How to use an angle grinder
Updated: October 2026
The first cut is usually a short piece of steel or a tile, and the nervous part is the minute before the disc is tight. This is how to use an angle grinder in that order: isolate the power, fit the guard and the side handle, match the disc, then cut with both hands and stop when the tool misbehaves. The steps follow Electrical Safety First, Speedy Hire’s hire guidance, and the Office for Product Safety and Standards alert on toothed blades. They are not a ranking of the twelve tools in our [angle grinder comparison](/hub/tools/angle-grinder). There is no lab test. Prices on that comparison were captured on amazon.co.uk on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The first cut is usually a short piece of steel or a tile, and the nervous part is the minute before the disc is tight.
The first cut is usually a short piece of steel or a tile, and the nervous part is the minute before the disc is tight. This is how to use an angle grinder in that order: isolate the power, fit the guard and the side handle, match the disc, then cut with both hands and stop when the tool misbehaves. The steps follow Electrical Safety First, Speedy Hire’s hire guidance, and the Office for Product Safety and Standards alert on toothed blades. They are not a ranking of the twelve tools in our angle grinder comparison. There is no lab test. Prices on that comparison were captured on amazon.co.uk on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Before a wheel change | Spanner | Discs in the box line | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GWS 7-115 | Unplug | Two-hole spanner | None listed | 8.6 | about £67.55 | View offer |
| Alternative |  DCA DCA ADSM06-125 | Remove the battery | In the kit | Six discs | 7.5 | about £56.98 | View offer |
| Best value |  DCA DCA ASM18-115 | Unplug | Pin spanner | Six discs | 7.8 | about £29.99 | View offer |
On this page
Before the disc comes off
Unplug a corded grinder before you touch the wheel, the guard, or the flange. Electrical Safety First is plain about that, and about keeping the lead out of the cut. On a cordless kit, or on any bare cordless body, take the battery off. A paddle or a slide switch is not an isolator while the pack is clicked in. Do not rely on a restart claim. Some listings print restart or power-off wording. The Bosch Professional raw listing does not. None of these listings states a brake, so wait until the disc has stopped before you set the tool down.
Fit the side handle before you think about the disc. Both hands stay on the tool, and the guard sits between you and the wheel. If you are reaching into a corner, move the handle rather than taking one hand off. A bullet that says the tool is comfortable in one hand is not a method. Clamp the work so a loose offcut cannot climb the disc. Goggles and gloves are the minimum Electrical Safety First names, with no loose clothing. Hearing protection belongs in the same minute. HSE’s construction noise page puts angle grinding in an indicative 90–110 dB band. This page did not measure your tool.
Changing the disc
Hold the spindle lock, if the tool has one, and turn the nut with the pin spanner or the two-hole spanner. More than one UK review of a budget listing says the spanner was missing, or that nothing locked, so the disc would not release. If you have not bought yet, the angle grinder buying guide is where to insist on a spanner in the included-components line. If the nut spins and you have no lock, stop. Do not grip the disc edge and hit the spanner.
A depressed-centre grinding disc and a flap disc sit so you work on the face. A thin cutting disc is clamped so you cut on the edge only. Speedy Hire notes that the flange orientation is not the same for those two jobs. Follow the disc label. Match diameter, bore, and the disc’s maximum speed. A 125 mm disc can sit on the same M14 family as a 115 mm tool. The guard is what stops you. Do not fit it. That size line is on the 115mm vs 125mm angle grinder page. Where a listing prints two speeds, clear the higher number. Run a new disc for at least 30 seconds with the guard on and nobody in line with the wheel. Do not fit a toothed saw blade or a chainsaw disc. OPSS alert PSA5 says kickback from those attachments can cause serious injury or death. Leave a wood saw blade in the bag.
The cut itself
Stand so the sparks leave away from you, the lead, and anything that will burn. Let the disc reach speed before it touches the work. Use light pressure. Forcing a cut heats the disc and loads the gear head. A cutting disc stays on its edge. When you need to dress a weld or remove rust, change to a grinding disc or a flap disc. Do not flip a thin cutting disc onto its face because it is the one you have fitted.
