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Many times I used a chisel to cut off a hard-to-reach piece of lumber, I was wishing I had an adequate blade for my 4.5" grinder, as I don't own an oscillating tool. Why is it hard to find? Is it because they would be dangerous?

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  • The other big question is if your grinder accepts the flat type or the curved type
    – Steven
    Jan 3, 2013 at 22:39

7 Answers 7

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They are made, they look like mini chainsaws and are commonly used for carving bowls.

Lancelot and Discs

A common brand for these blades is Lancelot

You can also get smaller saw blades in the 4.5" form factor. I suggest you go to a saw store or woodworking shop. Here is a product on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/KwikTool-BB450-2-Inch-1-Inch-8-Inch/dp/B000O3IOEW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357252670&sr=8-2&keywords=angle+grinder+wood+blade

mini saw blade

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  • 1
    why would anyone call their product Bad Blade???
    – amphibient
    Jan 4, 2013 at 17:44
  • 6
    The "bad blade" looks like an amputation waiting to happen. It's a circular saw blade but spinning at 10,000 RPM and with none of the characteristics of a circular saw that help keep it safe (retractable guard, a shoe to keep the blade aligned vertically). You couldn't pay me enough to use one of these blades in a grinder. Apr 16, 2013 at 4:09
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The primary reason is grinders typically spin at 10,000 rpm. Wood cutting saws typically spin in the 3500 to 4000 rpm. If you spun a typical circular saw blade at 10,000 rpm it would come apart. As @Matthew PK has shown they make wheels for working wood with a grinder but they are not the typical toothed blades.

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  • RPM is a good point, but then again biscuit joiners spin at 10K RPM as well, and they've got a similarly sized blade. 7-14" blades have a much higher tip speed (proportional to radius), and therefore much higher internal forces at the same RPM.
    – Doresoom
    Jul 10, 2015 at 19:44
  • The tooth speed (ft/s) of a 4-1/2" blade spinning at 10,000 RPM is equivalent to a 7-1/4" blade spinning at 6,200 RPM. A typical 7-1/4" corded circular saw has a max speed of 5,800 RPM. So the difference is not that large. But the safety feature and torque of the two tools certainly differ.
    – Stanwood
    Mar 10, 2018 at 3:41
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I got a wood blade to fit my angle grinder out of a old biscuit jointer My advice is be very careful ,It kicks back something terrible We call them widow makers here in Australia

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  • 1
    That sounds horribly unsafe. Please tell me you at least use a guard with it!
    – Doresoom
    Jul 10, 2015 at 19:45
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    The chainsaw blades above don't kickback the way a fixed blade will. The chain is not fixed to the disc. Makes them a bit safer.
    – Stanwood
    Mar 10, 2018 at 3:36
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I have an old Makita mini grinder that my dad out fitted with a 5" wood cutting blade from a mini circular saw. Unfortunately it has no guard and no handle. We use it for hard to reach areas that a regular circ saw or reciprocating saw won't reach. But my dad and I have nick named it the "killer" because it is the scariest tool I've ever used. if you're making a deep cut in wood and it catches because you twisted the blade, it kicks out uncontrollably. I agree with the guy from Down Under, a mini grinder with a wood cutting blade is recipe for disaster. That's the most logical reason why they don't make a wood cutting blade for a mini grinder, due to the high speed of the blade.

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  • 2
    I recommend not using a circular saw blade in a grinder. It may cause sever kick back due to low rpm. See link about man who died from using grinder with saw disc. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1172118/…
    – user59106
    Aug 21, 2016 at 0:58
  • Thanks @user59106, I have never thought of using a saw blade on a grinder and was surprised to see there are some out there, scary and lethal.+
    – Ed Beal
    Feb 11, 2019 at 16:44
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4'plate joiner blade with the blade guard and handle attached works well enough, but EXPECT kickback and chunks of wood to fly in your face and prepare accordingly with proper P.P.E.

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Just use the chain saw type 4 inch blade shown above. They fit in the grinder perfectly, still have the advantage of the safety guard to protect you and have the added advantage of the guard deflecting the chips away from your face. I use them all the time and have done so for about ten years. You sharpen them like a chain saw with a file right on site if you like and the chains are replaceable when ever you want. I have a milwaukee 5 inch cordless grinder that runs it great and it will cut through a 2x6 in about 30 seconds. It is the tool made for the job unlike the jerry rigging ideas presented by some and costs less. Amazon has them for $15-40. Home depot sells them for a little more in the tool area too. A plate or biscuit jointer blade costs that much or more sometimes.

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I was ready to buy a wood blade for my grinder, I sometimes see good pieces of lumber in garbage bins here in NY and often would like a cordless tool to make a quick cut just in case the piece of wood I encounter is too long to fit in my corolla and the only cordless cutting tool I have is a grinder, however after reading the posts and getting an understanding of the danger of using such a blade on a grinder, I changed my mind. I don't have a lot of experience in this field but maybe just to do a quick cut on wood left in the trash maybe the standard grinder blade will do

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  • 1
    A small handsaw generally works nicely for this application...
    – gbronner
    Jan 4, 2016 at 22:07
  • Or a cordless reciprocating saw would work good too.
    – Michael Karas
    May 19, 2016 at 3:32

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