looks good in the vids.....

[jonboy]

just seen a gizmo on an american tool supplier site that caught my eye... its a chainsaw chain in a circle round an angle grinder 125mm 4.5 inch disc to be used for cutting out half housing joints, hacking and pruning . looks efficient but lethal. fits any small hand held anglegrinder . I have to rip out quite a few tenon and housing joints from rough lumber where i dont want use any stock powersaws with expensive blades. dead nails and all manner of garbage. would have used a chainsaw anyway but this kit seems more controllable , accurate and cheap, and more wield-able than even my small electric 12inch chainsaw
never seen one here in Yurp,
whaddya tink amigos ?

[earling2]

An unguarded chainsaw chain at the RPMs of an angle grinder is a man's tool, all right. Wouldn't it be about the worst tool possible to hit buried nails with? Just asking, seems a chainsaw blade is one of the easiest tools to dull, and hitting an old nail with big sharp teeth seems ineffectual to me.

[jonboy]

But if i hit a big ol' nail with a 40 beertoken circular saw blade that can't be sharpened, the blade's bye bye anyway, tungsten teeth an' all.
I have metres of old chain saw chain, serviceable for this boy. have to re rivet and sharpen it of course, but the off the shelf job is cheap enough...

[MoePorter]

I've used one for years rough carving sculptures. It's brutally effective - leaves a rough ugly surface. It's the most dangerous tool I use - although a circular saw blade in my grinder might be worse - the chainsaw blade disk is easier to control. I hadn't considered what it would do on a nail strike but kick backs & flying metal are a real risk. I can see the appeal of using & replacing cheap chain...Be careful...Moe

[Ian McColgin]

Knew one local sculptor who used one when he wasn't using the big chain saw. The one boat builder I know who tried one out was terrified after one use, rowed to the middle of the harbor, and dumped it. Expensive lesson.

[mmd]

I saw a similar device about 9" in diameter. fitted to a gas-powered weed-wacker, for trimming shrubs and big weeds out of ditches. I want one.

[John Meachen]

They have been around since the 80's If you want one in the UK they can be had from Axminster.Not sure how you could get one exported now.

[jonboy]

Thanks Mr Meachen... if axminster has them , though i've been dealing with them for years, my last catalogue is about 2010, then they will be available in mainland Europe. You know, that huge lump of land full of foreigners just opposite the white cliffs of Dover.
seriously if getting from UK post brexit is going to be as bad as buying stuff from the US then its probably going to be amazon .de ..
Interesting the pictured ones are basically chain saw teeth, but what had caught my eye was the aforementioned chain on a wheel or sprocket system , maybe replaceable.

[John Meachen]

I'm rather fond of that large lump of land and wish we hadn't made life difficult for ourselves and others......

[Garret]

Is this a "hold my beer" tool?

A mini-grinder puts one's hands awfully close to things moving at a high rate. DAMHIKT

[Mcjim]

A work colleague is busy re-growing some of his left index finger after using one of the chain type disks. A small lapse in concentration.
Could have been worse.

[Ron Williamson]

Use the guard and side handle.
Use the end of the guard as a pivot to safely start or finish a cut.
And wear gloves.

I'd buy the cheapest carbide blade or a demo blade like Freud Diablo,for a skilsaw,and not worry about the nails.
R

[jpatrick]

I also have one of those devils. Mine's called a Lancelot. As stated and imagined... it is very effective at wasting wood and is scary as all get out. I never use a guard on my angle grinder when grinding or sanding metal but I wouldn't think to not use it with the Lancelot. Depending on the grain of the wood, one can actually produce a pretty smooth surface. But it is really a hogging tool.

Jeff

[Nicholas Carey]

The Lancelot is safer than it looks. There's an internal clutch that prevents kickbacks. If you, say, hit a nail or something, the clutch disengages and the chain stops and the driving disc just keeps spinning.

Still wouldn't use it without the safety guard on the grinder, though.

We used one for roughing out the rolling bevel on a stem.

Here's the manufacturer's site, King Arthur Tools: https://katools.com

[MoePorter]

The Lancelot is safer than it looks. There's an internal clutch that prevents kickbacks. If you, say, hit a nail or something, the clutch disengages and the chain stops and the driving disc just keeps spinning.

Still wouldn't use it without the safety guard on the grinder, though.

We used one for roughing out the rolling bevel on a stem.

Here's the manufacturer's site, King Arthur Tools: https://katools.com

Yes, that is the one I use.

]The Lancelot is safer than it looks.