Keep the guard between you and the disc as the angle changes. If you have to roll the guard out of the way, you are in the wrong position. Kickback is the disc catching and the tool kicking back along the cut. A twisted offcut, a pinched slot, or the wrong disc type are the usual causes in the hire guidance. Ease off, let the tool stop, and reset the work. When the cut is done, wait until the disc stops, then unplug or remove the battery. Sparks from the vents, a burning smell, or a housing too hot to hold are a stop, not a pause you work through.
When a competent person should take over
Stop in four situations. The switch sticks on. Unplug at once. Do not tape a switch down and carry on. Sparks or smoke from the vents mean the tool is finished for the day. A disc that wobbles or runs out of true comes off only after the battery is out or the plug is out, and it does not go back on.
At work, mounting abrasive wheels sits under PUWER 1998 and HSE’s HSG17, which expect training. This page will not invent a certificate for Saturday DIY, and a hire-shop script does not replace training on a site. If you are an employee and you have not been shown how to mount a wheel, hand the tool back. A 230 mm cut on a kerb, a structural steel member, or any cut where you cannot control stone dust is the same handover. HSE’s guidance points to water or extraction for silica. None of these twelve listings describes a vacuum port. If you still need a tool rather than a method, the best angle grinder UK page says who should buy which listing.
Common questions
How do I change a disc if the nut keeps spinning?
Press the spindle lock, if your model has one, and only then turn the nut with the proper spanner. If there is no lock, or the lock does nothing, stop. DEWINNER reviews include units with nothing to lock the spindle. Do not jam the disc with a screwdriver against the guard or hold the abrasive with your hand. That is how fingers meet a wheel.
Which way does the flange face?
It depends on the disc. A grinding or flap disc is clamped so you work on the face. A thin cutting disc is clamped so you work on the edge, and the flange orientation is not identical. Follow the disc label and the manual drawing. If you only have a cutting disc and the job is grinding, change the disc. Do not grind on the face of a cutting disc.
Which side does the side handle go on?
The side that keeps both hands on the tool and the guard between you and the disc for that cut. Left or right sockets are on most of these listings for that reason. Move the handle when you change from a horizontal cut to a tight corner. Do not remove it to reach further.
Do I unplug a cordless tool the same way?
You remove the battery before any disc, guard, or flange work. Unplugging is the corded step. A charger in another room does not isolate the tool. Anti-restart wording on a kit is a listing claim about a supply interruption, not a substitute for taking the pack off.
Can I grind with a thin cutting disc?
No. A cutting disc is for the edge of the wheel in a slot. Side load can shatter it. Fit a grinding disc or a flap disc for welds, rust, and dressing. If the kit only included cutting discs, buy the correct disc before you change the job, and check that its diameter and maximum rpm match the grinder.
What if the kit included a wood saw blade?
Do not fit it. OPSS PSA5 covers toothed saw blades and chainsaw discs on angle grinders, and kickback from them can cause serious injury or death. Screwfix does not recommend wood cutting with a grinder. A listing that includes a wood blade is not an exception. Cut timber with a saw.
When should I stop and let someone else take over?
Stop yourself if the switch sticks, the disc wobbles, or smoke comes from the vents, and unplug or remove the battery. Hand the job over if it is work equipment and you have not been trained to mount wheels, if the cut is a 230 mm structural or kerb cut, or if you cannot control silica dust with water or extraction. A short metal cut at home, with a guard and a matched disc, is the job these steps are for.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the twelve amazon.co.uk listings captured on 20 October 2026. HSE limits and PUWER apply at work. They are not a certificate for a domestic grinder, and none of these scores is a laboratory test.
- HSE, PUWER (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE, HSG17 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE, vibration regulations (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE, construction noise (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First, Angle grinders (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Screwfix, Angle grinder buying guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- OPSS, PSA5 toothed saw blades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- DTC, Cutting and grinding discs (retrieved 20 October 2026)