How To Remove A Disc From An Angle Grinder

How to unscrew and correctly place a disc on an angle grinder Replacing a disc with an angle grinder, how to remove a hardened disc, correct installation is important

How to remove a hardened disc from an angle grinder

Applying new nuts solves the problem of removing the disc, but what to do with an already eaten disc? Even if the disc was installed correctly, it is not always possible to remove it. Practice suggests different ways to solve the problem. You can clamp the retainer and hit through the extension on the nut holes in the direction of untwisting. This option is only possible with a working latch. But the retainer may not withstand such a solution to the problem and break.

The second method is more logical. Under the clamping nut and the lower support washer there is a gearbox shaft with turned chamfers. They put on the lower support washer. A standard wrench cannot be installed there. It is very narrow. But you can take a regular open-end wrench on “17” and grind it on both sides.

The turned key will go into the gap, set on the shaft chamfers and fix it. Now any nut will be unscrewed with any wrench, and the disc or its remains will be removed from the angle grinder.

How to unscrew and correctly place a disc on an angle grinder

This simple operation sometimes baffles even experienced locksmiths or users of an angle grinder. The reason is that the disc is fixed with a special nut. The nut has 2 or 4 holes, into which a special key is inserted. This key was always included with the purchase of an angle grinder. Perhaps he is now included in the kits.

According to the instructions for the angle grinder, you must press the lock, which is located on the back of the gearbox. When the shaft is fixed, unscrew the nut with a special wrench and change the disc. But it is difficult to unscrew the nut if it is not clamped. And it clamps it with such a nut almost always. Attempting to unscrew the disc will break the retainer behind the gearbox.

What way out of the problem is offered by experts and amateurs

• Install a newspaper gasket under the nut;
• Install a gasket from a plastic bottle under the nut;
• Replace the nut with a different design.

What is a newspaper gasket. This is a nut-sized paper washer. It is put on the installed disk, and a nut is screwed on top. This piece of paper was a sticking point, because the safety inspectorate has always broadcast about the harmfulness of such a decision.

The representatives of the safety authorities treat the installation of gaskets made of any other materials in the same way:

• Cardboard;
• Paronite;
• Gaskets from various plastics;
• Rubber gaskets of various thicknesses.

But there is a solution that does not contradict the safety requirements, and allows you to install and remove the disk normally. This is a special nut that consists of two elements. A nut and a pressure washer. The use of such a nut does not require any shims, because the disc does not jam with it.

If there is no special key at hand, then the craftsmen offer to do without the key. This does not mean that you can do without a key at all, but use a “gas key” or other device. To do this, clamp the retainer, clamp the nut with a gas wrench and unscrew it. This way you can replace a jammed disc, but this is a very inconvenient operation for one person.

There are also suggestions to clamp the disc with your hand and unscrew it. Perhaps, but it is unlikely that it will be possible to replace broken disks. It is better to use keys that are designed for removing and installing disks.

Some foreign companies producing power tools, such as Bosh, produce an angle grinder with easily removable nuts. They securely fix the disc on the tool shaft and can be easily and quickly removed for disc replacement.

Main Applications of Angle Grinder

1. Surface cleaning, peeling off old paint. It is carried out with a brush with steel rods or sandpaper petals. There are no difficulties in work, except that brushes with sandpaper require observing the direction of rotation.
2. Sanding with sandpaper. A concentric velcro attachment is screwed onto the angle grinder, on which the abrasive is attached. The direction of the screw mount and the rotation of the tool shaft are checked before use.
3. Grinding with abrasive wheels. These attachments must be handled with care as the abrasive can break under heavy load. The material cannot be cut with such discs, shock loads are unacceptable.
4. Cutting metals, stone, concrete slitting. Performed with cutting discs.
   

It is with such nozzles that abnormal situations most often occur.

What if you lost your open-end wrench?

Precisely, how to unscrew a disc on an angle grinder without a key? There are three ways:

1. Make a bracket from a rod of a suitable diameter (a nail will do). This device can be used to loosen the flange using hand force. If the tightening is too strong, insert the lever into the bracket.
2. Use the gas key. Grasping the outer radius of the threaded flange, it is enough to remove the nut, and then it will be unscrewed by hand.
3. Tap the thread with precise tangential strokes. To do this, you can take a core or punch, install it in the hole for an open-end wrench, and with light blows of a hammer, turn the flange.

All manipulations to change the attachment are carried out after disconnecting the power cord.

Let’s dwell on cutting wheels in more detail

The question of which side to put the disc on the angle grinder has no right answer. Abrasive wheels do not have a programmed direction of rotation, so it doesn’t matter how you set it. The direction of rotation (away from you or towards you) is determined by the position of the protective cover. The choice depends on the position of the tool convenient for the operator.

In addition, the direction of the flow of sparks (or stone dust) depends on the position of the casing.

For mounting the disc on the shaft, a collapsible flange is included. The lower part is rigidly fixed with chamfers, the upper part is a conventional self-tightening nut. It is she who determines in which direction the disc should rotate on the angle grinder. During operation, the threaded connection is tightened, preventing the nozzle from jumping off.

Sometimes the kit includes washers to dampen lateral vibrations. They can be made independently from dense electric cardboard or paronite.

To secure the flange, a special open-end wrench is supplied with the tool. The shaft is secured with a clamping button to create the required tightening torque.

Ignorance of a simple question: how to properly install a disk, for inexperienced users can lead to equipment damage or injury. First of all, when changing a disc, it is necessary to clean the shaft and the inner surface of the protective casing with a steel brush.

