The angle grinder, simply the "grinder", has three main areas of use.
- Cutting hard materials;
- Grinding with abrasives;
- Cleaning surfaces with brushes.
The technology involves holding the angle grinder with your hands during work.
However, for the convenience and expansion of the tool's capabilities, many devices have been invented. Let's briefly review:
Tripod for angle grinder
Industrial tripods for attaching angle grinders. They allow you to make a cutting machine from an ordinary grinder.
Such a mini machine solves the main problem when working with a grinder: if you hold the tool with both hands, it is extremely difficult to fix the workpiece. In this case, the angle grinder with a cut-off wheel is operated with one hand, and the other can hold and move the piece of metal to be cut.
Moreover, the tripod allows you to set the correct cutting angle, and the disc moves strictly vertically. The work is done efficiently and safely.
Accessories for a grinder for cutting metal and other solid compact workpieces, craftsmen have long learned to make on their own.
The beds are assembled from metal profiles, car shock absorbers, or even plywood. A well-made machine is no less reliable and safe than a factory one.
IMPORTANT! When working with any machine - factory or home-made, you must remember the correct position of the protective cover.
If your construction is strong enough to protect the operator, a tripod can be used to cut wood. The main thing to remember is safety.
In this case, the main cause of injuries - an uncontrolled grinder that breaks out of the hands when the disc is jammed in the wood - has been eliminated. But the disc itself can still injure.
Homemade tripod for attaching angle grinders.
Therefore, in the manufacture of such a device, it is better to make the switch not fixed. For example - in the form of a foot pedal. Then you can instantly turn off the power if the device gets out of control.
When there is no need to work with wood, and you just need to cut a large number of metal blanks, there are simpler options.
Such a mount can be made in an hour, and the convenience in work will increase by an order of magnitude. If you know how hands "fall off" after cutting fifty pegs from a metal corner - this design is for you.
Clip for grinder
The second most popular way to add convenience when working with angle grinders is to fix the tool motionlessly on a workbench or in a vice.
The advantage of homemade products is that at any time the tool is removed from the device for use for its intended purpose. The grinder shaft is brought out into the hole of the workbench, a chuck for milling heads is put on it - and you can process not too hard wood species.
Today, a variety of power tools are used for home repairs and work in the suburban area. For them, special auxiliary devices and devices are produced, many of them can be made by hand. It is better to purchase complex technical devices ready-made, but workbenches, tables for a router, attachments and much more can be made independently. Homemade power tool accessories can be tailored to suit the requirements.
Power tool accessory classification
They are usually classified into the following groups:
- Tools and attachments for processing. These are hand-held devices, which include grinding attachments and bars for grinders and drills.
- Devices that are designed to change position, set a specific cutting angle, drilling, and more. These are reference surfaces, templates, guides, and more. They can take on different looks and are often made of metal or wood.
- Dust removal devices. Such devices are used to remove sawdust, dust, shavings from the working surface. It is not so difficult to make such devices with your own hands; usually, already existing ventilation holes on the equipment are used for fastening.
- With their own hands, they assemble grinding nozzles, blocks or bars intended for surface treatment. For example, you can use a wood plate with a handle on top to polish a wood surface or clean metal. Sandpaper of the required grain size is attached to its working side. The shape of the platform can be any, it is only important to choose the right grinding material.
Back to the table of contents
Milling tables
Attachments for power tools are different, but sometimes they have overall dimensions, as is the case with milling machines and saws. It is recommended to assemble a solid table that will have everything you need for comfortable and safe work. The simplest option is a milling table, made in the form of a large board with a hole for a router and a guide board. The dimensions of the worktop can be different, it all depends on what kind of work will be performed. A more perfect option is a table with legs of the required height. The working and guide boards are made of a chipboard sheet. On the surface, vices, clamps, etc. can be provided. The legs for the table are best made removable, provide a spare kit.
Back to the table of contents
Power tool workbenches
Many tools require a workspace organization. For a home workshop or garage, a small, compact and multifunctional workbench can become indispensable. It is not so difficult to make it yourself, you just need to clearly define for which functions it is needed. It is best to make a workbench that can be used at any height, including on a table.
