Angle Grinder or WBS?

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Linda Crissman
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 9:45 am
Location: CA

Angle Grinder or WBS?

Post by Linda Crissman »

I spent the whole day yesterday reading the old archives and current and am still completely confused. If I can only have 1, which do I get ... the angle grinder or the wet belt sander. I want to take off texture left from Kaiser board, smooth surfaces of plates and edge work. Size of work ranges from 6" to 15". Some surfaces are drop ring forms also. Please help.
Phil Hoppes
Posts: 298
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2003 2:20 pm
Location: Overgaard, AZ

Post by Phil Hoppes »

The old addage of get the right tool for the right job. An angle grinder I'm assuming is actually a surface grinder. If you want to rework your surfaces and that is what is most important to you, get the angle grinder. A WBS is NOT for surface work. It is for edge work. It will produce fantastic edges but I don't recommend it at all for surface work. There is little or no way you can hold your work and push it up evenly against the rotating working surface of a WBS. At best you will get a very uneven finish. At worst, it will snag your glass from your hands and smash it on the floor. I know you are looking for one tool that fits all functions but it just does not work out that way.

Phil

PS - Now if you are an affectionado of the old Red Grange show you can learn to miss-use every tool you have like using a level for a hammer.....and then trying to figure out what to use as a level when your level is broken..... :lol:
Bert Weiss
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Location: Chatham NH
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Post by Bert Weiss »

Working with large glass, I look at it a bit differently. Either I bring the tool to the glass or the glass to the tool.

The challenge with using an angle grinder on a glass bowl is how do you hold the bowl still while you work on it with a tool that requires 2 hands.

I might consider the belt sander being better as it is stationary and the bowl can be held in 2 hands.

I do agree that sanding on the surface is not a very effective mode of working. Sand blasting works better to "grind" schmutz off of a surface.
Then you need to fire polish or add a chemical or 2 to alter the toothed surface.
Bert

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