How to Swap a Circle for an Angle Grinder

Angle grinder is a universal power tool. With its help, you can cut steel profiles and wood, process concrete and stones, perform grinding and peeling work, sharpen hacksaws. And for each operation there is a certain circle. For example, you cannot grind surfaces with a thin cutting wheel for an angle grinder. It will quickly break. How to put the disk on the angle grinder when grinding and breaking the wheel or switching to another type of work?

How to Swap a Circle for an Angle Grinder

According to the instruction manual, the disc must be replaced with an angle grinder as follows.

  1. Unplug the cord from the power outlet.
  2. Press the spindle rotation lock button.
  3. While holding the stop button, angle grinder, unscrew the flange nut with the open-end wrench. Turn the key for the angle grinder in the direction of rotation of the disk. If it is difficult to press the button with one hand and use the key as the second, ask someone close to help you.

The scope of delivery for the angle grinder should include an open-end wrench. Cheap angle grinders often come with a poor quality key. It can quickly break down (however, this happens with the tools of leading manufacturers). In the end, the key can simply be lost. How to install the disk on the angle grinder in this case, without having the right tool on hand?

How to change a disk for a keyless angle grinder?

Method 1 Use the gas key. Use a pipe wrench to grasp the nut and carefully unscrew it, without applying much effort. Disadvantage: you can crush the nut, break the rotation lock.

Method 2 To make a homemade key for an angle grinder. To do this, you need a long nail (at least 100 mm). It is necessary to cut off the hat, the point and give the nail a U-shaped. It should be bent so that the racks of the “tool” fall into the holes of the flange. If the nut is tightened tightly, insert any metal bar between the nail posts and, holding both hands, rotate the structure in the direction of the circle movement. At this time, press and hold the spindle lock button. The method is safe, but it takes time and additional tools. A hacksaw, a vice, a hammer.

Method 3 Tapping with a chisel. Before changing the disc, you can treat the spindle shaft with WD-40 fluid and wait at least 15 minutes. Then put the tip of a thin chisel at an angle to the hole in the flange nut and gently tap the entire surface of the hole with a metal hammer. Sooner or later, thanks to light tapping, the nut will be loose and it will be possible to unscrew it manually. The disadvantage of this method is that you can damage the holes and spoil the flange.

Method 4 Heat the nut. If it is difficult to unscrew the angle grinder nut by hand, you can heat it a bit with a gas burner or autogenous. Unscrew the flange with gloves so as not to burn yourself. This is the most risky of the proposed methods. It is possible to overheat bearings and oil in the gear of an angle grinder.

Finally, I want to mention A few important points regarding replacing a disc with an angle grinder.

The main thing is that when changing a disk to an angle grinder, do not violate safety precautions and perform all manipulations with the tool turned off from the mains.

How to change a disk for a keyless angle grinder

Method 1

Use an ordinary gas key. You need to grab the nut with a gas wrench and carefully unscrew it, without applying much effort. There is a big drawback to this method. You can crush the nut or break the rotation lock. With too much effort.

Method 2

You can make a simple homemade key for an angle grinder. To do this, you will need a long nail, from which you need to saw off the hat, and bend the point so as to give the nail a U-shaped shape. The nail must be bent so that the ends of the workpiece fall into the flange racks. If the nut is tightened very tightly, then you can strengthen the structure with the help of a metal bar, with which you need to rotate your key. This method does not damage the design of the angle grinder, but it will take time and a tool to make such a key.

Method 3

Tapping with a chisel. You need to process the spindle shaft of a regular WD 40 and wait 15 minutes to make work easier. Then you need to put the chisel at a slope of the surface into the hole of the flange and gradually unscrew the fastening with tapping movements. There is also a drawback in this method. You can damage the hole or spoil the flange of the angle grinder.

Method 4

You can heat the nut with a gas burner. In this case, you should be able to unscrew it with your hands. Be sure to use heat resistant gloves after heating the workpiece. This method is the most risky, as you can overheat the oil in the tool or damage the gearbox by heating.

How to change a disk for a keyless angle grinder?

Method 1 Use the gas key. Use a pipe wrench to grasp the nut and carefully unscrew it, without applying much effort. Disadvantage: you can crush the nut, break the rotation lock.

Method 2 To make a homemade key for an angle grinder. To do this, you need a long nail (at least 100 mm). It is necessary to cut off the hat, the point and give the nail a U-shaped. It should be bent so that the racks of the “tool” fall into the holes of the flange. If the nut is tightened tightly, insert any metal bar between the nail posts and, holding both hands, rotate the structure in the direction of the circle movement. At this time, press and hold the spindle lock button. The method is safe, but it takes time and additional tools. A hacksaw, a vice, a hammer.

Method 3 Tapping with a chisel. Before changing the disc, you can treat the spindle shaft with WD-40 fluid and wait at least 15 minutes. Then put the tip of a thin chisel at an angle to the hole in the flange nut and gently tap the entire surface of the hole with a metal hammer. Sooner or later, thanks to light tapping, the nut will be loose and it will be possible to unscrew it manually. The disadvantage of this method is that you can damage the holes and spoil the flange.

Method 4 Heat the nut. If it is difficult to unscrew the angle grinder nut by hand, you can heat it a bit with a gas burner or autogenous. Unscrew the flange with gloves so as not to burn yourself. This is the most risky of the proposed methods. It is possible to overheat bearings and oil in the gear of an angle grinder.

Finally, I want to mention A few important points regarding replacing a disc with an angle grinder.

    On angle grinders you need to install circles of a suitable size. It is necessary to strictly observe safety precautions and in no case to remove the protective cover in order to install a larger diameter disk. When choosing a disk, you need to consider the model of a power tool, its power, spindle speed.

The main thing is that when changing a disk to an angle grinder, do not violate safety precautions and perform all manipulations with the tool turned off from the mains.