Cutting Fiberglass With Angle Grinder

‌☠️ Welcome to Itch City – Read This or Regret It‌

[Picture this: my first shop shirt after cutting fiberglass dry – looks like it went through a woodchipper]

Here’s a fun fact they don’t teach in trade school: ‌83% of newbies screw up their first fiberglass cut so bad‌, they either:

1. Ruin $200 worth of material
2. End up in urgent care scratching like a meth addict
3. Both (ask me how I know)

‌Using the wrong disc?‌ That’s not a mistake – that’s a suicide attempt. Let me save you 10 years of rashes and ruined projects.

‌🛠️ Gear That Won’t Get You Fired (Or Killed)‌

‌Fiberglass Angle Grinder Hierarchy of Needs‌

✔ ‌The King:‌ DEWALT DWE402 ($179)

• Only grinder I’ve seen eat fiberglass dust for breakfast
• Secret sauce: Sealed bearings (screw you, Makita)

✔ ‌The Junk:‌ Harbor Freight Special ($39)

• Lasts about as long as a snowman in hell
• Pro tip: Buy three – you’ll need backups when the brushes fry

‌Blade Selection (Choose Your Pain Level)‌

🔪 ‌Peasant Tier:‌ $12 Carbide Grit Wheel

• Lasts 20 minutes before turning into a frisbee
• Leaves edges rougher than a jailhouse shave

💎 ‌Baller Status:‌ $45 Diamond Turbo Blade

• Cuts 300 linear feet before lunch
• Smoother than my ex’s alimony demands

‌PPE or GTFO‌

• ‌3M 6800 Mask‌ with 2128 filters ($140) – Cheaper than lung transplants
• ‌Tyvek Suit‌ with duct-taped seams – $8 insurance against the itchies
• ‌Tight-weave Undershirt‌ – Fiberglass won’t stick to synthetic fibers (trust me)

‌⚔️ Cutting Like You Want to Live Through It‌

‌1. Marking Lines (Where 90% Fuck Up)‌

❌ “Just use a Sharpie!” – Said every idiot before they ruined a $500 panel
✅ ‌PRO MOVE:‌ Lay down ‌fluorescent painter’s tape‌ first

• Cautionary Tale: My apprentice Tom marked directly on fiberglass… now we call him “Three-Centimeter Tom”

‌2. RPM Voodoo‌

📉 ‌Carbide Blades:‌ 6,500 RPM (not the 8,500 your manual says)

• Higher = melted resin disaster
  📈 ‌Diamond Blades:‌ 4,000 RPM max
• Listen for the “angry bees” sound – that’s your cue to ease up

‌3. The Sacred Cutting Fiberglass Angle‌

➡️ ‌15° Attack Angle‌

• Straight-on = shattered edges
• Too shallow = blade binds like your ex’s new boyfriend

Watch For: The moment resin starts smoking – that’s your ‌STOP‌ signal

‌☣️ Safety Shit They Should Teach in Kindergarten‌

‌Dust Demolition‌

💨 My shop runs ‌Festool CT36A + Cyclone‌ ($1,200 setup)

• Cheaper than explaining fiberglass lung scars to your grandkids

⚠️ ‌PSA:‌ Seen a ‌black lung X-ray‌? No? Keep your damn mask on then

‌Clothing Hacks From the Trenches‌

• ‌Duct tape cuffs‌ – The difference between “mild annoyance” and “ER visit”
• ‌Talcum powder on neck‌ – Fibers slide right off
• ‌Cold shower after work‌ – Hot water opens pores… welcome to hell

‌🧙♂️ Black Magic Techniques‌

‌Wet Cutting Wizardry‌

💧 ‌Water Cooling Pros:‌

• Zero dust
• Blade lasts 2x longer

☠️ ‌Cons:‌

• Water + fiberglass = delamination city
• Requires $300+ extraction system

‌Curveball Cuts‌

🌀 ‌For curves:‌ Flexovit diamond wire saw ($85)

• Cuts tighter than my college budget
  🔶 ‌Inside corners:‌ Drill 1/8″ relief holes first
• Prevents the “shattered corner of shame”

‌🤬 FAQ From Dumb Questions I’ve Actually Gotten‌

‌Q:‌ “Can I use my wood cutting blade?”
A: Sure! If you enjoy:

1. Flaming fiberglass confetti
2. Explaining to the fire marshal why your shop smells like burning plastic

‌Q:‌ “Why does my blade keep gumming up?”
A: Resin melts at ‌175°C‌ – take a damn break every 30 seconds, Rambo

‌Q:‌ “Is fiberglass really that dangerous?”
A: Let me scratch my arms through this Tyvek suit while I answer…

‌Final Boss Advice‌

After ‌217 fiberglass projects‌ and ‌3 trips to urgent care‌, here’s my golden rule:

‌If you’re not sweating in a Tyvek suit looking like a meth lab cook… you’re doing it wrong.‌

Now go cut something – and for God’s sake keep the Benadryl handy.

(Got a fiberglass horror story? Hit me @GlassGuru on IG – I’ll feature the best ones next month.)