# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  Man killed by angle grinder

## Uncle Bob

Sometimes we forget how lethal power tools can be:   

> Mr Hebden was using an angle grinder with a blade fitted to it when  the blade shattered and a segment embedded itself in his abdomen,  causing a massive haemorrhage. 
>  The cutting tool he was using was described as a Bosch 230mm angle grinder fitted with a 400mm cutting blade.
>  The blade was oversized for the grinder and meant Mr Hebden had to remove the safety guard to use it.
>  Mr  Hebden was operating the tool at a speed 30 per cent greater than the  maximum speed recommended for that specific blade when the accident  happened.

  Power tool death prompts safety warning - National - NZ Herald News

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## WACanetoad

Yes powertools can be dangerous but it sounds as if this gentleman was giving the bounds of commonsense a fair shove.

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## intertd6

I read a classic a while back, an American was complaining about the laws about wearing seat belts , after his rant about how they weren't a necessary safety requirement, he said that he didn't have to wear them because he had a drs exemption, because he had had his sternum split in two using a angle grinder without a guard & the disc exploded & nearly killed him.
regards inter

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## shauck

Google Darwin Awards

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## OBBob

That's an awful story above and a reminder to us all.      

> Google Darwin Awards

  
There was a Darwin nomination from Darwin yesterday!     *"Darwin man locks himself out of unit, ties rope around waist in amateur abseil attempt to retrieve keys"*    Darwin man locks himself out of unit, ties rope around waist in amateur abseil attempt to retrieve keys - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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## atregent

> Yes powertools can be dangerous but it sounds as if this gentleman was giving the bounds of commonsense a fair shove.

  More than a fair shove, I reckon 
400mm blade on a 230mm grinder
10 year old blade
guard removed
blade running 30% faster than maximum rated speed 
What could possibly go wrong?

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## Mitch1500

I worked for a company a couple of years ago where they took ALL the guards off their grinders. You really have to think about fingers.
They did it so you can maneuver the grinder easier for angles etc. 
So yeah there are still a lot crappy companies out there even in this day and age. I meant to ring worksafe but resigned after 4 weeks and forgot about it.
Its a good reminder of what not thinking can do

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## plum

Described as 'a careful builder'.   Yeah right.

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## Marc

:Annoyed: Clearly the grinder is a dangerous tool! 
Please, lets collect signatures to ban the use of grinders. 
Lets make them illegal! 
Bunning to take grinders off the shelf after massive public reaction to builder's grinder death.
Legislation was passed with the unanimous help of the greens, so that grinder use is limited to speeds of no more than 1000 rpm disk of only 80mm and guards welded on the body of the grinder. 
Also each grinder will have to be sold with a free file, to encourage the use of manual tools instead of polluting electric tools that use electricity and so release CO2 and make scorchers like we have today. Dead to the grinder !!!! :Annoyed:  :Annoyed:  :Annoyed:

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## johnc

> Clearly the grinder is a dangerous tool! 
> Please, lets collect signatures to ban the use of grinders. 
> Lets make them illegal! 
> Bunning to take grinders off the shelf after massive public reaction to builder's grinder death.
> Legislation was passed with the unanimous help of the greens, so that grinder use is limited to speeds of no more than 1000 rpm disk of only 80mm and guards welded on the body of the grinder. 
> Also each grinder will have to be sold with a free file, to encourage the use of manual tools instead of polluting electric tools that use electricity and so release CO2 and make scorchers like we have today. Dead to the grinder !!!!

  
I'm aware of work places that have banned the 230mm grinders due to risk, much to the frustration of the trades. In this case though we seem to have someone that made a dumb decision
and paid with their life. Yes it's dangerous, but let's not over react, there is no call for the banning of these things.

