5 Tips to Remember When Using an Angle Grinder on Stone

If you are cutting roof tiles, bricks, or slabs for your pavement, you will need to use an angle grinder. This tool is essential for any kind of stone you are cutting, but be sure to keep these top tips in mind during the project for maximum ease of use and safety.

1. Pick the Right Tool for the Job

Angle grinders come with two basic wheel sizes: 115mm and 230mm. The first one is smaller and cannot cut as deep as the bigger tool, which you need to keep in mind when choosing which size of wheel to use. If you will be cutting large slabs of stone, opt for the 230mm but if you are cutting smaller bricks, opt for the 115mm size.

2. Wear Protection

You will need to protect yourself from the debris that flies around when using an angle grinder to cut stone. Be sure to outfit yourself with ear protectors, gloves, and, most importantly, goggles. The goggles you choose should be the "indirect" vented kind. Direct vented goggles can actually let small pieces of rock and dust through to your face. You can recognize these by the small holes they have on the sides. If you see these perforations, don't use them for grinding stone. If there are other workers in the immediate area of the angle grinder, make sure that they too wear goggles.

Another note on safety is to make sure the protection guard on the tool is always on. Do not remove it and if borrowing the angle grinder from someone else, inspect the tool first to make sure the safety guard is in place.

3. Choose Good Quality Discs

When choosing which kind of disk to use in your angle grinder, don't always pick the cheap option as this could come back to haunt you in the future. Abrasive discs are less expensive but a diamond disk will make a straighter, cleaner cut every time. It will also last much longer than an abrasive disk. Although it may seem expensive to spend a large amount of money on just one disk, you will actually be saving yourself time and money in the long run if you choose a better quality option.

A great tip for new discs is to run the angle grinder for about a minute before you begin to cut. This way you can make sure the disc is not defective before you begin your project, thus avoiding injury and broken parts on your grinder.

4. Set up Your Materials Correctly

When preparing to cut stone, make sure you elevate the piece so that it is off the ground. This way, your angle grinder disk will not come in contact with the ground. A few small pieces of wood will do this nicely for you.

5. Know Your Technique

Never force the blade when using an angle grinder to cut stone. This can result in the blade shattering and kicking up into your face. Guide the blade as best you can, but refrain from pushing down with too much force. You should also always position the angle grinder so the wheel spins away from stone edges and not into them. This will stop debris flying back towards you.