I finally got myself an angle grinder and its one of those with the quick change end with a special tool to tighten it down. my question is, however, do these things usually require a special fitting to make those thin cutting discs fit? i can tighten the thing all the way down and the disc still spins freely..

 

Usually goes backing plate (washer) - cutting disc - nut. This order is from the grinder out.

Sounds like maybe your backing plate is to thin and the nut is running out of threads. Maybe a washer or different backing plate is in order.

What model grinder? Maybe someone has had a similiar expereince with theirs.

 

I'd say put you a small washer on it...it will tighten down then. Sounds like your backing plate is too thin....usually they make different backing plates where the screw tightens down in different lengths. There is an allowed space in the middle of the screw and plate and the thinner the space, the thinner the disc you can use. Do this...just take off the disk, screw the screw all the way tight, and look at the gap you got for the disk. Shim it up with washers accordingly..

 

Sounds like you have the wrong stuff.

My Milwaukee has a tapered thing with a shoulder that you invert so it has the shoulder catching the small disc.

I would not, under any circumstances, "just put a washer on it" when we are talking about a potentially explosive fragmentary device spun at 10k RPM's.

 

flip the nut that holds down the disk and it should work then.

 

ya try flipping them. I had one but I cant remember if it was the back washer or just the nut which had to flip to get it to tighten down.

 

i jumped to conclusions too fast. flipping the nut that holds it did it fine but i went to exchange it for another of the same kind (it was faulty for a different reason) and saw the small $2 washer made for this purpose and that works just fine. thanks!