Your choice of abrasive can make your job the easiest thing you’ve ever done, or the hardest. Why waste valuable time when you can choose the correct tool for the job from the get-go?
Abrasives are used to do one or a combination of three things:
cut,
smooth, and
remove stock. But how do you know you’re using the proper abrasive for your job? Click the play button to learn more about each type.
As illustrated in the video, abrasives have different properties for different applications. The main categories of abrasives are:
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Grinding wheels: primarily used for a large amount of stock removal, hard and rigid, and are more aggressive, but leave a coarse finish
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Flap discs: similar to grinding wheels, but flexible and have overlapping abrasive layers, contours to work surface, and grinds with a high pressure, finishes with lighter pressure
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Grinding discs: usually a 2" or 3" diameter vs. 4.5" of a grinding wheel or flap disc, Type R mount with a 1/4 turn easy on/off, meant for more controlled, precision work
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Cut-off wheels: for making straight cuts through stock, available in flat and depressed center, and cut through thin or thick stock
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Surface preparation discs: used when cleaning metal surfaces, remove rust, scale, coating, corrosion, and adhesives while resisting loading up like conventional abrasives
Do you have a question about the correct abrasive for an application we didn’t answer in this video? Ask us in the comment section below.