Being a newbie to DIY and trying to get more and more jobs done myself, safety is a concern to me. I recently bought a Makita 5" angle grinder to cut some metal balustrades, job done. I considered buying some wood cutting discs for it, which I have seen on-line – to do a few odd jobs around the house, but I found some dated Internet posts that strongly recommended against it, for the safety concern, I am guessing that it's for the grinder losing control. These posts where about 5 or 6 years old and from reading through, wood cutting discs were something not available then either. Now I wanted to ask the question again, am I safe to do so or is it a bad idea? Additional information – the kind of jobs I am thinking of using it for, would be mostly softwood and not thicker than 20 mm.
Wood – Is it safe to use an angle grinder with wood cutting blades
angle-grinderwoodwoodworking
Related Topic
- Angle grinder brand (Not working)
- Wood – Is fumigated barn wood safe for indoor use
- Will a thin or thick cutoff angle grinder wheel last longer
- Wood – Using angle grinder to shave wood
- Is it safe to clamp an angle grinder and bring the work to the tool
- How to cut pipe squarely using an angle grinder
- Wood – Measuring angle before cutting
- Can/Should I use an angle grinder with a blade for metals on PVC coated metal
Best Answer
Bad idea...explained later. But yes, as long as you keep the blade guard on & of course it will "work". Though, it's quite wild compared to a Circular Saw or a smaller Trim Saw. However, "safely" is a bad gamble.
You're talking about multiples of higher RPM's & both accuracy & control will then be largely out the window compared to proper devices. One big problem area is ever so slightly twisting your cut (which is normal & not just common with grinders) & that twist binds to instantly & literally toss the grinder at you or any part of you or anyone else close by.
Grinders usually don't have a braking mechanism & very slowly free-spin down to a stop, you don't want to be the braking mechanism.