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## OBBob

> Clearly the grinder is a dangerous tool! 
> Please, lets collect signatures to ban the use of grinders. 
> Lets make them illegal! 
> Bunning to take grinders off the shelf after massive public reaction to builder's grinder death.
> Legislation was passed with the unanimous help of the greens, so that grinder use is limited to speeds of no more than 1000 rpm disk of only 80mm and guards welded on the body of the grinder. 
> Also each grinder will have to be sold with a free file, to encourage the use of manual tools instead of polluting electric tools that use electricity and so release CO2 and make scorchers like we have today. Dead to the grinder !!!!

  Hmm... You'll have to do all your cutting with a gas axe.

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## METRIX

You can make something as safe and dummy proof as yo uwant, but there will always be someone who bypasses all the safety features. 
9" Angle grinders are already banned on all big construction sites, and the use of a regular grinder has so much OHS around it that it's just not worth trying to get one on site. 
Below is a Standard Operating Procedure from one of the big civil companies.  http://www.australconstruction.com.a...ders_-Rev3.pdf

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## JB1

That's a goof reminder to work safe. I'm cutting my concrete slab this weekend and will be using a 9inch grinder for the first time. 
If you don't see me post in future, you now know why :P

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## phild01

> That's a goof reminder to work safe. I'm cutting my concrete slab this weekend and will be using a 9inch grinder for the first time. 
> If you don't see me post in future, you now know why :P

  Do use a diamond blade.

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## JB1

Yeah it's yeah, I have a diamond blade.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Sometimes we forget how lethal power tools can be:    Power tool death prompts safety warning - National - NZ Herald News

  
Yeah this has more to do with stupidity than the danger of the grinder itself. 
Chanisaws are lethal too but you don't swing them with one arm above your head while standing on one leg.  
I do a lot of cutting and grinding.
I never use the guard (but always the side handle) on any of my grinders.
The guard does get in the way a lot if you're doing stuff other than straight forward cutting/grinding. 
Eye and ear protection - always. 
Have had a few close encounters, mostly with the thin cutting disc, taken a bit of skin off here and there.
the thin discs are very handy but also dangerous.
I've had some (good brand) ones crack when tightening them on to the grinder.  
Just be careful, as with any powertool, and you'll be right.     :Smilie:

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## cyclic

> Yeah this has more to do with stupidity than the danger of the grinder itself. 
> Chanisaws are lethal too but you don't swing them with one arm above your head while standing on one leg.  
> I do a lot of cutting and grinding.
> I never use the guard (but always the side handle) on any of my grinders.
> The guard does get in the way a lot if you're doing stuff other than straight forward cutting/grinding. 
> Eye and ear protection - always. 
> Have had a few close encounters, mostly with the thin cutting disc, taken a bit of skin off here and there.
> the thin discs are very handy but also dangerous.
> I've had some (good brand) ones crack when tightening them on to the grinder.  
> Just be careful, as with any powertool, and you'll be right.

  If you crack a Disc when tightening then the problem is in the mounting of the Disc, not the Disc itself, or, dare I say, possibly the nut holding the handle. :Biggrin:

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## phild01

> I've had some (good brand) ones crack when tightening them on to the grinder.

  I've not had this issue.  I tend not to over-tighten the blade, just a bit past nipping it up.  I think when you use the tool it tends to tighten the blade more. I seem to use more effort to remove the blade than putting it on!

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## Uncle Bob

I never use the tool to tighten them. Just give the wheel a good yank by hand. And I still need to use the tool to un-do them though.

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## PlatypusGardens

Lots of tool and nut innuendos here  :Biggrin:     
There were two or three discs from the same 25-pack that cracked.
Might have been a bad batch.
Pferd brand, I think. 
Didn't do them up tight at all when they snapped.  :No:   
Usually just give them a light nip with the tool, similar to securing the gas hose to the BBQ.    :Smilie:

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## Marc

OK my post was tongue in cheek just to highlight the way government try to legislate "safety". One of the dumbest examples is the minimum age to buy a .... knife!  ( Uhuuu scary instrument. ) 
But then I read posts like the one above, "I do a lot of cutting and grinding. I never use the guard (but always the side handle) on any of my grinders."  And say to myself ... really?   How about**: "I ... drive always 10K over the limit and never use the seatbelt (but have always one hand on the handbrake mind you)" :Biggrin:  
Or ... "I use my front wheel underinflated 10psi and my back wheels 10psi overinflated this way it all balances out  :2thumbsup:  
I like this one: "I ... never use the welding helmet nor the gloves, but always keep my eyes shut when welding.  :Yipee:

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## r3nov8or

It's sad someone died, but it's known as Natural Selection. Our race got just a little bit smarter as a result.