Figure 1. The main elements of the workbench.
Then the power tool can be conveniently positioned, changing its position if necessary. For work, it is recommended to use any hard wood, a popular material is maple, which is easy to process, while having the necessary hardness and strength.
For fixing on the table, comfortable legs or clamps can be attached to the device.
For a workbench, a vice is needed, they are often used in work. An example of the main elements of a workbench is shown in Fig. 1.
Back to the table of contents
Drill bits
A variety of attachments may be required for the drill during operation. They make it easier to work, make it simpler, more convenient and faster. A large number of homemade products are used for the drill, which many manufacturers today have taken as the basis for the development of special kits. The list of do-it-yourself devices is large.
Power tool attachments:
- Restriction attachments. During repair and construction work, it is required to prepare holes of the required diameter to a strictly specified depth. For this, a fairly simple nozzle is used, which consists of 3 parts. You can do it yourself, while the parameters of the holes can be easily and quickly changed if necessary. The first part of the fixture is a holding clamp that fits directly onto the tool body. Such a clamp has 2 holes, into which guide stops are inserted in the form of 6 mm metal rods. The rods are bent if necessary. During operation, the required angle of inclination of the drill is set in order to prepare holes with the specified parameters.
- Circular cutters are a special device that looks like a large compass. Collecting nozzles from metal rods. The vertical part serves as a stop; a special thickening is made at its end. A horizontal part is attached to the vertical part, on one side of which a comfortable handle is made, and on the other, a ring is welded. For the device, it is necessary to provide for the diameter of the fastening ring so that the drill does not slip out and is tightly held in it during operation. It is best to glue the inside with a rubber ring, which will help make the fixation more secure.
The grinder's capabilities can be expanded not only by using various attachments, but also by installing it on special home-made devices. As a result, you can get a cutting machine, with which it becomes possible to accurately cut metal blanks at any angle. In addition, the grinder can be installed on a carriage, and the resulting machine can be used to cut sheet steel.
In order to understand how to make a cutting machine from an angle grinder (angle grinder), you can look at various drawings on the Internet. But they will not help much, since all the sizes of the parts will still have to be selected based on the size of the grinder you have available. The options for the execution of devices can be both simple and more complex, requiring the ability to handle the welding machine.
Option 1
To make this device for a grinder, you will need welder skills... So, you need to do the following.
First, cut 2 small pieces from the corner (50x50 mm). Their size is selected based on the dimensions of the gear unit of your angle grinder.
Next, drill holes with a diameter of 14 mm in them and screw the corners to the angle grinder, as shown in the following photo. If you do not have suitable bolts, then you can use studs with M14 thread... Just be careful that the bolts are not too long. Otherwise, in some models of angle grinders, they can cling to the impeller located in the gearbox housing.
Without removing the corners from the grinder, grab them with welding. After that, the corners can be removed and scalded well.
Sand the welds with a grinder attachment.
Then you need to make pivoting arm support on which the device will be fixed. To do this, select 2 pipes of such diameters so that one can enter the other without much effort.
For a more accurate cut, you can glue masking tape onto the tubes and draw a line on it.
Then, while turning the tube, carefully cut it with an angle grinder. A pipe section of a smaller diameter should be 20 mm shorter (thickness of 2 bearings) - it will serve as a spacer.
For a thicker pipe, select 2 bearings that match its inner diameter. After that, insert a thin tube into a thick one and press the bearings on both sides.
Then insert a stud into the bearings. It is imperative to insert a washer in front of the nut.
When the swivel mechanism is ready, you need to weld a small piece of the corner to it.
The next step is swing arm from the same corner 50x50 mm. To make the segments the same length, the corners can be tightened with a clamp and cut off.
Also, without unscrewing the clamp, they can be drilled directly.
Attach the drilled corners to the finished pivot block with nuts.
Weld a longer corner to this rack, as shown in the following photos.
Now you need to decide on arm length, on which the angle grinder will be fixed. This is done by the selection method, based on the dimensions of your grinder. You can lay out the parts on the table and calculate the approximate dimensions of the lever, which is better made from 2 pieces of a square shaped pipe 20x20 mm.
