Power Carving

Working wood with an angle grinder

Written by Christopher Cunningham

From Issue February 2018

Angle grinders are designed for working metal; equipped with flap sanders and blades designed for wood they have plenty of power to do quick work.

Some of the woodworking tasks we take on in boatbuilding have a lot in common with sculpture, as we carve our way from a block to a purposeful shape. When I started making spoon-bladed oars I used gouges, curved spokeshaves, and my father’s Stanley 100-1/2, a small spoon bottom plane. I later turned to a Makita 125mm disc sander as a quicker way to work concave shapes. It spun at a screaming 4,500 rpm and used stiff resin-fiber discs that cut aggressively. It could shape the power face of a spoon blade when the edge of the disc was set at an appropriate angle to the wood. It made for quick work, albeit dusty and noisy, but the discs didn’t last long and tended to scorch the wood when their grit dulled.

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Comments (5)

Greg Heeter says:

February 4, 2018 at 10:24 pm

I’ve used the cup disk to shape chair seats. It works great, just be aware – they cut REALLY fast! But if you do mess up and have to make a second piece, you’ll still be saving time.

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Steve Althaus says:

February 5, 2018 at 6:04 pm

Christopher, thanks for including the videos. They are so much more informative than just words to describe the potential advantages of angle grinders for wood work. It is almost like getting a tactile feedback on using one. I have wondered how controllable and fast they might be. The videos were a big help in getting me up to speed.

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1. James Johnson says:
  
  February 9, 2018 at 11:57 pm
  
  Having used both a paint grinder and an angle grinder in the making of paddles I much prefer the somewhat slower removal of stock of the paint grinder. Any mistakes happen slower and are easier to correct. That said, the flap discs on an angle grinder are a wonderful way of working straight sections quickly.
  
  Reply
bill.herbert says:

February 18, 2018 at 10:53 pm

If you’re willing to spend $149 the Arbotech Turboplane is the best wood-shaping angle-grinder blade I have ever used. It is powerful, accurate, forgiving and durable.

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Chris says:

June 25, 2019 at 2:52 am

I am am an unplugged woodcarver and have recently gotten into power carving due my boss at the custom furniture shop I work at. I bought the Harbor Freight 22-tooth cutting disk and was surprised as the amount of kickback. My boss told me to use 2 disks at once for increased safety. I took the advice and it made all the difference between a potential trip to the ER and a pleasant, albeit dusty and dirty experience. I alternate the teeth so I now have 44 teeth cutting and one is actively engaged in the wood as all times. The result is a smoother but aggressive cut with reduced kickback and less chance of it running away from your intended cut. I can now hog away, cut, hollow, shave, and level with confidence with a tool that less expensive than a Lancelot.

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