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## johnc

> OK my post was tongue in cheek just to highlight the way government try to legislate "safety". One of the dumbest examples is the minimum age to buy a .... knife!  ( Uhuuu scary instrument. ) 
> But then I read posts like the one above, "I do a lot of cutting and grinding. I never use the guard (but always the side handle) on any of my grinders."  And say to myself ... really?   How about**: "I ... drive always 10K over the limit and never use the seatbelt (but have always one hand on the handbrake mind you)" 
> Or ... "I use my front wheel underinflated 10psi and my back wheels 10psi overinflated this way it all balances out  
> I like this one: "I ... never use the welding helmet nor the gloves, but always keep my eyes shut when welding.

  I'd agree it is madness not to use the guard, if a blade shatters  it is going to make a mess, at least the guard will deflect most of it away

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## phild01

> I'd agree it is madness not to use the guard, if a blade shatters  it is going to make a mess, at least the guard will deflect most of it away

  +1
I wouldn't be trying it.

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## plum

Anyone who operates an angle grinder without the guard is a nong, but to put an oversized wheel on is a fool.

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## shauck

> I'd agree it is madness not to use the guard, if a blade shatters  it is going to make a mess, at least the guard will deflect most of it away

  I had this happen to me the other week. Guard definitely on, safety glasses definitely on. It just gave me a bit of a fright. Fragments hit me but no cuts/damage.

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## Marc

Hum ... I don't know what a nong is but must be nothing glamorous.
A friend of mine, usually an average, kind of normal person, worked for decades as an auto electrician, wanted to cut down a couple of small pencil trees growing on the fence line that were bothering him. So what does he do? Takes his trusty 4" ozito and bolts a 5" sawblade to it. And hi presto, he is in possession of the perfect chainsaw.
Surprisingly he got through most of the trees without a hitch, so he got confident. He was now wielding the thing around with one hand until he hit a little branch that was bendy and did not want to be cut. The contraption flew out of his hand and turned around and cut off 3 of his fingers...

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## OBBob

Oh... It was too early to read that story. I guess it could've been a lot worse.

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## Marc

> I'd agree it is madness not to use the guard, if a blade shatters  it is going to make a mess, at least the guard will deflect most of it away

  Yes, however even if it does not, and I have never broken a cutting or grinding disk myself, how do you use a grinder without a guard? You get showered with sparks and debris. That can't be fun!
Mm come to think of it, one could grind with one hand and shield the eyes with the other hand !

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## Uncle Bob

> You get showered with sparks and debris. That can't be fun!

  It isn't, but try grinding/cutting so the sparks fly the other way (usually splattering something else in the process  :Smilie:  ) 
BTW, years ago when I was in the game, our guards were removed from all grinders and disk sanders, all except the 9in grinder, that machine was a beast.

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## phild01

> Mm come to think of it, one could grind with one hand and shield the eyes with the other hand !

  No, grind with your eyes shut!

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## PlatypusGardens

> how do you use a grinder without a guard? You get showered with sparks and debris. That can't be fun!
> Mm come to think of it, one could grind with one hand and shield the eyes with the other hand !

