I agree with Rob on the grinder. I keep and use a Makita angle grinder for
many purposes including an emergency device to cut shrouds. All it needs is
power from the inverter/batteries and an extension cord and it will do the
job sooner and quicker than digging out and wrestling with that cumbersome
cable cutter should this dreadful emergency arise. Further, as opposed to
the cable cutter, the Makita leaves one hand for the cutter and one hand for
the sailor to hang on by.

The Makita grinder does a wonderful job slicking off the interior fiberglass
prepping for attachments or just slicking off the skin-damaging hooks. It
works very well as a rough-cut saw in all mediums as well. I permanently
removed the safety cover over the grinding wheel for easier use and so it
can be most effective as a cutting tool in the shroud-cutting emergency
situation with the knowledge that it can be dangerous. I do have a couple of
scars on my hands from sudden, careless contacts, yet I feel it is generally
more useful without this cover.

Rob's caution in avoiding dust is well advised.

Tom
MOONSHADOW

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-baba-l@ballreich.net [mailto:owner-baba-l@ballreich.net] On
Behalf Of Rob S
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2005 11:06 AM
To: baba-l@ballreich.net; rcassano@optonline.net
Subject: Re: [Baba-L] Small grinder for FRP prep work

Richard,

I've used a single speed makita angle grinder on fiberglass. Worked pretty
well. It throws a tremendous amount of very fine fiberglass dust which is
both very bad for your health and very difficult to contain. I used a
plastic tent around the area with two shop vacs drawing dust out of the
space. I still had to stop frequently to let the dust settle so I could see
what I was doing. Gives you plenty of time to rest so the weight of the
grinder isn't much of an issue. You want a full protection for yourself,
cartridge type mask, VERY good eye protection, full suit with hood.

Eliminate as much grinding as possible by using a reciprocating saw where
possible - bow a long blade and you can cut almost flush with the hull, not
nearly the mess.

Rob

Richard Cassano <rcassano@optonline.net> wrote:
Can anyone recommend a brand/model of electric, small grinder/sander for
doing fiberglass work? Does variable speed make any difference in
performance? I see most are made with a single speed (11,000 rpm). I would
guess keeping the weight of the tool low would help reduce fatigue. I'm
going to be using this for doing the preparation for making a structural
shelf in the stern of the boat to mount a hydraulic ram for the autopilot.

Richard Cassano
S/V Gray Eagle



-----------------------------------------------------------
Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
For more info, please check out the FAQ...
http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html


Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less




-----------------------------------------------------------
Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
For more info, please check out the FAQ...
http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html

Received on Thu Dec 29 13:32:28 2005