Why does my benchtop grinder warn me not to grind copper or aluminum?

5 Responses to “Why does my benchtop grinder warn me not to grind copper or aluminum?”

1. Comment by James

   All the above . If the aluminum gets too hot and a lot of dust is created you’ll get a small flash.

2. Comment by rbanzai

   Bench grinders are usually designed to grind hard metal. If you grind a soft metal, like copper or aluminum the metal can get into the wheel. The wheel can heat up and then disintegrate.

3. Comment by des r

   The metal will clog up the stone and the stone will explode. It’s rotating at 3500 rpm? 6 inch wheel? Moving very fast! Embarrassing (and messy) when it hits you in the head.

4. Comment by Richard E

   grinding wheels made for ferrous materials will clog up with melted material and create a hot spot in the wheel and could possibly cause it to shatter at the least it will reduce the effectiveness of the wheel. if you use a grinding wheel on non ferrous materials discard after each use to avoid any problems or use “faceing” tool to recover grinding surface on wheel.

5. Comment by budde ugly

   You’ll ruin your wheels.