Angle Grinder "Carving"

Next step in practicing making a bowl (maybe even ruining it) is to rough grind it down to the approximate shape I'd like. To do this, I used my angle grinder with a mini-chainsaw wheel attachment:

For fast stock removal, I haven't seen or used anything quite like this. The only problem, if you want to call it that, is that it's very aggressive. Much smaller than a chainsaw, but just as much danger (more so if you aren't careful at ALL times). Kickback is still a possibility, and that's why I wear chainsaw chaps, kevlar gloves, and both ear and eye protection. Chips and sawdust fly in every which direction (especially if the wind is blowing). Anyway, here's a short video of me starting on one of the bottom ends of the block:

Lesson learned: Don't use the grinder for all the rough stock removal. Took me six hours to get the approximate rough shape I wanted. On the next one, I'll try to "cone" the block using a chainsaw first. That way, I won't have such a tired old decrepit body by day's end.

A few photos of the work in progress:

In this one, I've already done two sides and an end. Still not tired enough to stop for the day.

 In this one, you can see the "outline" of the pattern I wanted for the top of the bowl. Did this with a Sharpie.

This one shows the "indent" where the scallop is going to be.

And this one, durn burn it, shows a crack that opened as I was working on this side of the bowl.

Guess you never know what you're going to grind into once you get started on something. This last photo shows the exposure after I broke off the cracked piece. My plan is to actually make the base a little smaller than originally intended. Hope the balance is ok if I do that. Won't know until it's done. If it doesn't balance, I may have to make a base for the bowl, although I don't really want to do that cuz I believe it'll detract from the overall appearance of the piece. We'll see, I guess.