I picked up some small (think they are 4") cutoff wheels for my makita grinder at a swap meet to try out. I just used one and completely used it up cutting about 18" of a quarter panel! Is that all they are good for? I am going to have to buy a case of them to get anything done if so LOL! They cut a nice straight line so I like them but I didnt expect them to be consumed so fast. Normal or because they are swap meet cheapos?

The cheapie cutoff wheels don't last at all. Try to find 3M Greencorp cutoff wheels.They are expensive at about $20 for a pack of 5 but they last a long time.I've also used Lawson brand they last even longer but are about $6 each. If your cutting big areas like floorpans you can get 6 inch cutoff wheels
that will mount on an electric grinder at Home Depot for about $2 each.I think they are Norton brand and they last a while too. Have fun! graemlins/beers.gif

Sorry to say but the ones you got are ELCHEAPO models. I ve had real good luck with 3M wheels, I get the green corps type. Also Norton makes a great cutoof wheel even better then 3M, last longer. I get roughly 1 to 2 months usage from a wheel. The 3M wheels cost around 25 bucks for a pack of 5, 5 bucks a wheel sounds ungodly but consider the amount of use per wheel.

You got 18inches of usage out of one wheel I got 2 months of production shop usage out of mine...Eric

thanks guys, if the Home Depot has the Norton wheels I will get some there tomorrow after I burn up the rest of the cheapos. I figured this couldnt be normal! smile.gif

The cut-off wheels "for metal" at Home Depot work very well and will last. Blue label is for metal and green label is for masonry (or vice-versa), but they look very similar. I forget who the manufacturer is. I used the "masonry" cut-off wheel to cut about 30 pieces of Hardi-plank masonry siding and can't tell that the wheel was even effected. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Safety alert on cut off wheels! Use a wheel rated for the speed of your grinder. The use of a higher speed grinder on a slower speed wheel WILL EXPLODE!!!!! We have a cabinet with a hole 6"x1.5" because of that very reason.

Guys, any of these cut off wheels will wear down pretty quick if not used correctly. I have found that if you make MANY passes along the line you want to cut, slowly thinning the metal you wheel will last much longer.

If you just go thru and then cut the line you will wear them out FAST!

I used to think the cut-offs (4" for my Makita) from Lowes and Home Depot were OK. That was until I picked up a multi-pack deal of cut-off discs and grinding wheels from the local Harbor Freight! I think they're Chicago Electric, but MAN do they last a long time!

I was cutting patch panels out of an old hood and ran through the Lowes\Home Depot discs like butter. One disc for every 20 inches. I bought the cheap multi-pack from HF and then cut two, huge panels out of the hood with ONE disc!
And the same brand grinding wheels last forever! I'm not easy on my tools and expendables and they surprised the hell out me.
JMHO

If you know of a welding supply store in your area like National welders etc. They would be the best place to get quality cutoff wheels.

I used a 7" cut off wheel from Home Depot in my circular saw last night to cut some 1/8" angle for a mig welder cart that I am building. Cut thru it like butter. I made 8 cuts thru 1"x1"x1/8" angle and cannot tell that I even used the blade at all. :rolleyes:

If you are making long cuts like the length of a quarter panel you may want to consider purchasing an air saw. They cut with no distortion. You can make your own blades by cutting regular hack saw blades which last very long. No sparks to stick to windows etc. Easier to make perfect cuts on curves.
I will never be without my airsaw, my work is better and I've saved hundreds vs. using the cut off alone. The cut off wheel has it's uses but a good airsaw can provide better results in my opinion. Try one graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Originally posted by Texas70:
I used a 7" cut off wheel from Home Depot in my circular saw last night to cut some 1/8" angle for a mig welder cart that I am building. Cut thru it like butter. I made 8 cuts thru 1"x1"x1/8" angle and cannot tell that I even used the blade at all. :rolleyes: Hows your cart coming along? Did you look at
the pics I put up for you?
I need to get a chop saw myself, I have been
using my grinder with cutoff wheels for too long
now and a chop saw is over due LOL :D .

Originally posted by SS70SS:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Texas70:
I used a 7" cut off wheel from Home Depot in my circular saw last night to cut some 1/8" angle for a mig welder cart that I am building. Cut thru it like butter. I made 8 cuts thru 1"x1"x1/8" angle and cannot tell that I even used the blade at all. :rolleyes: Hows your cart coming along? Did you look at
the pics I put up for you?
I need to get a chop saw myself, I have been
using my grinder with cutoff wheels for too long
now and a chop saw is over due LOL :D . </font>[/QUOTE]Kevin,
Your cart looks great. Angle and flat bar stock is what I used also. I think I will copy your idea of attaching a piece of plywood to the frame for the shelf. I will be attaching some casters to the bottom this weekend and will post some pic's to my website. I think I would go for the chop saw also if I were doing alot of this but that wheel on my SKIL saw cut thru that angle like a hot knife thru butter and precision was not an issue in this case of course ?(+/- 1/8") . Where did you get the steel for that work table? I want to build a 3'x5' for my shop. :D graemlins/waving.gif

I got the metal at Heinzler Brother's it is a
local Blacksmithing/Welding/Fabrication shop.
I got 120' of 1" x 2" rect tubing and the 10'x 4'
1/4" thick top with two breaks in it for 323.38
total.
I borrowed my works Dewalt chop saw to cut all
my rect tubing pieces. I still need to get a
10 or 7 gauge shelf to go on the frame work on
left half of the table. I am leaving the right half
open so I can put my wire and stick welders under
the table.
My wire welder on the cart has 1/2" of clearance.
Heinzler's are pretty nice to deal with, they even let me
use their trailer to bring my stuff home when I
could not use my uncles trailer because someone
else was using it at the time.
You should be able to do your 3x5 fairly reasonably.
If you don't want to go with a 1/4" top you could
do a 7 or 10 gauge top instead.