Is an angle grinder chainsaw disc UK safe compared with a rasp disc?
Updated: 21 October 2026
You are fitting a disc to a 115 mm angle grinder to round a gate post, and the results mix "chainsaw disc" with "wood carving disc". An angle grinder chainsaw disc is not UK safe to use. The Office for Product Safety and Standards says those attachments can cause serious injury or death from kickback, and it asks you to stop using them. A rasp disc is a toothed shaping wheel that can still grab, so the guard stays on. The [rasp disc comparison](/hub/sanders/rasp-disc) covers amazon.co.uk packs from public listings, with no lab test.
You are fitting a disc to a 115 mm angle grinder to round a gate post, and the results mix "chainsaw disc" with "wood carving disc". An angle grinder chainsaw disc is not UK safe to use.
You are fitting a disc to a 115 mm angle grinder to round a gate post, and the results mix "chainsaw disc" with "wood carving disc". An angle grinder chainsaw disc is not UK safe to use. The Office for Product Safety and Standards says those attachments can cause serious injury or death from kickback, and it asks you to stop using them. A rasp disc is a toothed shaping wheel that can still grab, so the guard stays on. The rasp disc comparison covers amazon.co.uk packs from public listings, with no lab test.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Diameter | Teeth | Max speed | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  OBA OBA OGD17 | 115 mm | Carbon steel | 12,000 rpm | 9.4 | about £13.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Techfection Techfection 125 mm set | 125 mm | Carbon steel | Not printed | 8.1 | about £13.59 | View offer |
 Pomsare Pomsare W115C | 115 mm | Carbon steel | 12,200 rpm | 7.6 | about £28.49 | View offer |
On this page
What the GOV.UK alerts actually cover
PSA2 and PSA5 cover chainsaw discs and toothed saw blades sold for angle grinders, not an ordinary rasp wheel. PSA2, issued on 30 June 2021 and published on 5 April 2022, followed injuries when the chain gripped the wood and the grinder kicked out of the hand. Those discs imitate a chainsaw, and a grinder has no chain brake or guide bar. The Office for Product Safety and Standards found they cannot meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, so businesses must take them off the market. PSA5, published on 14 March 2023, covers toothed saw blades sold for the same tools. BS EN 60745-2-3, which PSA2 cites as BS 60745-2-3, requires a warning not to fit a saw chain woodcarving blade or a toothed saw blade, because of frequent kickback and loss of control. A carbide rasp is outside that wording, and that is not an OPSS approval of the disc. Chain on a plate, or saw teeth cut to make a kerf, stays in scope when the title says "carving", and the instruction is to stop rather than to hunt for a safe speed.
How kickback starts on these attachments
Kickback here is the tool snapping back when a chain link or a saw tooth catches. GOV.UK describes a chainsaw disc gripping the wood so the grinder jumps from your hand, with a risk of serious injury or death. PSA5 describes a toothed blade snagging and forcing the tool back towards you. A rasp can kick as well if you dwell in end grain, so you keep both hands on, the guard fitted, and the pressure light. Chainsaw discs and toothed saw blades do not belong on the spindle at all. How you mount and feed a rasp is in how to use a rasp disc.
What a rasp disc is for
A rasp disc scrapes wood with teeth instead of sawing a kerf. Listings on amazon.co.uk in this set are mostly carbide or carbon-steel discs at 100 mm or about 115 to 125 mm, with bores near 22 mm or 22.23 mm. You round an edge, strip bark, level a high spot, or rough a carving before sandpaper. A flap disc belongs in another category, and it does not make a chainsaw attachment acceptable. Diameter, bore, and maximum speed are set out in the rasp disc buying guide. A three-disc pack around £6.89 tells you the price, not the family of disc.
How to tell the products apart before you pay
Look at the metal, not the word "carving". A chainsaw disc is a loop of chain around a hub, sold for a chainsaw effect on an angle grinder. A toothed saw blade has large pointed teeth, like a circular saw. A rasp is a solid wheel of small teeth or carbide chips, used with the guard still covering part of the disc. If the photo could sit on a chainsaw bar, leave it. "Fits Makita" does not prove the bore. EN 12413 on the page is not a bonded-wheel certificate. A figure in radians per second is not rpm, and a 115 mm disc on a 100 mm guard is still the wrong size. That fit question is 100 mm versus 115 mm. If the manual does not allow a toothed shaping wheel, follow the manual. At work, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations require suitable equipment and a competent person to mount it.
If you already bought an alert product
Stop using it, and do not try one careful cut to judge the feel. PSA2 tells you to stop using any chainsaw disc on an angle grinder. PSA5 tells you to stop using a toothed saw blade that falls under the alert, to dispose of it safely, and to wear the protection specified for any disc the grinder maker does allow. If the seller marketed it as compatible, contact that business about redress and keep a copy of the listing. Take it off the spindle, and do not cut the chain away with the same grinder. When the guard is damaged, the disc wobbles after tightening, or the rpm is unclear, ask someone competent to check it before you continue.
Common questions
Is a chainsaw disc the same as a carving disc?
No. A chainsaw disc imitates a chainsaw on an angle grinder, and GOV.UK PSA2 says stop using it because of kickback. A rasp or carving disc is a toothed shaping wheel, often carbide or carbon steel, that scrapes wood. Sellers put "carving" on both, so use the photo. A rasp has no OPSS approval, and it can still snag if you lean on it.
Will this disc fit my Makita grinder?
Only if the bore matches the flange and the diameter matches the guard. Listings mix 16 mm, 20 mm, 22 mm, 22.23 mm, and M14 wording, and a pack can include a shape that does not sit flat. With the grinder unplugged, reject any disc the lock nut cannot clamp fully.
Do I need a face shield for wood?
Wear the eye and face protection your grinder instructions specify, because a rasp throws chips and a kick can reach your head. PSA5 tells you to wear the personal protective equipment recommended for the tool, including on timber. Add a face shield when the instructions ask or when chips come back at you. That kit does not make a chainsaw disc acceptable.
What does a 22.23 mm bore mean?
It is the centre hole, the metric figure for a 7/8 inch arbor on many UK angle grinders. Rutlands quotes 22.2 mm on its carving discs, the same class of fit, though the disc must still sit flat. The bore does not show whether you have a rasp or an alert attachment.
Why are some packs so cheap?
About £6.89 for three 100 mm discs on amazon.co.uk can be a basic rasp set with almost no UK reviews. Chainsaw-style blades have also been sold cheaply, which is why businesses were told to remove them. A low price can be a real rasp, and a higher price can be an alert product, so judge the shape, the bore, and the maximum speed.
Related pages
Sources
Sources taken from the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listing figures as of 20 October 2026.
- GOV.UK PSA2 — angle grinder chainsaw disc (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- GOV.UK PSA5 — toothed saw blade attachments (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- HSE — PUWER overview (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- HSE — HSG17 abrasive wheels (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Rutlands — carving discs set of 2 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Rutlands — carving discs and rasps set of 6 (retrieved 20.10.2026)