  Well for starters, wear safety glasses... 
position yourself so the sparks/debris doesn't hit you.
(I have quite a few shed shirts with burn holes around the waist region on the right hand side...)   :Smilie:

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## intertd6

> Well for starters, wear safety glasses... 
> position yourself so the sparks/debris doesn't hit you.
> (I have quite a few shed shirts with burn holes around the waist region on the right hand side...)

  id like to know how you can hold a 9" angle grinder properly while cutting & not have any of your vital parts not in line with the blade? To operate any tools without the proper guards will end badly eventually, even with the guards in place accidents happen. Put your safety glasses on a watermelon & hit them as hard as you can with the edge of a brickies trowel & see what happens!
regards inter

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## PlatypusGardens

> id like to know how you can hold a 9" angle grinder properly while cutting & not have any of your vital parts not in line with the blade? To operate any tools without the proper guards will end badly eventually, even with the guards in place accidents happen. Put your safety glasses on a watermelon & hit them as hard as you can with the edge of a brickies trowel & see what happens!
> regards inter

  
I never said anything about 9" grinders, that was the other guys.
I only use 4 and 5" grinders.  
Anyway, I find the guard gets in the way, I never use them and that's that.    
All power tools are dangerous.
I actually seem to hurt myself more using handtools, funnily enough.   :Confused:

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## phild01

> I never said anything about 9" grinders, that was the other guys.
> I only use 4 and 5" grinders.  
> Anyway, I find the guard gets in the way, I never use them and that's that.    
> All power tools are dangerous.
> I actually seem to hurt myself more using handtools, funnily enough.

  Ok, ok, no changing your ways but you broke a few discs which has never happened to me or others by the sounds of it.  At least check the spindle flanges and make sure they are as originally machined.

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## r3nov8or

Not using a guard _and_ needing to position yourself outside the debris when cutting is large reason why discs break, i.e. You can't look straight down the line of the blade due to the debris, so you move to the side, and then you can't perfectly tell the line of the cut, unknowlngly you twist the tool slightly, and then the disc is prone to grabbing, stress, and breaking.

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## PlatypusGardens

I had a couple of discs break as I put them on the grinder, and they were all from the same 25-pack.
That was the only time it happened. 
Never had one break WHILE cutting.    :Smilie:

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## intertd6

> I had a couple of discs break as I put them on the grinder, and they were all from the same 25-pack.
> That was the only time it happened. 
> Never had one break WHILE cutting.

  the new thin cutting blades go without warning, the old style will vibrate before letting go, which I have never had happen, because I stop as soon as anything seems amiss, I have been hit from about 10m from one that exploded, no injuries to anybody luckily enough.
i wouldn't & couldn't let anybody use any power tools with out guards on any of my jobs full stop! It's amazing how something so simple could wind up breaking you if it goes wrong!
regards inter

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## Marc

> No, grind with your eyes shut!

   Hei ... that was my line! 
Seriously now. The reason I like the Milwaukee rat tail 5" grinder over all the others I have, is among other things, no tool disk change AND no tool repositioning of the guard. 
Of course the guard is in the way, so is the welding helmet, the gloves, the goggles, the steel cup in the boots, the welding apron, every single thing to do with safety is a compromise with comfort. I would love to be able to forge in shorts and shirtless like in the movies !
But with the 5" grinder all it takes is to stop it, grab the guard and turn it. quarter turn one way, quarter turn the other way. 
Magic.
Come to think of it ... if I had a guardless grinder and wanted to avoid the spark shower, I could wire it in such way that the rotation changes with a flick of a switch. 
Away you go sparks!

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## Marc

Talking about bad disk, I bought a pack of very nice grinder disk yet one was a rattler. Born out of center, an eccentric you may call it. For a second I though ... mm I can fix this one ... then ... nee, straight in the bin.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Of course the guard is in the way, so is the welding helmet, the gloves, the goggles, the steel cup in the boots, the welding apron, every single thing to do with safety is a compromise with comfort.

  
not the same thing.

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## r3nov8or

I hear the Platypus is an endangered species...

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## SilentButDeadly

I recall as a young person that a colleague was felled by a 9 " grinder whilst trying to cut a steel cable between two fixed points (his boots). The plastic surgery to his inner thigh was...epic.

