AtomicZombie Tutorial - Basic Fishmouth Cutting

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Basic Fishmouth Cutting - Page 2 of 13

The cutting disc (also known as a "zip disc") is a very thin grinder disc that can quickly cut through hollow steel tubing of various diameters. Round tubing as well as square tubing can easily be cut by the zip disc, although a hacksaw can also be used if you don't mind the added effort. The zip disc used in this tutorial is a 5 inch diameter disc with a 3/64 inch thickness.

In these tutorials, the safety guard has been removed from the grinder so that you can see the action more clearly. It is not advisable to work with the safety guard removed from the angle grinder as a disc fracture could cause injury. Proper face and eye protection such as safety glasses and a high impact face shield are necessary for grinding safely.

When cutting a line around a tube using a zip disc, keep the grinder disc at 90 degrees to the tubing and cut from the top so that you can see the line. If the tubing that you are cutting is long enough so that you can hold it securely with one hand, it is easy to make the cuts while rolling the tube along your workbench, keeping the cutting disc along the top of the tube.

Cut along the line as you roll the tube and you will make a very accurate cut around the circumference of the tube. This method of cutting off a tube can be more accurate than the results form an inexpensive chop saw if you take your time and follow the line. All of of our Bike, Trike & Quadcycle Plans were initially built using only an angle grinder for cutting and a basic AC welder for welding, so you certainly don't need a garage full of expensive tools in order to carve out your own home built vehicles.