AGC 18 Grinder

[daltonm_28@icloud.com]

Hey Guys,

Do you have any suggestion what disc I should use. I need grind down my concrete a little bit and smooth it out. I own the AGC 18 grinder. I saw someone used this diamond disc but wasn’t sure where to locate it or if that is what I’d need for my job. Need something to grind down the concrete a little then smooth it out after

Thanks!

 

[mino]

Technically, any disc will do.

Do note, though, these "sanation" discs and are not originally meant for angle grinders but tools like the RG 130. So they often come with different arbors. E.g. the Festool ones ship with their own arbour washer and a matching safety locking nut.

All that said, should you want it to work well, you want the (mostly discontinued) DCG AG shroud AND a custom adapter shim so it works with the AGC 18 series. I have it.

All that said, keep in mind the small angle grinders are NOT really designed for the loads these huge and heavy grinding discs cause on the bearings etc. E.g. the smallest Festool one -  the RG 130 - is originally descended from a 150 mm heavy-duty Narex grinder, not from their smaller 125 mm series. The bearings are like twice as strong on that one.

Best advice is to not force, get a cheapo Makita with a shroud and do not waste your ACG 18 for such heavy and dirty work. That Festool shroud elone, when they sold it, cost about €80, about as much a Chinese Makita grinder goes today .. and my Festool DIA HARD disc, while wonderful, cost me €250 on top of that. Ehm. It was not a good investment just for the occasional task. And that is with me lathing a shim so I can use these with the ACG 18 series grinders to begin ..

 

[luvmytoolz]

If you're only doing a little bit as you say practically any diamond disc will do just fine as concrete grinds really easily. Depends on how close the aggregate is to the surface though.

If you were doing a lot of grinding, as Mino said something like a purpose designed grinder like a Makita would be a great investment. I've got the Makita PC5000 and it is super powerful, but the other essential aspect is the dust extraction is superb.

The amount of dust generated grinding concrete is astounding, you really can't do it safely without good dust extraction.

 

[Holzhacker]

When we were doing a lot of laminate floor installs over concrete I started using an angle grinder with that type of blade. Had to grind down a lot of high spots and back fill low spots for the laminate to install well. I think I did that for about 1/2 a day and said no more. Went out and bought the big Bosch concrete grinder with DC shroud. Hooked that up to my ct26, works oh so well.
As luvmytoolz mentioned the amount of dust is astounding. Having done way too much concrete grinding I wouldn't even consider doing any amount without DC. It just isn't worth it.
Buy or rent the right tool.

 

[Cheese]

Whoops...that one was on me.  [smile] 

When you mentioned a diamond disc in your original PM, I forgot that I used the AGC and a diamond wheel to smooth out cement block work so that I could adhere foam board insulation. After over 12,600 posts it's tough to remember what I've done.  [big grin]

As others have mentioned, if it's a large expanse of concrete that needs to be ground down, purchase/rent a larger unit with dust collection. Don't even attempt to do this inside a building unless you have dust collection...without dust collection it is extremely dirty and after just 2 minutes of use, the air will fill with dust and you will literally NOT be able see what you're doing.

For a small project outside, choose a breezy day with some air movement and let the dust get blown away. Even then, you'll need to clean up the area with a leaf blower every now & then.

The diamond wheel is quite heavy and needs to be slowly brought up to speed and slowly brought back down, I use the #3 speed setting. DO NOT just shut off the switch after you're finished, the combination of the diamond wheel weight and the brake on the AGC WILL force the diamond wheel to unscrew itself from the AGC and now you've got problems.  [smile]

When shutting it off, maintain contact with the surface you're grinding to help slow the wheel down.
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/general-friendly-chat/down-with-the-old-up-with-the-new/240/

 

[daltonm_28@icloud.com]

Thanks Guys! It’s just for a small portion of my patio were we took out some brick landscaping and there is same raised concrete spots from the initial install I’m trying to get level with the rest of the patio