Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

[CaptainTime]

I had a "Merlin" from King Arthur tools - essentially a Proxxon 2" long neck grinder with a bunch of wood carving attachments.

Didn't use it for years but finally got into carving and was using it to remove excess wood and to get basic shapes.

It burned out really quick. Of course, since I had bought it years before, no warranty left.

At $200+ a pop, I am reluctant to rebuy it if it dies that quickly. I was thinking of just buying a standard 4.5" angle grinder instead. While bigger, it would let me remove wood more quickly and I could purchase them for $40 and up. I thought I might couple it with an Arbortech Pro 4 blade and some other discs over time.

Anything special I should look for or be aware of in an angle grinder for wood carving?

[rickm]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I have a straight grinder and angle grinder and to be fair I use the straight one a lot more with a big saburr burr. there are several guys here who are up to speed on what your suggesting. As for me I have makitas and I do make them work for their supper and not have had a problem.

[drhandrich]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I have experimented with a few. I got the arbortech turboplane. expensive. leaves a nice smooth finish when done. can fly away with you if not alert. not my favorite though.
I have the king Arthur lancelot. this one is like chainsaw teeth around the disk , for a 4 1/2 " angle grinder. at first I was impressed with it, same thing though , gotta be alert. I was. and then finishing one pass I lessened my grip on the angle grinder and the saw Ran Away up the wood for a length. ruined a pretty good section of wood that it passed over. coulda ruined me too. as mentioned, at first I was impressed, regardless of the warnings of the naysayers. and then, ya, and then... I parked it and don't plan on using that one in the near future.
I have one of those cupped ones (not flat), 4 1/2" dia. I like it very much. the kind with the carbide spiky teeth scattered over the whole surface. I think it might be a galahad by king Arthur. if youre adept with an angle grinder , this one is much friendlier to handle and it will hog out wood like you wouldn't believe.! still a bit pricey but it doesn't clog up and looks like it would last a long while. a good one to try out if you have any previous experience using a 4 1/2" grinder , so that you know how to use one already. it does leave scratch marks though. so it isn't best for finishing work.
but my favorite is the angle flapped 4 1/2 disk sander for the angle grinder, theyre only a couple bucks. you would think by looking at them that they would clog up really quick, they do not clog up. you would think it would wear down rapidly, it barely wears down on wood. it will hog out more than enough to make you happy with it but with a light touch it will do some very fine passes for finishing up. I love this one! leaves a smooth finish. works good for sculpting , I use this one often and it is friendlier to control. along with the typical and usual warning, you will need to respect the amount of hurt that it can inflict. don't get distracted while using these things. keep your eye on the work while it is in contact.
let me know if you need a link to photos of the styles I mentioned.

[drhandrich]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I had bought several of the cheap angle grinders from harbor freight because I got tired of changing cutting heads often and repeatedly. they were like $20 apiece and I thought, what the heck I will try it. I was impressed. lots of power, used them a lot of hours each so far. and for the price, I found only one that I need to keep tension on the power button to keep it engaged, not a very big problem though.
I noticed the dulcimer on your avatar, nice ! I have a couple and like the picking plus strumming combination style.

[Donsexton]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I use all types of grinders notice heavy leather gloves safety glasses and ear plugs, and don't wear flip flops just in case you drop the tool.
Note the guard is on as well every one that has been hurt with a chainsaw disc took the guard off. Carvers get used to using their grinder with a sanding disc the worst thing a sanding disc will do is give you a road rash with or without a guard. The chainsaw disc can be a meat grinder I have been using them for 20 years and never a close call. You must clamp your work and keep both hands on the grinder. We had some carvers on here that treated it like it still had a sanding disc and paid a price. One of our members tried to hold the carving in his left hand and grinder in his right and badly cut his hands.

[Donsexton]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

One more thing I hear craftsmen say all the time they can get more reach with the guard off the grinder. That's a myth the grinder will only cut as deep as the gear housing the guard will not limit reach.

