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How to use a bench grinder

Updated: October 2026

The grinder is on the bench, the plug is still out, and you want one pass that does not blue the edge. How to use a bench grinder, for these Einhell machines, is a short sequence: inspect, bolt, set a small gap, protect your eyes, stand aside until the wheel is at speed, then use light pressure on the face. The [double grinder comparison](/hub/sanders/double-grinder) ranks the three listings. This page does not reteach grit or garden geometry. It was written on 16 October 2026 from HSE notes, UK manuals, and the amazon.co.uk listings. We did not run the machines. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The grinder is on the bench, the plug is still out, and you want one pass that does not blue the edge.

Our top picks

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B

Best overall

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B
8.8/10about £64.95
View offer
Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150

Best value

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150
8.4/10about £37.30
View offer
Einhell Einhell TC-BG 200 L

Rank 3

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 200 L
8.2/10about £85.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the plug goes in
  2. 2.The rest gap
  3. 3.Eyes, hair, and hands
  4. 4.One pass on the face
  5. 5.When you stop

Before the plug goes in

Both spark guards and both rests should be in the carton and not bent past the wheel. UK reviews of the TC-BG 150 include missing rests and guards that sit off centre. A missing rest is a return, not a prompt to grind without one. Check each wheel for a crack and turn it by hand. If it rubs the guard, stop. On the TC-BG 200 L the bore sources do not agree, so measure the shaft before a wheel change. Rubber feet are not the anchor. Bolt or clamp the machine to a stout bench. If it can walk, it is not ready.

The rest gap

The work must not be pulled into the gap. A Sealey or Clarke-style UK manual uses a maximum of about 2 mm. HSE teaching notes on HSG17 say the gap should not exceed 3 mm. Set yours inside 2 mm, and never wider than 3 mm. Adjust only with the plug out. The gap grows as the wheel wears. If the rest arrived bent, do not pack it with a washer. Garden shears use the same gap, on the garden tools page.
Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B

Testsieger

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B
8.8/10about £64.95
View offer

Eyes, hair, and hands

The spark window is a guard, not your eye protection. Wear eye protection to BS EN 166. Tie hair back. Do not wear gloves on an off-hand bench grinder. A glove that catches will pull your hand in. Stand to the side until the wheel is at speed. These machines are listed at 2,980 rpm with no dial. If the bench shakes, switch off. A wire brush throws wires. Read the stone or wire page before a cleaning pass, and add a face shield over the glasses.

One pass on the face

Use the face of the wheel, not the side. Hold the tool on the rest, move it across the face, and keep the pressure light. If the edge colours, that pass is finished. Dip the tool in water you set out first, and wait until the steel is cool. Pressing harder through the blue draws the temper. K60 will not finish a chisel. Hone on a separate stone. If the wheel glazes, dress it. More force on a loaded wheel is how wheels burst. If the housing is hot, stop.

When you stop

Stop if the wheel is cracked, dropped, or fails a ring test, if the rest has opened up, or if the lead is not a BS 1363 plug. The TC-BG 150 B Amazon block does not state a voltage, so do not improvise an adaptor if the plug is wrong. At work, PUWER 1998 and HSG17 expect a competent person to mount wheels. A private shed is not automatically a workplace. Call someone competent for a cracked wheel, a wrong plug, or a carbide edge. Grey wheels are not silicon carbide. If the machine was the wrong size, the buying guide is the next page, after the wheel has stopped.

Common questions

Do I have to bolt it down if it has rubber feet?
Yes, if you are about to grind. All three listings include rubber feet. HSG17 still wants a stout bench and a machine that cannot walk. A UK review of the TC-BG 150 describes vibration on a bench already bolted down. That is a reason to switch off.
How close should the rest be?
About 2 mm if you follow a Sealey or Clarke-style UK manual, and not over the 3 mm figure in HSE teaching notes on HSG17. Adjust only with the machine isolated. The gap grows as the wheel wears. A bent rest is a parts fault, not a gap you close by pressing harder.
Are the plastic eye shields enough?
No. The spark guards keep some debris off your face. They are not eye protection to BS EN 166. Wear that as well. For a wire brush, add a face shield over glasses with side shields. Wires leave the brush even when the window is in place.
Should I wear gloves?
No. On an off-hand bench grinder, gloves are a catch hazard. HSE teaching notes say not to wear them. Keep the tool on the rest so your fingers are not supporting the steel. A glove pulled into the wheel is worse.
How do I know the edge is getting too hot?
The steel changes colour. Straw is a warning. Blue means that pass is over. Dip the tool and wait until it is cool. At 2,980 rpm a thin edge can colour in a few seconds. K60 only leaves a finer scratch than K36.
The wheel wobbles. Do I press harder?
No. Switch off. UK reviews of the TC-BG 200 L describe a stone that is not concentric, and dressing is what one owner used. Extra pressure on an unbalanced wheel is the burst risk. If dressing does not true it, treat the wheel as unfit.
When do I get someone else to mount a wheel?
When the wheel is cracked, dropped, or fails a ring test, or the bore you measured does not match the wheel in your hand. At home you are not automatically under PUWER. If employees use the grinder, mounting is for a competent person. A wrong plug is an electrical stop.

Related pages

Sanders

Double grinder

Best bench grinder: which Einhell listing to buy or skip

Bench grinder buying guide for diameter, grit and watts

Sharpen garden tools on a bench grinder in a UK shed

Bench grinder wire wheel or stone for rust and bevels

Sources

amazon.co.uk listings, Einhell UK, Einhell Service, Toolstation, and HSE HSG17. Prices and stars are the amazon.co.uk figures in those listings. Prices move.

  1. amazon.co.uk, Einhell TC-BG 150 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. amazon.co.uk, Einhell TC-BG 200 L (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. amazon.co.uk, Einhell TC-BG 150 B (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Einhell UK, TC-BG 200 L (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Einhell Service, TC-BG 150 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Einhell Service, TC-BG 150 B (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Toolstation, Einhell 200 mm bench grinder (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. HSE, HSG17 Safety in the use of abrasive wheels (retrieved 16 October 2026)