4″ angle grinder wheel for cutting wood?
I have a 4″ Makita angle grinder and would like to use it for cutting wood and maybe some other fairly soft materials. I done this before, including for cleaning up copes on trim, but the only grinding wheels I have (or can find readily available) are for metal or masonry and seem to more burn through the wood than cut. Any suggestions as to what the best wheel might be? I think I might like a coarse grinding wheel or a very fine tooth saw blade. Any kind of coarse saw blade would seem like it might be hard to control and potentially dangerous.
Here is a pic of the grinder:
I wouldn’t mind if the wheel had the cupped shape, so I could take advantage of the grinder’s flush cut capabilities. I think they call a depressed center wheel:
Here is one that looks a little too scary:-)
TIA
Edited 1/1/2006 8:35 am ET by Matt
Replies
Matt, What you want is found in the latest Woodcraft catalog. Just go to http://www.woodcraft.com and look for the 4" tungsten carbide wood grinding wheels. They are available in flat or cupped shape and in coarse, medium and fine grits. These carbide wheels are virtually indestructable. I have used these things for years and I still have some of the originals that I use all the time. They also are available with the shaft in the center for use on a drill press.
There are some wood-cutting blades made for the Rotozip that might work. There are also flexible abrasive disks sold for the Rotozip that can be used on wood.
You can use a sanding disk for shaping, though not so good for cutting.
happy?
Lee Valley has the pretty much the same items, ...just someplace else to look at.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=42527&cat=1,42524
That's a good option... $50 each..., hummm I guess they are right proud of 'em! When looking for something the day before yesterday at Lowes I think I saw diamond blades for $15...
I don't know , I wonder what the difference is....China?
The diamond blades were for an entirely different application - probably tile, as that is what I see the tile guys doing... They usually have a wet saw and then also a 4" grinder with a diamond blade.
I think those carbide grinding wheels are probably the ticket though... maybe go for a medium? I'm certainly not buying all 3 grits at $50 a pop!
ooops, I misread what you wrote.......
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=33253&cat=1,42524,42527Suhweeeeeet !!!!=0)I WANT one !!!
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. ~~ Eric Hoffer
be nice, ..buy two and give one away....
Paradise.
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. ~~ Eric Hoffer
um uh
LOLIt would be paradise to be able to buy two and give one away.You've got the thrill of getting a new tool yourself. (And one that I -would actually put to use-)And the equal thrill of giving one to someone else that wants one.=0)I -will- eventually purchase one of these. (If I begin to use it enough, I may get all three grits.) But I am not going to be able to afford one just to give away.
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. ~~ Eric Hoffer
...plus, you get to clean the thing with a torch...what could be more fun than that??? that company also makes spade bits with the same abrasive coating
Gooder and gooder !!=0)
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. ~~ Eric Hoffer
I used one of the King Arthur chain saw discs, and it was super impressive for hogging away large amounts of wood fast. I imagine it could be precisce after lots of use, but I would not want to trust myself doing something detailed with it. Produced an awesome amount of wood chips, scary kick back if you hit anything though.... I have always toyed with the idea of getting a 36 grit carbide sanding disc and using that for wood removal.
....King Arthur chain saw discs...scary kick back if you hit anything though....
I've got a couple of them that I have used extensively - I have never experienced 'kick-back' - as I understand the phenomon, kick-back is technically impossible in the same sense it happens with a chainsaw since no part of the chain is moving backwards (poorly explained, I know - just a bit hung over this morning)
that said, they (chain disks) are scary - paddle switch on the grinder, chainsaw chaps, well secured work piece, strong grip with frequent breaks to keep good circulation associated with the grip - -
these tools are for roughing only - not possible to get a 'finish' cut with one - -
"there's enough for everyone"
I never tried to hog out wood that has the possibility of nails in it, but the idea of a disc of spinning chain saw teeth hitting a 16D is scary....
Plumber I worked around used one of the Lancelot chainsaw blades on a 4" grinder. It jumps a bit if it hits a knot or nail but, based on seeing him work, not too bad. I suspect that being as that the drive unit is a 5A to 7A motor its not too bad. The plumber used safety goggles, not just glasses as it throws bits everywhere with enthusiasm, emphasized keeping both hands on the tool and keeping body parts out of the likely kickback path.The grinder and aggressive looking blade was also good for a laugh. The GC, seeing it being carried into his house and ever nearer his I-joists and trusses invariably caused him to blanch and break out in a sweat. The effect being well worth the price of the blade.
You don't say what type of cutting you want to do in wood.
All the blades mentioned so far are really for shaping and sculpting wood -- not really plain cutting. That is a job better left to a Fein Multimaster.
But you can use a metal cut-off wheel in an angle grinder; these are maybe 1/16" thick, and I generally use them for cutting protruding nails or pipe. This wheel will burn the cut edge of the wood, and it is hard to cut precisely -- but it will work.
I used this technique to cut off about an inch of capboard siding when installing some new windows recently. We did some 30 such windows, and I could get a decent cut line by working carefully and slowly; and it didn't matter if you had to cut through a nail.
Got the idea from a past thread here.
EDIT: Also tried a diamond wheel, but the metal cut-off wheel worked a lot better.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Edited 1/1/2006 12:22 pm by nikkiwood
A saw blade on an angle grinder sounds like a skill saw without the upper or lower guard, or even a base plate--scarry. Even with the grinder guard in place using a saw blade sounds like an emergency room visit in the making.
I've used a chainsaw-toothed 4" disk and they work well for rough cuts, although the chips they throw out will draw blood from the hands and forearms if not covered.
It is possible to get kickback from a grinder if the guard is not in place and the portion of the disk being used to grind/sand throws the grinder up or back towards the user--often the head is the first body part in the way. There are actually quite a few stories of people getting injured/killed from just that.
One of the carbide toothed grinding disks sounds great, although I've been pretty happy with super coarse sanding disks. An 18 grit disk takes wood down in a hurry with little burning. Scarry, but effective.
Probably the most dangerous tool I own is a 15 amp sander that is used without a guard and the coarsest sanding disks. A coworker let his attention wander and he started to set the disk down on his upper leg while the power was off and it was winding down. It went through his insulated Carharts, Carhart pants and long johns like butter. He got off with a little scratch, but it made a believer out of us all. I'd bed money that this outfit will grind through a 2x4 in under a minute.
Happy sanding,
Don
There not good for cutting but I use flap sanding disc in quick passes to remove alot of material from hard woods.
But just like anything if you leave it one spot it will burn.
http://www.specialabrasives.com/tigershark.htm
Matt, I don't know if this applies to your grinder.......its a warning about the chain saw types from the mfr.
http://www.katools.com/makita.html