If you say so...was that with your glasses on? There's nothing safe about this tool but it does the job & I use it...I've never hit a nail with it but I can see how the design might work as you report - but have you tested it with first hand experience in nail embedded wood? In my use it's sketchy enough just carving clean wood - it's always trying to climb in the direction of rotation & sometimes it gets more traction than anticipated...but as long as you have the clarity of mind to account for it you should be ok...

[Nicholas Carey]

Yes, that is the one I use. If you say so...was that with your glasses on? There's nothing safe about this tool but it does the job & I use it...I've never hit a nail with it but I can see how the design might work as you report - but have you tested it with first hand experience in nail embedded wood? In my use it's sketchy enough just carving clean wood - it's always trying to climb in the direction of rotation & sometimes it gets more traction than anticipated...but as long as you have the clarity of mind to account for it you should be ok...

Shallow cuts and always against rotation. Like using a router: No climb cuts ever. From the instruction....

https://katools.com/lancelot-squire-...ncelot-squire/

"A major rule. To make long or short straight cuts, hold the disc grinder in front of you. The grinder must be switched on prior to making contact with the wood. Cut the wood by pulling Lancelot toward you, against the direction of blade rotation and motor direction. It works safest this way. This cut is totally opposite to the way you make a cut using a circular saw where you push the blade forward and away from you.

AGAIN, DO NOT PUSH THE BLADE AWAY FROM YOUR BODY. It is unsafe and you may experience the tendency of Lancelot starting to “run” away from you. Inexperienced users will face the potential of losing control as it 'skims' the wood."

[jonboy]

Axminster UK don't sell them any more ...." too dangerous and might even be illegal .." was the assistant's comment when I called them-
Thanks for all the comments though.
There's a number of stubby electric chainsaws of a conventional design, for pruning and small logging, think I'll stay with that ....

[Garret]

The Lancelot gives me the heebee-jeebees. I have done a decent amount of chainsaw carpentry: sheds, pole barns & the like. With a tight & sharp chain you can be surprisingly accurate. With a regular chainsaw with a 16" bar, and when in practice, I could get to within 1/16 most all the time - easily within an eighth. A small saw would be even easier to be accurate with I'd think.

[jpatrick]

Any form of chain saw is not safer than it looks.

Jeff

[John Meachen]

I believe Axminster and never thought they would be particularly safe.If you really want one,just to find to how dangerous they are.... https://www.thetoolboxscotland.co.uk...tech-538-c.asp . Other sources are out there if you google Arbortech.

[Nicholas Carey]

I believe Axminster and never thought they would be particularly safe.If you really want one,just to find to how dangerous they are.... https://www.thetoolboxscotland.co.uk...tech-538-c.asp . Other sources are out there if you google Arbortech.

The Arbortech is nothing like King Arthur Tools' Lancelot/Squire. Just a solid disk with carbide teeth:



If that finds a nail or other obstacle... prolly not good.

[John Meachen]

They have evolved a bit,probably as a result of experience.I wouldn't go anywhere near any of the variations or the original.An adze is altogether safer.

[Paul Schweiss]

The Arbortech is nothing like King Arthur Tools' Lancelot/Squire. Just a solid disk with carbide teeth:



If that finds a nail or other obstacle... prolly not good.

I have a similar cutter for a 4-1/2” grinder...it cuts very smooth, even one handed. I have used it on wood and wood covered in fiberglass in repair situations and it is very controllable. Any guard just gets in the way, so a bit of thinking about which way the tool will jump in case it finds something metal will keep the heart rate down. This tool also needs to pass the ‘pucker test’ like when contemplating a cut on the table saw that just doesn’t feel right...if that is what your gut is telling you, then re-think the cut.

Mine is called a Powergouge, don’t know if it is still sold.

[L'Ankou]

Hi. I'm surprised no one mentioned the sawzall ?

[TerryLL]

There is a similar type of angle grinder cutter head for use on aluminum. They are commonly know as meat saws. Kickbacks are vicious, and frequently lead to the loss of meat.

[Rumars]

Thanks Mr Meachen... if axminster has them , though i've been dealing with them for years, my last catalogue is about 2010, then they will be available in mainland Europe. You know, that huge lump of land full of foreigners just opposite the white cliffs of Dover.
seriously if getting from UK post brexit is going to be as bad as buying stuff from the US then its probably going to be amazon .de ..
Interesting the pictured ones are basically chain saw teeth, but what had caught my eye was the aforementioned chain on a wheel or sprocket system , maybe replaceable.

Of course it's available on the mainland, for example from here: https://www.amazon.es/s?k=Cadena+dis...ref=nb_sb_noss