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## phild01

> i hear the platypus is an endangered species...

   :u

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## JB1

> I recall as a young person that a colleague was felled by a 9 " grinder whilst trying to cut a steel cable between two fixed points (his boots). The plastic surgery to his inner thigh was...epic.

  Standing on a loose wire? 
Anyway I'm alive after cutting concrete with a 9 inch grinder. 
My fingers are sore from just holding the power button on. 
Next time if its bigger job I'll hire a proper concrete saw or get someone else to do it.  
Machine kicks just powering it on...  Not keen on using it again! lol

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## phild01

You can get soft start now.

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## Marc

Sorry Platypus, I don't mean to make fun of what could be a potential dangerous practice ... only take the micky out of it  :Smilie:  don't get that chance very often ...  
Anyway, I am surprised no one caught on my proposed reversing grinder hu hu.  
Cutting concrete with a 9" grinder is a bit of a stretch but certainly possible. And dusty. Did you get through the reo with that diamond blade? No lock on the power button?
I find the 9" grinder invaluable for cutting bigger retaining wall blocks. They don't fit on the brick saw and you can cut them in situ. Dangerous? Sure, so is a circular saw, a chainsaw, a nail gun, an electric planer ...

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## JB1

The mesh sat just below what the saw could cut- doh! 
Yeah no lock on the power button, but it had a very awkward safety button you needed to depress before you could press the power button.  
Other tools are dangerous, but I found the 9 inch grinder more so than the others (assuming you're not dangling mid air with a chain saw).

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## PlatypusGardens

> Anyway, I am surprised no one caught on my proposed reversing grinder hu hu. 
> .

  I'm working on one as we speak.
Will report back after I've tested it.    :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> I hear the Platypus is an endangered species...

  
Nah we're just a bit shy, misunderstood and mostly keep to ourselves    :Smilie:

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## ChocDog

> Anyway I'm alive after cutting concrete with a 9 inch grinder.

  
Yeah, they are, umm, interesting to use to say the least! And throw a hell of a lot of dust around if you dont adequately water the place down. I need to pull mine out again soon and cut some concrete, but I think i might wait until my builder mate is free and get him to come around with his demo saw and slice it up properly/easier - hardest part of the job doing it this way is picking up a slab of cold ones...

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## METRIX

Talking about 9" (230mm) grinders being dangerous, these are a toy in comparison to my 350mm Husky shown below. 
 We use it for chasing walls and concrete as will cut through a 4" slab or rendered brick wall in one go, if you want to know what a gyroscopic effect is, turn this bugger on and hold on tight.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Talking about 9" (230mm) grinders being dangerous, these are a toy in comparison to my 350mm Husky shown below. 
>  We use it for chasing walls and concrete as will cut through a 4" slab or rendered brick wall in one go, if you want to know what a gyroscopic effect is, turn this bugger on and hold on tight.

  
Those things scare me a little.... 
(Would definitely leave the guard on if I was to use one)      :Smilie:

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## JB1

14 inch grinder, I'll pass thanks! 
I'm man enough (or is it not manly enough) to admit I didn't feel comfortable using the 9 inch grinder. 
The 9 inch I borrowed didn't have a soft start feature.

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## PlatypusGardens

> 14 inch grinder, I'll pass thanks! 
> I'm man enough (or is it not manly enough) to admit I didn't feel comfortable using the 9 inch grinder. 
> The 9 inch I borrowed didn't have a soft start feature.

  
I used one of those hacksaw toothed blades on my 5" grinder a few times (with the guard on) 
Didn't like it at all.    :Frown:

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## Bloss

> Clearly the grinder is a dangerous tool!

  The grinder being the bloke - and yes he was a dangerous tool - paid heavy price for his stupidity.

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## Marc

> I'm working on one as we speak.
> Will report back after I've tested it.