[CaptainTime]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I have one of those cupped ones (not flat), 4 1/2" dia. I like it very much. the kind with the carbide spiky teeth scattered over the whole surface. I think it might be a galahad by king Arthur. if youre adept with an angle grinder , this one is much friendlier to handle and it will hog out wood like you wouldn't believe.! still a bit pricey but it doesn't clog up and looks like it would last a long while. a good one to try out if you have any previous experience using a 4 1/2" grinder , so that you know how to use one already. it does leave scratch marks though. so it isn't best for finishing work

but my favorite is the angle flapped 4 1/2 disk sander for the angle grinder, theyre only a couple bucks. you would think by looking at them that they would clog up really quick, they do not clog up. you would think it would wear down rapidly, it barely wears down on wood. it will hog out more than enough to make you happy with it but with a light touch it will do some very fine passes for finishing up. I love this one! leaves a smooth finish. works good for sculpting , I use this one often and it is friendlier to control. along with the typical and usual warning, you will need to respect the amount of hurt that it can inflict. don't get distracted while using these things. keep your eye on the work while it is in contact.
let me know if you need a link to photos of the styles I mentioned.

Yes, I had my eye on one of the cupped carbide ones. Looks like it would work well. As well as the flapped sanding ones. Looking forward to trying them.

[telecarver]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I use the Lancelot on a 4 1/2" paddle switch angle grinder with the guard on. The paddle switch allows for the tool to shut off if it gets jerked out of my hand.

In addition I use a 4" Makita with an adapter that accepts anywhere from 3/4" to 3" snap on discs. I avoid the 3m type 3 ones because the plastic nub tends to break off and get stuck in the holder. I use either the Merit type 1 or the type 2 metal button style. These kinds of discs don't have a lock nut in the center so you can sand flat surfaces and get into tight angles. I also take the guard off. The sanding disc can't do as much damage as a Lancelot or carbide disc. The PSD discs don't work because the glue heats up and the discs fly off.

I prefer the 4" size angle grinder for this operation because it's much lighter and smaller so you can use it easily with one hand.

Using a 24 or 36 grit disc is as aggressive as a carbide cupped disc but you can get much crisper transitions. You can even add lines in feathers or carve individual feather shapes with the edge of the disc. Having the quick change option allows me to quickly go from 36 grit, step by step down to 150 grit. I can also step down from 3" to 2" to 1/1/2" to 1" to 3/4" discs. I can change disc grit or size in seconds without needing any tools.

In addition I use an electronic speed control that allows me to slow the tool down for precision work. A bonus is that the angle grinder with this set up, clamped in a vise, makes an excellent grinder for sharpening chisels and knives. Since I discovered this I gave away my wet grinder tool sharpener. With a little finesse it's much faster than any other tool sharpening system I've used.

My experience with the Merlin is that it is a toy. Not worth the money. The Arbortech dedicated angle grinder tool is a much better option for a carver of this type. I still prefer my system because it's much more versatile.

[CaptainTime]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

Ron, I would like a smaller version as well, but 4" angle grinders and accessories are really hard to find where I am in Canada.

I think I will be stuck with the 4".

[rickm]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

don I cant believe someone would hold the carving in one hand and use a angle grinder with the other, that would be like trying to chain saw with one hand. I consider myself a brave guy but not that brave.

[CaptainTime]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I noticed the dulcimer on your avatar, nice ! I have a couple and like the picking plus strumming combination style.

Thanks Denny,

I am just learning the mountain dulcimer, but I love the sound. I am just strumming it so far. Very simple but lovely instrument.

[DiLeon]

Re: Angle Grinder for Wood Carving

I have a few of the proxxon angle grinders they are light weights...and can only be used for lighter kinds of carving...plus they heat up and must be cooled off. I have angle grinders which I use sand paper, use the guards now....because I did not ...and got lots of chunk's of sand in my skin of one finger...it was not fun because it was impossible to clean out do to the hamburger meat it made of the finger. I also use the sabruu disk which I like a lot. For roughing out I have Arbor tech.... I use a die grinder instead of the proxxon for more powerful grinding....I have handles to hold them with both hands so they do not run away. I use them for sanding, the sabruu tooth burrs and etc.