The pipes must also be clamped with a clamp and cut to the same size.
After all the parts are ready, they can be welded together, as shown in the following photos.
At the next stage, you can attach the angle grinder to the finished structure and check again what came of it.
The ready-made pendulum mechanism for the grinder can be easily installed on any flat surface, for example, at the workbench... Also, this design can be installed on a table specially made for it. For a more rigid fastening of the mechanism, you can weld small sections of the corners on both sides of the long corner, and drill holes in them.
In the following photos you can see how a ready-made device for angle grinders is fixed on the table (in this case, a metal frame is used).
It is very important to set a right angle between the plane of the cutting wheel and the plane of the table. Place the square on the table and slide it over to the abrasive wheel mounted on the angle grinder. If initially you managed to weld the fixture so that the angle between the planes was 90 degrees, then this is good. If you notice a deviation from a right angle in one direction or another, then you can correct the situation with a scrap or a long profile pipe, for example, 60x20 mm.
So that the part does not budge during cutting, a corner can be screwed onto the table, which will serve as an emphasis. Also, for an accurate cut, the table can be easily improved with a simple vice made of a nut welded to it and a stud of the required length screwed into it.
Further it is necessary make a protective cover... It is made taking into account the maximum diameter of the cutting disc, which can be installed on a specific model of an angle grinder. To make it easier to determine the dimensions of the casing and the places for its attachment, you can first make a template, for example, from a piece of cardboard.
In this case, the casing will also serve as a limiter for the cutting tool, which does not allow it to go too deep into the table during processing of the part.
It will not be superfluous if for a lever with a grinder fixed on it make a spring... In this case, it is simple to do this: insert a smaller tube on the back of the rod and attach a spring to it, as shown in the following photo.
On this, the manufacture of a cutting machine with your own hands, in which an angle grinder is used as a drive, can be considered complete.
Option 2
Another option for a grinder, with which it will be possible to cut metal blanks, is done as follows.
Thus, we have a simple cut-off machine. To give additional rigidity to the attachment of the device to the lever, you can use clamps, having previously laid between the body of the angle grinder and the pipe, for example, a wooden block.
For accurate cutting, so that the workpiece does not move, you will need to screw the corner to the table.
For a small grinder a similar version of the device is also suitable, only the angle grinder will be attached to a metal strip: on the one hand, with a bolt to the angle grinder itself, and on the other, with a clamp.
For a powerful angle grinder the adaptation is made according to the same principle, but from larger profiles than in the figures above.
It is not necessary to use dumbbells as a counterweight. It is enough to find a suitable spring.
Option 3
This version of the device is the simplest for making with your own hands. It is made without the traditional turntable stand. All you need is one door shed, a metal strip and a rubber band (you can use a rubber band from a hand expander).
The construction is done as follows:
- in the metal strip, on one side, drill holes for the door shed, and on the other, for the bolt, with which the strip will be fastened to the grinder;
- screw an angle grinder and a canopy to the strip;
- screw the canopy to the table;
- fasten one end of the elastic to the edge of the table, and the other to the holder (handle) of the angle grinder.
In just a few minutes you will receive a quality cutting machine. This device is also mobile, because it can be carried with you in a suitcase with tools, and, if necessary, can be mounted on any flat surface.
When installing this device, do not forget to fix the corner on the table to rest the workpiece on it.
Cutting sheet hoists with angle grinders
To cut sheet metal, you will need to purchase special carriage, which moves along a guide (shaped square tube).
But as practice shows, the cost of a good carriage is high (more than $ 100), so you can make it yourself. Since this process is rather complicated to describe, you can understand the manufacturing technology of this slider from this video. With the help of the device, you can cut not only steel, but also ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware.
Please note that a lot of dust is generated when cutting ceramics. Therefore, it is recommended to adapt a dust collector with a pipe for a vacuum cleaner to the grinder's casing.
How to make a homemade dust collector
The simplest dust collector for angle grinders can be made from a plastic bottle from engine oil.
