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04-23-2018, 06:00 PM
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#1
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
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HF cutoff wheels?
Hey Everyone,
I am in need of cutoff wheels for my angle grinder. Harbor Freight has them 10/$10. Much more attractive price than the $3.49 each price at my local hardware store.
I was planning a trip to HF and got to thinking that I had heard some negative about HF's cutoff wheels.
Have you all used them? Do you consider them safe to use?
Thanks.
S.
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04-23-2018, 06:15 PM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Andrews,Indiana
Posts: 2,430
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: AARE
Engine: 3116 Cat 250hp
Rated Cap: Just the two of us.
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I've used 100s of them only had a couple break.
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04-23-2018, 06:17 PM
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#3
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Swansboro,NC
Posts: 2,973
Year: 86
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Ford B700
Engine: 8.2
Rated Cap: 60 bodies
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I have used them and with a steady hand and caution they last about as long as the more expensive ones.
The biggest issue with any cutting/grinding wheels is that it is rated properly for your grinder.
The speed rating on the harbor freight wheels are a lot lower.
For example
My daily use Hilti grinder for work is rated at 8000 RPM and Hilti is the only one that makes any wheels rated for that
A dewalt,hitachi,Milwaukee are rated around 6000 rpm and that's about standard
But the harbor freight stuff is rated ? 3-5000 which won't last anytime on a higher rpm grinder.
Cutting wheels are dangerous and disintegrate easy anyway but using one that is not rated for your tool will be a waste of money and even more dangerous than using a properly rated one
But a HF grinder at 30$ is probably rated for there wheels.
Good luck and be safe
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04-23-2018, 07:24 PM
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#4
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW_Steve
Hey Everyone,
I am in need of cutoff wheels for my angle grinder. Harbor Freight has them 10/$10. Much more attractive price than the $3.49 each price at my local hardware store.
I was planning a trip to HF and got to thinking that I had heard some negative about HF's cutoff wheels.
Have you all used them? Do you consider them safe to use?
Thanks.
S.
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They're all I use. They're as good as the ones at Lowes/HD.
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04-23-2018, 10:29 PM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 973
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW_Steve
Hey Everyone,
I am in need of cutoff wheels for my angle grinder. Harbor Freight has them 10/$10. Much more attractive price than the $3.49 each price at my local hardware store.
I was planning a trip to HF and got to thinking that I had heard some negative about HF's cutoff wheels.
Have you all used them? Do you consider them safe to use?
Thanks.
S.
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I once had to use fiber cutting blades a lot...cut so sparks go down or at away from you...avoid positioning your behind the blade and resist the urge to get rid of the guard...and it's very important to mind the RPMs and "putting your weight into it"
Good luck
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04-24-2018, 07:39 AM
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#6
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Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Hillsboro Oregon
Posts: 245
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So far, so good.
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04-24-2018, 09:17 AM
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#7
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
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Thanks for all of the replies.
I had heard some negative. I suspect that someone was spinning them too fast.
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04-24-2018, 09:50 AM
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#8
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Essex, MD
Posts: 3,738
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: Blue Bird TC RE 3904, Flat Nose, 40', 277" wh base
Engine: 8.3L Cummins ISC 260hp, MT643, 4.44 rear
Rated Cap: 84 pax or 1 RV; 33,000lbs
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW_Steve
Thanks for all of the replies.
I had heard some negative. I suspect that someone was spinning them too fast.
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Get the right size arbor of course. I bought some that are just off. It was a pack of 25 off the internet and I'm too cheap to get new ones. I eyeball center and then tighten the plate so it's close to round when spinning. Since it's off by such a small amount it "works".
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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04-24-2018, 10:49 AM
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#9
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Skoolie
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: League City, Texas
Posts: 221
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THey have changed them up somewhat lately, probably just rebranding them. The ones I have are the older Warrior 40 grit ones. I use them with a cheapo B&D 4-1/2" angle grinder with no problems. I have been through probably 5 packs of them and only broken one in that time.
A steady hand is key. The one I broke is because I got the grinder / wheel at a bad angle in a cut...
HF stuff, for the most part works. Temper your expectations. While occasionally they do sell an item that is a real gem, you get way more than you pay for, but typically you are just going to get something that does the job you need it to do, on the cheap...The typical sacrifice is fit and finish, which can translate to accuracy problems. I have had to spend a bit of time ironing out some fence adjustment problems on an older HF sliding miter saw.... and I will never bother with their router bits, but things that don't need super accuracy, they are fine...
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05-05-2018, 10:59 AM
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#10
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
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Well, I started out with a cutoff wheel that I bought at the welding supply place a couple of years ago and have use a handful of times.
I started making the cut on my rear cap for my roof raise. I got half way through with the first wheel. Then I switched to the HF wheels. I used 4 of them to finish the 2nd half.
For reasons that I can't explain I was able to make a neater, straighter cut with the first wheel than the HF wheels.
I am going to try another "expensive" wheel for comparison when I get a chance.
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05-05-2018, 12:57 PM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
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I started my bus demo with HF 4 1/2" cut off wheels. I then switched to multipacl of Diablo from Home Depot. The diabloe seem to last a little longer and I had fewer blowouts. However, I'm on my last Diablo and picked up some HF disks last night. I'll post the difference, if any, that I notice.
__________________
Nick
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05-05-2018, 08:57 PM
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#12
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
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Only ended up making one cut with HF wheel today. It seemed to work about the same.
__________________
Nick
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05-05-2018, 10:24 PM
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#13
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninjakitty
Only ended up making one cut with HF wheel today. It seemed to work about the same.
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For consumables, they're cheap enough that they're really hard to beat.
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05-05-2018, 10:45 PM
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#14
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
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Less than $8 for ten wheels. The others are $23~ for 15 wheels. No doubt the savings is worth it. I have now gone through a minimum of 50 cut off disks during this demo and patch phase.
__________________
Nick
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05-06-2018, 07:44 AM
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#15
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Western NY
Posts: 54
Year: 2003
Chassis: Chevy 3500
Engine: 6.0L Chevy
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I have a buisness doing metal fabrication, hf wheels are terrible compared to good quality ones. I can make one good wheel last longer than the whole pack of hf. If you are only using them one or twice a year they are great. If you are going to do a lot of cutting go to a weld shop and ask them for their recommendations. That being said, if it is your first time using a grinder you should get the hf ones to practice. Please wear a full face shield, that wheel is spinning at more than 10,000 rpm and if you bend it sideways in the metal it explodes and flys everywhere.
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05-06-2018, 08:23 AM
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#16
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninjakitty
Less than $8 for ten wheels. The others are $23~ for 15 wheels. No doubt the savings is worth it. I have now gone through a minimum of 50 cut off disks during this demo and patch phase.
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I've demo'd about 4 buses on 2 grinder discs and about 5 cutoff wheels. And that includes a roof raise!
You sure you're using them the right way?
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05-06-2018, 08:39 AM
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#17
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
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Nope, not sure at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB
I've demo'd about 4 buses on 2 grinder discs and about 5 cutoff wheels. And that includes a roof raise!
You sure you're using them the right way?
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__________________
Nick
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05-06-2018, 08:41 AM
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#18
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
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__________________
Nick
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05-06-2018, 08:44 AM
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#19
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
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Been using these disks to cut holes in floor and to cut out patches from ceiling metal.
__________________
Nick
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05-06-2018, 08:46 AM
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#20
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
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Used the one on the right to cut out seat bolts. One on left is new. Perhaps it's because I use the thin cutoff wheels for the 4 1/2" grinder?
__________________
Nick
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