The cost for a low end grinder starts around $100 and better quality ones with more options will be in the $200 or more range. So for many this is a fairly big decision to make. The truth of the matter is that whether you get a grinder or not will probably determine if you actually end up making some excellent projects and decide to continue working with glass or not.

Many people see a magnificent stained glass lamp, or marvel at the elegance of a tasteful stained glass window as an accent in a home, and think that if they learned about making stained glass themselves that they would be able to create something at least nearly as nice for their own home.

When you check into this idea you find that the process of making stained glass lamps or windows really isn’t a complicated matter. Only a very few basic tools are required. And for many years in the past there was no such thing as a powered stained glass grinder.

So a new hobbyist may think, “The artisans who made all the great stained glass windows in the cathedrals in Europe or the original Tiffany lamp craftsmen didn’t have an electric powered grinder, why would I need one?” And they go online and get one of the stained glass kits that include the very basic tools but do not include a grinder. Then they start their first project and either find that they can barely get it put together if they are using lead came, or that they are done before they start if they were trying their first project using foil.

While there were no electric grinders in the past, the new stained glass crafter will quickly find that after cutting the glass, the edges are sharp. And that when glass breaks it doesn’t break in a perfectly straight line up and down on the edge. Think about breaking a piece of peanut brittle. The broken edge is sharp at either the top or the bottom and is always slanted.

And he will also find that the glass often doesn’t break exactly along the score line he made so it will be a little bit out of shape. He will try rescoring it and nibbling away with the pliers thereby just creating more sharp and variously slanted edges on the glass.

If he is making a lead came project, the channel in the came will allow some irregularities to be covered up, but if his idea was to start with a foil project he is done before he starts. So he has two choices, either learn to grind and smooth the edges by hand using hand held grinding stones and emery sanding paper or go online and order an electric grinder.

You need a stained glass grinder to smooth the edges of the glass after it is cut and to roughen the edge if you are doing foil to allow it to adhere well. And the main and sweetest advantage is that it allows you to shape your piece to the exact size to fit your pattern after the glass is cut. Doing this by hand is tedious and extremely time consuming.

It can be said that the availability of the reasonably priced electric home use stained glass grinder is the main thing that has allowed making your own stained glass lamps and windows explode as a hobby. What used to take hours can be done in minutes. You don’t need to be a full time craftsman now days to make an exquisite stained glass lamp or window. If you debating whether or not to take the plunge into this hobby get one of the stained glass kits that include a grinder. You’ll be glad you did.

Here is a link to a minute and a half long YouTube video showing a stained glass grinder in use:

However, there is one type that many people who work with stained glass prefer and it is called a pistol grip glass cutter.

A pistol grip glass cutter seems to give the most control when you are cutting the curves and patterns needed for most stained glass projects. But no matter what type you use, here are a few tips to get you started cutting glass quickly and easily.

You can cut glass either way: Either by pulling the cutter toward you or by pushing it away. The cutter doesn’t care, and you should start by using the method that comes easiest to you. As you become more skillful you’ll be able to either pull or push the cutter depending on which will make it easier to do the cut.

Do your first cuts from a standing position: When you are learning, it will probably be easier for you get the feel of glass cutting when doing it while standing. Once you become more practiced you’ll find that you can sit or stand as you prefer.

Hold the glass cutter with the wheel straight up and down: It’s important to remember and follow this rule. You need to keep the cutting wheel straight while following your line and maintain even pressure at all times.

Find a way to hold the cutter comfortably: There is no hard or fast rule about how you should hold a stained glass cutter. And that is why many prefer a pistol grip glass cutter since it is made to fit in your hand comfortably.

Learn the sound that glass makes by doing straight practice cuts on window glass: This is a good way to practice. As you make your cut you’ll hear the cutter make a ‘sizzling’ or crisp ‘crunching/crackling’ sound that indicates it is making the score. You don’t have to press real hard, just firmly. And of course the glass cutter doesn’t ‘cut’ all the way through the glass, it just makes a ‘score line’ on the glass that allows it to break along this line cleanly after you finish using the stained glass cutter.

Run off the edge if possible when you finish your cut: This is the side where you will break the glass from since you know the score line has gone all the way to the edge.

Safety first: Always use eye protection when you are cutting glass and wear gloves and other necessary safety equipment as needed. You don’t want to find out what a little super sharp piece of glass in your eye feels like or experience the damage it can do.

If you start out on your hobby by getting one of the many stained glass kits that comes with a cutter you may want to consider a kit that includes a pistol grip glass cutter. Or if you buy your stained glass tools separately you can then decide to try a cutter of this type.

And no matter which type of cutter you use you will find that cutting stained glass is an easy skill to learn. Do a little experimenting on inexpensive clear window glass first to get the feel of things, and you’ll be making Tiffany style stained glass lamps in no time.