4.5 inch grinding wheels (1 Viewer)

[Pin_Head]

I H8 grinding.

I had a big grinding job to do, so I put a new 4.5 inch DeWalt grinding wheel on my angle grinder and 30 minutes later the wheel was worn out and I wasn’t even 20% done yet. I have tried a lot of different grinding wheels and the name brands, Norton, DeWalt, Makita, MiIlwaukee are all a cut above the cheaper discs but all about the same. I remember, someone telling me that 3M Cubitron 2 wheels last longer, so I tried one. Wow! The reason they last so long is they cut much quicker too. It took me only 8 minutes to do what it took 30 minutes with the DeWalt, so they cut about 3 times faster. They run cooler too so they don’t discolor the metal.

They cost about twice as much as the other wheels, but time is money. I still hate grinding but I spend a lot less time doing it now. The only down side is it took me so long to find these grinding wheels. They really make the sparks fly.

 

[ff347]

They are very good, no not cheap though.

Sharpen a lawnmower blade in a flash.

 

[e9999]

odd, I was just thinking the other day that my grinding wheels don't ever seem to wear out much. Unlike the cutting wheels. You must be pushing harder or using harder steel than I am...

 

[Pin_Head]

I was definitely pushing hard. Hard enough to discolor the metal. I had about 18 feet of ER70S6 beads on 11 gauge steel to grind, fill and paint. I was getting pissed because it looked like it would take 3 hours to finish and my hands were getting sore. The point is that the Cubitron 2 disc cuts much faster. I finished the job in about 40 minutes with much less pressure, less stress on my hands and the disk is only about 50% worn. It is win, win, win, win, deal. I don’t usually get too excited about consumables, but when they make my life easier, I’m all in. They make flap disks and cut off wheels too with the same abrasive, so I’m going to give them a try too.

 

[e9999]

yes, some high performance disks are indeed much faster than your typical grinding wheels. Some interesting comparison vids on YT etc out there on that.

 

[Prairie Swamp]

Thanks for the heads up on those. Gotta respect 3M as an American company that insists on quality and refuses to chase China prices.

 

[e9999]

here ya go, cubitron disk vs "stone" grinding wheel:



Impressive difference in cutting ability!
Of course, if you take the cost of the attachment into account, that brings up another dimension to the issue. And then the value of your time as well. Nice to have a choice for the DIYer. But the winner seems clear for a business or pro.

 

[Pin_Head]

The Cubitron discs say “Made in Austria”, but they are a US company.

 

[wapitimud]

I only use Walter zip discs and flap discs, the rest are a waste of money. I don't know about 3M grinding wheels though, makes sense that it would be decent.

 

[Jim S.]

^^ Walter zip discs all day long. 3M sandblaster for cleaning Dross.

 

[goranvolvo]

at work we only use klingspor and PFERD but PFERD cut off wheal last long time if used properly

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

3M Cubritron is all I use in my shop and have for years.

 

[Pin_Head]

3M Cubitron IIs almost make grinding fun. Almost. It pains me to think of all the time I wasted grinding before I found out about them. 3M is trying to hide them from the general public.

 

[RUSH55]

Thanks @Pin_Head ! Will have to look for those. Sometimes grinding is life.

 

[TXSunDevil]

Which Cubitron disks are yall using? There are quite a few on Amazon. I just bought a welder and am building my first project so consequently I have a ton of grinding to do.

 

[Pin_Head]

They make quite a few different products under the Cubitron II brand, but this is the 4.5 inch grinding wheel I used.
Amazon product ASIN B009ZTAKX4

 

[TXSunDevil]

Thank you, I ordered them. I had to acknowledge that I am a professional. I have stayed at a few Holiday Inn expresses and watched a ton of YouTube videos. I doubt they will audit me.