The nozzle is made as follows.
After these simple steps, you can use the grinder to process materials that generate a lot of dust when cutting.
The well-known angle grinder, with its cutting, grinding and cleaning capabilities, proved to be capable of several more functions. Expanding the functionality requires you to do some work with your own hands in order to get the devices you need for work.
This device is a small machine with which you can easily, safely and very accurately cut metal pipes, profiles or rods. It consists of a base or a small table attached to the ground or to a locksmith's table.
The machine is assembled in a simple sequence:
- we install a hinge on the base;
- we weld the supporting pipe to the hinge;
- we attach a U-shaped plate for attaching the grinder to the pipe;
- we put a rubber handle on the supporting pipe;
- install the disk and check its position.
As a result of simple work, we got a machine or stand for a grinder. Now the grinder can be hinged up and down on the part installed for cutting. To make the grinder go up without loads, we install a spring on the pipe.
Two fixing corners must be installed on the table. At the base of one corner, we make a groove for the bolt around the circumference. It will be needed when a pipe or profile needs to be cut at a certain angle. Then we install this corner with a slot at the same angle to the plane of the grinder's cutting disc.
Parallel to the corner with the arc slot, we install a corner that can be moved to the part to fix it on the table. The pipe or profile will simply be nested between the two corners. This is sufficient for a fast and precise cut.
Having installed the supporting transverse metal bar on the machine table, you can clean the material using a steel brush installed on the grinder shaft.
Simple cut-off machine + (Video)
A cut-off machine based on an angle grinder can be made by hand in one day. For the machine, you need to choose a bed - a metal base plate. Fix the hinge on it. Weld the supporting frame to the hinge with a plate for attaching the grinder.
Any suitable part can be used as a hinge. In this case, the hinge is made from the swivel hinges of a passenger car. The hinges have already served their time, but they fit the machine very well.
Do-it-yourself wall chaser from a grinder + (Video)
A groove is a groove that must be cut in a wall to lay an electrical wire or cable. The difficulty of this work lies in the fact that the groove must be of constant width and depth. Then the wire will fit evenly and less mortar will be required for the bookmark.
A wall chaser is rarely used in practice, so it will be expensive to buy it for a home. But it can be made on the basis of an angle grinder - our favorite grinder.
The main task is to install two diamond discs on the grinder shaft with a distance of at least 1 cm:
- install the first disk and fix it with a nut;
- install the second disk and fix it with a nut;
- measure the resulting distance between the disks;
- we install protection on the grinder;
- checking the work.
But, if, for some reason, it is not possible to install two discs on the shaft, the strobe can also be cut using the usual method with one installed disc. You just have to cut through the second parallel line.
Work with a wall chaser is carried out indoors. This creates a huge amount of dust. Even a respirator does not save from it. To eliminate this negative phenomenon, it is necessary to make a protective casing that would cover both discs and have a branch pipe on top for connecting to a vacuum cleaner. There is a similar device on electric jigsaws for collecting small sawdust.
Sometimes lovers of the rational use of the tool adapt 2 or 4 rotating rollers to this casing. When the chaser moves along the wall surface, it will move on rollers without creating additional loads on the hands.
To make a tool for a wide groove, it is necessary to make special bushings for attaching discs to the desired width. With such a chasing cutter, it will be possible to make grooves for laying pipes.
But the protective casing will also need to be made wider. On the cover of the chaser for both wires and pipes, you must install a screw for adjusting the immersion of the cutting tool into the wall. In this case, the casing will consist of two parts connected by a hinge and a submersion adjustment unit.
Milling cutter from the grinder + (Video)
Sometimes it becomes necessary to mill a hole or surface, but there is no familiar milling machine operator, and there is nowhere to look. But there is an angle grinder - grinder. This is the solution to the problem. We choose a machine from two options - a movable machine and a movable table.
In the first case, we fix the workpiece or material that needs to be milled, and the grinder is attached in a vertical plane to the frame. On the frame it is possible to move the plate to which the grinder is attached to the left - right and forward - backward. In other words, we can move the grinder relative to the workpiece.
