We all know they are but a near-miss tonight prompts the post.
Was using Mr Angry Grinder without the handle to cut the brackets off the remains of the front lower sub-frame (May's tree parking incident) .
Cutting disc caught between the tubing and it kicked back.
The whole thing then flew, still rotating at full speed and caught the inside of my thigh just below the jewels. It sliced a hole in the overalls and melted the work-trousers underneath but fortunately didn't go any further.
Now cr*pping myself as I've just remembered the main artery (femoral?) goes down the inside of the leg right where it grazed the trousers.
Be careful out there....
Cheers, Pewe

whats tonights lotto numbers??

I had a 9inch grinder kick back and caught me in the shoulder.

Wasn't wearing a top, luckily it only left an inch cut, which was quarterised at the same time.

i have seen one fly 30 meters when mango snr cut a wall down and the blade just flew away

Similar incident happened to me a week or 2 back. Drilling into some stainless at waist level at a slight angle. Drill slipped, drill bit caught my trousers in the crotch area. Jeans completely twisted around the drill. I could feel pain, but wasn't quite sure if I had gone into the leg or not. I was completely silent which freaked out the missus somewhat as she was stood right next to me and was screaming 'speak to me....speak to me!!'. What seemed like slow motion, put the drill in reverse, unravelled the twisted trousers. The pain subsides, as it turned out i had in effect garotted my leg, and what you know....trip to A & E.....just joking. All completely fine! But to be honest i was cr*pping myself when it happened.

Close....I'll take the Euro lotto numbers for this weekend please.

This happened to one of the Britchopper guys last month...

http://britchopper.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=29681

Ho Lee cr@p!

Note to self... Don't invest in angry grinder, you just know it would not end well...

I had a grinding disc explode on me a few years back where a mate of mine had used it to grind ally then cleaned the edge of the disc off so it looked ok, alu + grinding = heat build up

result was 11 stiches in my arm and 12 in my leg

I've used one just about every day at work for near 20 years, never a serious incident but that just makes you complacent, stuff like this reminds you to take care!

Had a cutting disc explode in my face once. Never want to re live that.

Someone I know a few years back was mending one in his brand new kitchen.

Turned it on at the mains. Hey presto it worked.

Then made it's way around then new tops then across the new floor.

Now one was hurt fortunately. apart from the wallet.

i plugged mine into a extention lead lead last year, switched on, nothing happened, flicked the wall switch, nothing, kicked the extention lead, the thing powered up while i held in with one hand, and because i forgot to switch it off (as it wasn't working anyway) it spun out my hand, and headed staright for my foot at full speed. got my foot out the way just in time lol

I was using mine one day... couldnt figure out what the smell was... until my croch started to feel warm... had burned through my overalls, through my trousers, through my pants and setfire to my pubes.... jesus the smell... eughh

quote:

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Originally posted by tegwin
I was using mine one day... couldnt figure out what the smell was... until my croch started to feel warm... had burned through my overalls, through my trousers, through my pants and setfire to my pubes.... jesus the smell... eughh

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My experience mechanic, idiot friend, used one with no handle, gloves or goggles the other day... one handed.

You'll be surprised to hear it jumped back and cut into the end of the thumb and up the thumbnail with me and a few others watching. After both me and the apprentice had specifically told him he should get his safety gear. I even said I'd go get it for him!

Why supposedly intelligent people get immune to danger when it comes to using grinders I really don't know! There are *so* many stories on here of people injuring themselves with them!

Gauntlets, goggles, ear defenders, decent overals and both hands is really not that hard a concept is it?


Cheers,
James

quote:

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Originally posted by tegwin
I was using mine one day... couldnt figure out what the smell was... until my croch started to feel warm... had burned through my overalls, through my trousers, through my pants and setfire to my pubes.... jesus the smell... eughh

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I remember a while back me and a mate were working on my mini when the wire brush in the angry grinder caught on a bare edge. It literally tore itself from my hands and landed at my mates feet- luckilly it had a dead mans handle, so no harm done.
Also I had the guard come loose off another angle grinder (again with wire brush) just as I switched it on to test it, because it was shaking so badly my hands started shifting down the grinder to the disc. The combination of guard and wire brush took a chunk out of my finger, but just managed to switch it off before any serious damage was done.
The combination of these two events has meant that I don't use angry grinders without dead mans handles- a very very useful addition!

My grinder story short.

Grinder jammed in the work (I was cutting with it).

It kicked back, rotated 180 degress and dug into the 1st knuckle of my left index finger.
It took the top off the knuckle which is now a different shape.
A bit more and the finger would have been off.

Permanent black scar where it all happened.

That's it.

Use at your risk, it's not IF, its WHEN...

We had a safety video at work called 'remember charlie' which is a guy telling a story of his complacency at work (a petroleum plany in the US) and how being 'efficient' as a good employee very nearly killed him (and did in the end IIRC a few years later) when he didn't wear proper PPE and follow due procedures, ending in a massive fireball with him as the epicentre.

Ever since seeing that, I've taken a lot more precaution in the garage as well as at work.

Excerts here

Yep! Same thing happened to me, cutting chassis tubes can be very dodgy The plug pulled out of the socket at that point.

Angry grinder

Well I hope you all remember my incident with a 3" holesaw last year, just take it easy out there guys!

When I first started using grinders I never used any protection, can't believe how I didn't get any metal in my eyes. For years now I've worn goggles, gloves and ear defenders but the ONE time I forgot to put my goggles on I got a speck of metal in my eye. A short trip to the walk in center and it was taken out. I've had 3 disks shatter on me, all of them were really good 0.75mm disks (£1.30 each yo) and when they've shattered they don't explode, they stay in large pieces. Due to the thickness of them they have such low inertia that I've been hit straight in the forehead with them with not the slghtest scratch/mark and could barely feel they'd hit me.

I've set fire to my trousers once and ruined 3 fleece jackets, and a twisted knot brush once caught a sleeve and ran up my arm past the elbow, no cuts or grazes but won't be doing that again

Biggest single cause of lost time accidents at our place is the angle grinder, in both 4.5" and 9", and we are a well established company with recognised tradesmen and a full health and safety team.

For the life of me I have never undestood - or known anyone who uses - the 'lock on' button on drills and angle grinders. Some of them are so easy to accidentally press on that its a real shock when the thing keeps spinning after you've let the trigger go.. I swear that many accidents must have happened because of them.. They need to be outlawed!