Why I ditched the grinding wheel for hand tools on tube sheets

Three months back we had a bundle replacement in a chemical plant outside Baton Rouge. I used to swear by my 4-1/2 inch grinder for leveling tube sheet welds, but the dust and heat warped two adjacent tubes. Switched to a carbide burr and a hand file for the final pass, took maybe 20 extra minutes per sheet but zero distortion. Now I check the alignment with a straight edge before I even think about power tools. Has anyone else gone back to manual finishing for tight tolerance work, or am I just old school?

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amy_murphy851mo ago

Hell no, you're just slowing yourself down for no reason. A good grinder with a steady hand doesn't warp shit if you know what you're doing, it's all about not camping on one spot too long.

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