A layer of metal particles is riveted onto these elements (when cutting the material). Thickness can reach several millimeters, as a result of which the disc loses centering or wedges.

Large attachments don’t just overload the motor. For installation it is necessary to remove the protective cover. If the disc of an angle grinder is scattered and the guard is not installed, debris can seriously injure the operator.

Another controversial issue is whether it is possible to put a disc for wood on an angle grinder. If you hold the instrument with your hands, the definite answer is no. The circular can easily get stuck in the fibrous structure of the tree. A tool escaping from the hands will cause a lot of troubles, including fatal injuries.

Replacing a disk in normal mode

Regularly working with an angle grinder, you need to constantly change the wheels, which are a consumable. If the tool is already inconvenient to work, then the worn out abrasive wheel should be replaced.

Important! Be sure to check the disconnection from the mains to avoid personal injury.

Replacing the disc with opposite rotation

This method has several advantages. It can be carried out without a key and with a broken spindle lock. Angle grinder beginners mistakenly believe that if the stopper breaks, it is almost impossible to unscrew the nut. However, this is not the case. You don’t even need keys.

The bottom line is that the abrasive wheel needs to be rotated in different directions. Wearing thick gloves, you need to hit the cutting edge of the circle several times. This is what you will provide variable movement in different directions. As a rule, a couple of sharp blows are enough so that the nut can be easily unscrewed.

Measures to prevent jamming

Taking care in advance about the safe operation of the angle grinder, you will save yourself the need to take measures to eliminate the abnormal situation. Such events include:

• Placement of cardboard or plastic washers between disc, flange and spindle head. They do not allow the tool to jam, but even if corkscrewed, they can be removed / melted and the element can be easily unscrewed.
• The abrasive wheel must be installed correctly. To do this, put the front side of the circle on the support flange (picture to the gearbox). It must not come into contact with the clamping nut. In this case, the standard metal ring in the center will act as a washer that prevents it from jamming.
• Weld a regular nut onto the clamping flange, which allows you to press the installed disc using a conventional wrench.
• Check the tightening torque. No excessive force is required to install the cutting element. Otherwise, it will jam under intense loads.

To install a new disk, after cleaning the casing, you must perform the following actions:

1. Install the bottom flange in its place;
2. We put a special gasket on top of it (if gaskets are not provided, you can cut them out yourself. The optimal material will be cardboard or tin).
3. Install the disk;
4. We put the second gasket;
5. Install the top flange on top;
6. We wrap the upper flange by hand in the opposite direction from the rotation of the angle grinder wheel, while holding the disk itself;
7. Next, press the release button again and scroll the flange with your hand until you feel resistance;
8. At the final stage, we make the final fixation using the same open-end wrench. To do this, insert the key into the holes and scroll a little more.

After all the actions taken, you can safely continue to perform the work.

One of the most frequently asked questions about mounting / dismounting accessories of an angle grinder is: “Which side should I put the disc on the angle grinder?”

Usually, inexperienced masters ask such a question. Is it possible to set the circle on the wrong side. Yes. Firstly, if the disc is not flat, but, for example, a petal disc, then you will not be able to install it incorrectly, if the petals are located incorrectly, you just need to twist the casing and the handle on the angle grinder. That is, the question disappears by itself.

If the circle is still flat, then you should focus on its label, the so-called “shirt”.

If the angle grinder rotates towards itself, the disc should be installed with the “jacket” outward, if the disc rotates away from itself, then, accordingly, it must be installed with the “jacket” inward.

If you do not adhere to this algorithm, there is a high probability that the disk will fail very quickly or immediately deform.

How to place the disc on the angle grinder correctly?

In order to correctly place the disc on the angle grinder, it should first be noted that the disc is installed on the spindle of the angle grinder using a special clamping flange with M14 thread. Let’s take a closer look at how to remove a disc from an angle grinder. In order to unscrew the disc from the angle grinder, the flange must first be removed. Especially for such purposes, manufacturers complete the angle grinder with a special open-end wrench. It has a specific shape. The pins located on the arms of this key are inserted into specially provided holes on the flange.

To unscrew the flange, we fix the spindle. To do this, we clamp the latch, which is usually a button on the top of the case. When pressed, the cotter pin is placed in the hole of the driven disc of the gearbox, and this in turn prevents it from rotating. Next, we insert the pins of the key into the specially provided holes on the flange, pressing the latch, you must simultaneously turn it counterclockwise and move the flange from its place. If the manipulations were successful and the flange succumbed, you can unscrew it by hand and put it aside.

Now let’s dismantle the disk. Often, in the process of intensive work with the tool, a kind of plaque from small particles of metal and abrasive material forms on the inside of the protective casing. For optimal, stable and durable operation of the angle grinder, remove the bottom of the flange and clean the casing with a steel brush.

Discs for an angle grinder differ in the following main features:

1. Outside diameter;
2. Disc thickness;
3. The material from which the disc itself is made;
4. The characteristic of the maximum rotation speed;
5. And, of course, the area of ​​the proposed work.

For the best understanding, let’s take a look at the main types of angle grinder discs and define their application:

1. Cut-off wheels. It is the most widely used consumable for angle grinder. Their main purpose is to work with metal, stone and wood. A variety of cutting discs for an angle grinder are diamond discs. This is a heavy-duty tooling for processing high-strength materials such as reinforced concrete, tiles, porcelain stoneware, marble.
2. Grinding and roughing wheels. As the name implies, this type of disc is used for grinding various materials, for example, polishing products made of stone, or for removing (roughing) the top layer, for example, removing a layer of rust or old paint coating.