Had that moment two weeks ago where I realized I'd been running my grinder backwards for six months

I was swapping wheels on a 4.5 inch DeWalt at the shop and the older guy Mike just looked at me and asked why my sparks were shooting right at my face, and I felt like an idiot because the guard was on wrong the whole time too, anyone else had a tool setup backfire on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamiew531mo ago

Man that grinding into your face thing hit close to home. I did something similar with a circular saw a few years back and had the blade guard pinned open with a zip tie because it kept sticking, figured I'd just be careful. Had a piece of wood kick back and the saw lurched and the blade almost got my thigh before I let go and it clattered on the floor, scared the hell out of me and I still think about it when I'm cutting. It's wild how easy it is to set something up wrong and just get used to it because it still technically works. The shop guys probably gave you a hard time but at least nobody got hurt, that's what really matters in the end.

mila_brown101mo ago

Buddy of mine ran a skill saw backwards for an entire deck build, never lived it down.

jesse_williams621mo ago

Bet that saw cut cleaner on the pull stroke since the teeth were going the wrong way. Still though, imagine the look on his face when someone pointed it out halfway through the second sheet of plywood.

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