Grinding power tools excel when they are used to work and finish metal parts. Some metal projects, like with casting, will require that you do some finishing touches on the part before it is released for either sale or operation. If you have to do this finishing by hand it is extremely boring and time intensive. Fortunately, there are grinding tools available to help speed this job up like a bench grinder, belt grinder, and an angle grinder. All three tools can be used just a little differently to finish your metal part to perfection.

Typically after casting there will be dags, risers, fins, tabs, flashings, and sprues that will need to be removed, and the afterward the metal needs to be polished. The most reliable and effective tool for this job in the four inch angle grinder. It can be fitted with a coarse abrasive wheel to remove material without clogging up the grinder. This device can also be used as a cutoff wheel to trim off any tabs or sprues that remain. An angle grinder can also be equipped with a wheel that has small flappers attached to it. This is used to finish the metal to a lustrous and bright look. The flapper type wheel are a little pricey, but they are well worth the investment because they make quick work of finishing and polishing metal.

Another machine that is extremely helpful to have in the shop is a belt grinder. You can attach several different grades of grit finish on the belt to achieve whatever finish you are looking for. Belts are available from coarse to remove large amounts of material, all the way to extremely fine so you can achieve a mirror finish. It is easy to quickly change from one belt to anther with these machines. You can finish rail accessories fastener parts very quickly with a belt grinder, and a one horsepower model is ideal for most shop applications. Once you use one of these you will want to know how you ever did without one. They can be a little costly, but if you do quite a bit of metal work they are well worth the extra money.

If you can afford it, and you work with metal quite a bit, it is a good investment to have these tools as part of your collection. A belt grinder, angle grinder, and bench grinder all have their place in every quality metal shop. One final touch is to give your parts a super fine polish when you are done. There is no better way to do this than attaching a cloth wheel to you bench grinder, and doing this gives the meal a professional finish that is sure to please anyone.

One final word, with all these tools personal operator safety is the most important thing to keep in mind. You should have with you safety goggles, a safety shield, and tough leather gloves with when operating grinding equipment. Also important is to know where the emergency power shutoff switch is located, and never work so far away from this that you can’t reach over and touch it. Metal working can be quite enjoyable when the proper safety procedures are followed correctly.