timmd:

I'm not at all shy of abusing power tools but I would draw the line at that to be honest.

Last year my big circular saw kicked back hard and ran right back up my leg and across my inner thigh, the guard snapped shut and I didn't get to find out if an arterial blood fountain really does reach the ceiling. If that thing kicks out of your hands with the power latched on and it snags your clothing it's going to burrow into your flesh like something hungry from the x-files, there'd be no stopping it!
jk