In another version, the grinder is rigidly fixed, and the workpiece moves by analogy to the left - right and forward - backward. These are the main directions for milling. For milling along the up and down axes, it will not be difficult to supplement the adaptation.
Having chosen the version of the machine, you can start implementation. The only place that will require the involvement of a turner is the cutter holder. It is turned from a hexagon of at least 16 mm, because the thread of the grinder is 14 mm. Collet type holder. It is easy to manufacture and does not have large beats. The conventional jaw chuck does less well.
The advantage of such a machine, like all machines based on a grinder, is that they can be easily transformed back into a grinder. As a type of milling cutter, you can make a drill from a grinder.
Pendulum Saw + (Video)
It is not difficult to make adaptations for a grinder with your own hands. It doesn't even need blueprints. It is enough to know the principle that is embedded in this or that machine. The pendulum saw based on the grinder is no exception. This is the same cut-off machine, but its weight is distributed almost in half.
It is somewhat similar to a children's swing. A frame is located on the movable sleeve, and an angle grinder is mounted on it. Any weight in combination with a return spring can serve as a counterweight.
For household repairs and work at the summer cottage, various power tools are used. For them, specialized additional devices and devices are produced, many of which can be made with your own hands. It is better to get complex industrial devices ready-made, but workbenches, tables, attachments and almost everything else can be done without the help of others. Hand-made devices for the power tool can be adjusted to the required technical conditions.
Classification of devices for power tools
Do-it-yourself power tool accessories are generally classified into the following categories:
- Processing tools and attachments. These are hand-held devices, which include grinding attachments and bars for grinders, drills.
- Devices for position modification, mounting of a certain cutting angle, drilling and the rest. These are basic surfaces, standards, guidelines. They will be able to carry out a different outdoor type, often made of metal or wood.
- Dust removal devices. Similar devices are used in order to remove sawdust, dust formation, shavings from the working plane. It is not so difficult to make such devices with your own hands, as a rule, previously existing fan holes in the equipment are used for fastening.
- With their own hands, they assemble grinding nozzles, structures or bars specified for surface treatment. For example, for sanding a wooden surface or cleaning an alloy, it is possible to use a wooden plate with a handle on top. In its working side, sandpaper of the desired grain size is strengthened. The model of the platform can be anything, it is only important to choose the right abrasive material.
Milling table device diagram
Attachments for power tools are different, but sometimes they have overall dimensions, as is the case with milling machines and saws.
It is recommended to choose an improved table that will contain everything, without exception, necessary for a comfortable and not dangerous work. The most common type is a milling table, made in the form of a large plank with an opening for a milling cutter and a guide plate. The scale of the worktop can be different, all without exception depends on what kind of work will be carried out directly. The most ideal view is a table with legs of the required height. And the working and guide boards are made from a chipboard sheet. In this case, on the surface, vices, clamps can be taken into account. It is more correct to make the legs for the table generally replaceable, provide for a backup set.
Power tool workbenches
Working with multiple instruments will require improvements in the workplace. For a home workshop or for a car garage, an insignificant, small-sized and versatile workbench may be necessary. It is not so difficult to make it without the help of others; you just need to specifically improve your choice, for which direct functions you need it. It is generally more correct to make a workbench that can be used at any height, including on a table.
Then the power tool may become comfortable to position, change its position as needed. For work, it is recommended to use various hard wood, maple is considered a common material, which is simply processed, while it has the required hardness and strength.
For registration on the table, it is possible to attach comfortable legs or clamps to the unit. A workbench requires a vice, they are often used in work, which guarantees an improvement in its quality.
Drill bits
For a drill during operation, you may need various attachments. They make it possible to simplify work, make it simpler, more comfortable, and faster. For a drill, a huge number of homemade products are used, which numerous manufacturers today have taken as the basis for researching specialized kits. The list of devices that you can make with your own hands is huge.
Power tool attachments:
Various adaptations for the power tool are needed in order to make the work most convenient and simple.
It is not always possible to buy such devices, of course, and often they are necessary in general for a couple of times. For this reason, it is much easier to do them without the help of others, spending not so much time.