Showerthought: Why was I fighting my own grinder for 5 years?

Yesterday on a job at a refinery outside Baton Rouge, I'm grinding down a weld and it keeps snagging. Foreman walks by, watches for a second, then just says 'you know that guard angles different for a reason right?' I had the guard flipped the wrong way the whole time, making me hold the grinder at a weird tilt. Fixed it and the wheel barely kicked back at all. Anyone else have one of those 'oh duh' moments with basic gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.patricia1mo ago

Wait, so you're telling me the guard actually has a purpose and isn't just there to make your life harder? Who knew, right?

lisa51mo ago

Why would you assume the guard is the problem and not just how you're used to holding the thing after five years of doing it your way?

lilyg831mo ago

Ha @lisa5 nailed it, I actually DO blame the guard for the way I hold the thing haha I've been gripping my grinder at a 45-degree angle for so long my wrist has a permanent tilt now like a weird jazz hand. Five years of fighting a tool that was literally designed to help me feels about right for my life.