The Grinder

The grinding stone has been around for centuries. Man has used it to make his tools, weapons, and life better. However, the grinding stone has a dark side that has remained hidden until about a century ago. The coupling of the electric motor to the stone and brush revealed the dark side. The path of killing and maiming of workers has been far and wide. You may think this is absurd but listen to the tales that follow.

A 12 year machine shop veteran was cleaning a large rusty chain with a brush mounted on a large pedestal grinder. While he held the chain horizontally running it back and forth the brush grabbed the chain and pulled the man's hands in severing both thumbs.

Consider the farmer and his helper. The farmer had a small repair job on a docking cradle using his side grinder to cut out the bad pieces. They were just about done when sparks from the grinder set off a small bag of forgotten blasting powder under the shelves by the wall. The helper was killed and the farmer injured.

Consider the lad who was working on his car. He was grinding down some rough spots on the frame of his car. The grinder bound up on a bracket and kicked back out of his hands. This sent the grinder into his overalls winding its self up in the material and then cutting his leg. He had to pull hard on the 50 foot cord to unplug it to stop the grinder but not before getting a nasty gash in his leg.

Finally think about the worker cleaning up a wrought iron gate with his trusty 4 1/2-inch grinder with a 6 inch wheel. He dropped the grinder but picked it up and started working again. He was forcing the grinder into the work when the abrasive wheel broke and flew apart. One piece cut the worker's thigh, severing a large artery. The worker collapsed from blood loss and later died.

This is just a small sampling of the destruction that is seen almost every day. Is there a way to stop it? Yes there is, it's called grinder safety. Lets look at these stories and see what went wrong.

The first example, the man was trying to clean the rust off of a chain with the wire brush side of a pedestal grinder. He had removed the guards so he could get to the brush easier; he was going across the brush not with the brush, and this wasn't the right tool for the job.

The farmer and his helper were victims of a cluttered area. When using a grinder for grinding or cutting metal one should try to grind so the sparks go away from you and/or at the floor. The big problem here was the clutter. You should keep your welding area clean and picked up. Flammables should never be stored in or around welding areas.

The young lad most likely bought the hand grinder without knowing what to buy. Any hand grinder should have a deadmans switch. This automatically stops the grinder when you let go of the switch. In addition some type of lock to prevent the switch from working if it is hit accidently. Some grinders have a switch lock that holds the switch on until the switch is operated again. Although this option is to relieve the strain on your hand when using for long periods, this does defeat the safety of the spring loaded switch, so beware of such switches as they can stick. Also make sure that it has the proper guards and that they are installed correctly.

The last man had removed the guard from his grinder so he could use a bigger wheel than what was intended. A bigger wheel will change the balance of the grinder making it harder to hold. Dropping or hitting a grinding wheel can crack the wheel weakening the wheel. Never go over the rated rpm of the wheel. Usually the larger the grinding wheel the lower the rpm rating. The smaller grinder had a higher rpm rating than the grinding wheel used. Using the right grit wheel will make the job easier and faster than the wrong one.

Sadly these and many more accidents happen every day to someone somewhere. Maybe it's being in hurry or not keeping your mind on your work. Using your grinder properly will save you from becoming one of the grinding stone's next victims.