My beveling tool snapped clean in half on a 3/8 inch plate job Tuesday

I was out at a job site in Gary, Indiana prepping a boiler head for welding and my handheld beveling tool just gave up. The blade seized up on some hard scale and the whole housing cracked right at the handle. I had to finish the bevel with a 4.5 inch grinder and a flap disc, which took me almost twice as long. My foreman just shrugged and said to order a new one, but now I'm stuck waiting two days for shipping. That grinder work left my hand numb and the cut quality isn't as clean as I wanted. Has anyone else had a favorite beveler crap out on them mid-job? What do you use as a backup when your main tool goes down?

2 comments

2 Comments

jadep4126d ago

Wait, did you have any luck getting the Dewalt replaced under warranty or were you stuck eating the cost of a new one? I totally feel you on that grinder arm workout, I swear my right hand was buzzing for a solid two hours after I finished that bevel with a 4.5 inch. The worst part is how your cut quality goes down no matter how steady you hold the grinder, you just can't get that same factory clean line. Eventually I picked up a cheap backup beveler off Amazon just to have something on the truck while the main one gets sent in, better to have a clunky spare than do that monkey work with a grinder again.

john_johnson7526d agoMost Upvoted

Man that grinder work probably left your hand feeling like you wrestled a brick for an hour. I've had a Dewalt beveler do the exact same thing on a 1/2 inch plate, snapped right at the handle mount like it was made of plastic. Best backup I keep around is a solid angle grinder with a good 9 inch wheel, its slower but won't leave you stranded. Plus you get a free arm workout out of it.