How to Make a Crosscut From an Angle Grinder

Necessary tools and materials

Angle grinder. A very useful and versatile tool. With it, you can cut metal, stone, tile and, of course, grind the surface, but sometimes it is much easier and more accurate to perform these works with a stationary machine. Fortunately, you can make a cutting machine from an angle grinder with your own hands.

Pros and Cons of a Homemade Machine

If you have to hold an angle grinder in your hands often enough, you probably have time to feel its cons. Weaknesses of the tool in its main advantage. Mobility.

Firstly, it is not always possible to fix parts during cutting, and their slightest vibration can lead to the destruction of the abrasive disk, which, in turn, is fraught with serious injuries.

Secondly, it is quite difficult to control the clear perpendicularity of the cut with the mobile version of the tool, take into account the thickness of the disc with respect to the mark and the cut material, and even hold it if necessary.

Thirdly, it’s quite difficult to cut several parts of the same size with a tool, especially when it comes to rods and small pipes. After cutting, you also have to trim the parts.

And, of course, the busyness of both hands and the ultimate tedious concentration during work, since the angle grinder is one of the most dangerous tools. What is the reverse blow worth. A sudden rejection of the tool when the rotating abrasive disk is jammed in the workpiece. The danger of a back strike is not so much in the rejection of the tool, but in the accompanying destruction of the circle. At such high speeds, fragments of abrasive can very seriously injure the operator.

Especially often, a back strike occurs at the end of the cut, when the parts are connected only by a small jumper. In this case, it is recommended to stop the tool without cutting the workpiece to the end, remove the circle and cut the part from the back. The cutting machine, which can be constructed from available materials, is able to solve all these problems and provide additional security.

Photo Gallery: DIY Tool

To buy or not?

How to make a cutting machine from a do-it-yourself angle grinder

The simplest home-made machine for a small angle grinder can be done at a minimum cost and in just a few hours.

From a metal pipe and corners

The finished design of such a machine will be a metal long pipe, performing both the role of the frame and the role of the handle. Closer to one end, a transverse metal bar is welded with two holes for fixing an angle grinder.

How to Make a Crosscut From an Angle Grinder

The pipe in this design is both a handle and a mount

On the same side, the pipe is attached to one side of a small piece of the corner on a movable shaft, while the corner itself, with its other side, is attached either to the desktop, or simply to the floor in the working room. On the opposite side of the mount, it is necessary to fix the spring, which will allow the entire structure to return to its original position. That’s all. The machine is ready, you just need to fix the angle grinder correctly. Of course, this option is for the simplest metal work, and for complex ones where precision is required, the design should already be more stable and thorough.

How to Make a Crosscut From an Angle Grinder

Cutting machine with bed (drawing)

Necessary tools and materials

To make a cutting machine, you will need the following materials and tools: a steel corner, a profile pipe, a sheet of metal for the platform (or a lighter version of chipboard), a welding machine, a channel, a drill, a shaft, several identical bearings, a small diameter pipe, a spring, and also relay and pedal. Welding, if you think about it, can be replaced with strong bolts, for this you will need a drill. By the way, this option will also make it possible to disassemble the machine in case of need.

Drawing

The manufacture of the machine should begin with pieces of parts on the frame. To prevent damage to expensive material, carefully study the many drawings that can be found on the Internet or follow the models on the shelves. In the latter case, make a drawing yourself, you do not need special skills for this. The main thing is to present the finished structure and its proportions on paper. Each angle grinder needs its own drawing, because tools from different manufacturers can differ dramatically. Somewhere you can remove the handle, somewhere you have to come up with a rack for the entire angle grinder! Plus, a different frame is needed for different disk sizes. Below are a few diagrams.

Photo gallery: schemes of cutting machines from an angle grinder for metal and for tiles

Frame

The simplest frame consists of two frames on a common axis. The lower frame should be fixed to the platform. Metal or chipboard. If the angle grinder is large, it is better to use metal. The upper frame, to which the angle grinder is screwed, should rotate vertically relative to the lower one, like a pendulum. To fix the initial position, you need a spring. A fastener is welded to the lower frame, which consists of a clamping corner and a movable clamp.

The frame of the bed can be made of metal

Ruler

It is very important to provide measuring parts in the machine, thanks to which you can cut workpieces with an accuracy of up to 1 mm. In this case, a movable ruler with a stop welded to the tube is best suited. Having set the exact size with its help and securing it with the end screw, you can get to work.

Electronics

For ease of operation, include a start pedal or button with a switch through the low-voltage relay of 12 V. The voltage will be supplied to the angle grinder through it. With this simple design, we free our hands, achieve an accurate, even cut without the use of a vice, and save time on accurate measurements. This tool will replace the cutting saw for metal, and if necessary, you can always return the angle grinder to its mobile state.

Security

When working with an angle grinder, stationary or manual, safety must always be remembered. In the case of the stationary version, you need to take into account the direction of the tool and the position of the protective cover. It is important that the cover completely hides the area in which the operator is located. If you have a machine, you will probably have a desire to use the tool for other purposes. For example, attach a saw blade for a tree to an angle grinder, which is absolutely impossible!

Wood is a heterogeneous material, there may be knots or even nails in it. The rotational speed of the angle grinder is much higher than the standard speed of the standard sawmill, which will very quickly lead the saw blade to disrepair.

But, in addition to this, unlike abrasive and grinding disks, saw blades have sharp teeth, which pose a high danger. It is simply unreasonable to risk health for the sake of a quick cut. After installing the tool and a new disk, the work of the angle grinder should be checked for at least 1 minute at idle. The circle should rotate completely freely, without excessive vibration, without touching the casing.

Cutting machine from an angle grinder is not so difficult to do yourself. And in the future, this tool will help you save time and effort.