Doing body work soon on my chevelle. Need to cut out some rust and weld in new panels\patches. Looking to buy a cutoff tool. I was told an air cutoff tool works well. At my local supplier, they have a standard duty cut off tool with shield over the cutoff wheel. They also have an industrial quality air die grinder that I can put the cutoff wheel into. Seems much heavier built. My question... do I need that shield or will I just take if off anyway to see my lines where I will be cutting. A friend who has done body work tells me I will end up taking the shield off anyway, so a high quality die grinder will be fine. Comments?

Bhawk I think you should listen to a different friend, you're talking about your saftey there. Ive been doing body work for a living for years now and yet to remove my shield from my cut off wheel, I can see fine and cant tell you how many times that shield has saved me from getting hit with a piece of metal or a broken piece of wheel. I know that alot of people use a die grinder for a cut off tool but not me, you will be getting in spots where those sparks will be flying right in your face if you didnt have a shield on it.

My advise get the tool made for the job and the one made for the proper saftey...get the cut off tool not the die grinder...Eric

It's strange how the people who do all the work take their safety shields off their tools.

When the rig is in the shipyard, 95% of the welders have their safety guards removed from their grinders. They say it's so they can see the work better.

I work with grinders, cut off tools, etc. all the time and have yet to have any trouble seeing what I'm doing with the safety guard in place.

I've seen a grinding wheel explode. The operator told me that he'd dropped the wheel but didn't see any cracks in it. Fortunately the guard saved him from a major injury. The broken pieces were deflected away from him. He got a cut on one finger.

Which brings up another safety tip when working with grinding/cutoff wheels. Give it the "Liberty Bell Test" before you install it on the tool. Hold it up with a screwdriver through the middle hole so it will ring when you lightly tap it with your fingernail or a small wrench. If it rings it's OK, if not, it's probably cracked.

It's easy to crack them in use as well, so don't think the ring test pre-empts the use of the guard and a clean face shield.

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thanks for the good advise. Safety must never be overlooked, so I'll go with the shield on the tool, and resist any temptations to ever remove it.

OK, I'll speak up for the "other side".

I have worked extensively with die grinders for ten years, carving everything from sheet metal to 3/4 plate steel.

I have worked with one brand of die grinder that actually met my expectations.

Sioux is worthless.
Campbell-Hausfield is worthless.
CP is worthless.
Ingersoll is worthless.
Williams is almost worthless and hugely expensive, but at least it's quiet.
cheap junk offshore store brands are beyond worthless.

BUY MAC! It is available with or without a guard. I have had two, both were much more powerful than any of the ones listed above.

My first had a drill chuck, the second has a 1/4 inch collett. The collett is more secure.

No, I have NO use for the guard. I do wear ANSI Z-80 approved safety glasses along with hearing protectors. I've disabled the trigger lock too. I'm an animal.

Here's another suggestion. Get a reversible one. Then, when you're cutting in tight areas, you can always run it the right way so the sparks aren't firing into your face. Otherwise, you'll find it's always firing the sparks where you don't want them.

Peter

The nastiest fat lip & black eyes I ever saw were on a guy who's wheel flew apart.

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Bob Von Kaenel
70 SS 53k orig miles

Here is what I did.. I bought the cheap 19.99 auto parts store special with safety shield. I also bought a batch of the cheapie disks.. the cheapie disks go FAST, I also bought 2 packs of 3M disks, they last longer but tend too "chip".. The best disks I bought were off of the Snap On truck.. Last long, chip less, and cut cleaner. With this grinder I have cut off both quarters, trunk pan, floor pans, rockers, bolts, and ground down welds, etc.. all on my car without trouble with the tool or trouble seeing what I am working on. The one thing that would have helped was the reverseable ability. I did take my shield off ONCE, I stacked 4 disks on too grind down welds where the trunk weatherstripping channel is. But the guard went right back on.. Good Luck and be safe... No matter what with these tools wear good eye protection!!! the dust and sparks fly everywhere http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

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