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What tool would you use to grind a piece of cast iron 5mm?

a regular grinder
go slow to keep the heat down.

In what application?

Do you have a flange that you need to grind down to 5mm thick, like a flange on the passenger side collecter?

If so, I'd use a large circular bench grinder, a new wheel, a steady hand. The biggest mistake you can make is using a piece of shit Harbor-Freight grinding disc. Quality will get the job done in 1/3 of the time.

A friend of mine had a 12" bench grinder, and that sumbitch would handle ANYTHING.

Just do like Jeremy said, go slow. You'll heat the iron to red-hot and you could warp it. Wear gloves! I've got a slice in a pair of mechanics gloves from that grinder I mentioned. They actually saved my finger from getting sliced up.

I'm grinding a knuckle I only need 4-5 mm off of it. So like an angle grinder? Doing it on the car is much more advantageous than removing the whole thing.

You need ro remove 5mm? An angle grinder with a fat ass wheel should do the trick.

You could try cutting it too, using an air cut-off tool and a really high quality wheel.

oh a knuckle is probably going to be cast steel and on something that thick just fuckin go at it with an angle grinder.
the reason I said go slow on cast iron is not only will it warp but it will crack pretty easy if it is on the potmetal side of quality.

BAC5.2 wrote:A quality angle grinder with a fat ass wheel should do the trick.

fixed it for ya Phil

an $8 harbor freight angle grinder will last if you do a few mods to it and dont abuse it, and when they go it is usually brushes which are an easy fix.
but then you have actually purchasing a power tool at harbor freight on your conscience

I was actually taught in Machining School to never wear gloves when grinding...more people lose fingers when the gloves get caught in the grinder

I will vouch for the Angle Grinder and Quality wheel for this application...I honestly wouldn't worry about heat too much, because Knuckles are pretty stout, and it would take a lot of heat (i.e. rosebud) to heat it enough to cause cracking or warpage.