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The spinning danger wheel of death…

I’ve never been a fan of angle grinders. They are noisy, spin extremely fast, and are a bit dangerous if you are not careful.

In an attempt to tame the beast, I bought a 4″ air angle grinder from Harbor Freight. It has been stored away, unused for some time now. A couple of weeks ago I decided to give it a try.

The version that I bought was blue. The current version is a natural metal finish, but otherwise appears to be an identical tool.

Harbor Freight 4″ Grinder

The air consumption is stated to be 6 CFM at 90 PSI. My compressor produces 15.2 CFM @ 90 psi and this tool gives it a workout. The nice thing about this tool versus an electric grinder is that you are able to feather the throttle for better control. You are also able to regulate the air pressure for even further control. The tool has plenty of power and blistering speed when you want it. It is also very compact.

Here is a picture comparing the tool to my hand…

This picture shows the tool and included parts. The two wire brushes shown were not included.

The spindle of the grinder has a 10 x 1.25 mm metric thread. To use the tool with threaded accessories such as wire brushes or flap discs, an adapter is necessary. I purchased a DeWalt 10 x 1.25 mm to 5/8” adapter.

Update: I recently purchased a second grinder. The new grinder has a 3/8 x 24 tpi spindle. Accessories are also available for this spindle size.

The tool was so controllable and such a joy to use that I became complacent. It gave me a gentle kiss on the knee (through denim jeans) to remind me to give it the respect it deserves.

While not commonly available from Lowes or Home Depot, wire brushes and other accessories are available to fit the smaller 10 x 1.25 mm spindle without the need of an adapter. I got mine from Marshall’s Industrial Hardware.