   Somehow I doubt it hahahahahahahaha

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## Marc

> Talking about 9" (230mm) grinders being dangerous, these are a toy in comparison to my 350mm Husky shown below. 
>  We use it for chasing walls and concrete as will cut through a 4" slab or rendered brick wall in one go, if you want to know what a gyroscopic effect is, turn this bugger on and hold on tight.

  Nice chopper, nothing scary about it. You should try my Stihl 090, 120cc chainsaw with the 42" bar hehe

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## OBBob

^ not bad for a sewing machine.  :Smilie:

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## METRIX

> ^ not bad for a sewing machine.

  Yep, it rips through those dresses like there's no tomorrow  :Biggrin:

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## PlatypusGardens

Take the guard off and fit a blade from a mitre compound saw!

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## PlatypusGardens

> Somehow I doubt it hahahahahahahaha

  
Am typing with my nose as it went horribly wrong

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## PlatypusGardens

The safety labels on these flappa discs made me giggle....  
It's a clown!    :Smilie:

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## OBBob

ROFL... or Ernie from Sesame Street with a Mohawk.

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## phild01

That's great, very funny.

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## PlatypusGardens

> ROFL... or Ernie from Sesame Street with a Mohawk.

    :Rofl:  
Mr T.  *"I pity the fool who don't wear no protection!"*   :Wink:

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## PlatypusGardens

> That's great, very funny.

  
....Said in a deadpan voice while rolling eyes?    :Smilie:

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## phild01

> ....Said in a deadpan voice while rolling eyes?

  No, loved it, comical.

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## PlatypusGardens

There's funny stuff everywhere. 
like this angry DeWalt drill handle.  :Upset:

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## PlatypusGardens

Or this shocked angle grinder casing   :Shock:     
Never a dull moment in my shed (or head)   :2thumbsup:

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## phild01

:Laughing1: I am easily amused :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

A couple more I've come across....  
Sad coconut   :No:

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## PlatypusGardens

Evil roadwork bollard

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## Uncle Bob

^ Man, you're got problems  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> ^ Man, you're got problems

  
Sorry for the late reply.
The voices were telling me to clean the guns and do a stocktake in the bunker.   :Smilie:

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## Marc

I don't like stocktake

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## PlatypusGardens

> I don't like stocktake

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## PlatypusGardens

> The safety labels on these flappa discs made me giggle....  
> It's a clown!

  
I should add that they are actually pretty decent discs at $6 for a 5-pack at TheBigGreenShed.com.au. 
Cräftright, 40 grit, 4-inch..... I mean 100mm (-ish)   :Wink:   
Price compared to how much use I got out of one doing a lot of grinding yesterday is way way better than the 5-inch Flexovit ones.  
Might have t go grab some more while the're on special.   :Smilie:

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## phild01

Pretty much ditched the 100mm as next to useless, any 115 or 125?

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## PlatypusGardens

> Pretty much ditched the 100mm as next to useless, any 115 or 125?

  
Nah these were one of those "Hanging randomly on the shelf" specials.
I did look for 5 inch ones but didn't see any.  
When welding I usually have 3 grinders set up.
Thin cutting disc, wire brush and flappa disc. 
i have two 5 and one 4 inch.
The 4-inch B&D has been arround for about 10 years and still goes (will probably break now that I said that) 
The AEG and Bosch are a few years old, bought at the same time and within a week of eachother (recently) the power lead on both of them broke from too much bending and twisting.
Easy fix though. 
Definitely rate the Bosch the highest.
Thinner, lighter and smoother than the AEG. 
Funny how big the B&D is too.
And very heavy.      :Smilie:

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## METRIX

> Funny how big the B&D is too And very heavy.

  That's what happens when no money is spent on R&D, everything ends up boofey, heavy and usually underpowered  :Biggrin:

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## PlatypusGardens

> That's what happens when no money is spent on R&D

  
Still goes though, some 10-12 years on :Smilie:         

> boofey, heavy and underpowered

  
Hang on....are you talking about the grinder or me.....?   :Confused:

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