Working on my wood!

I just had to say that!

But really...I was working on it! Since I came across this wood in used condition, I need to remove the paint from it. If I leave the paint on the wood, it could leech potentially harmful chemicals into the soil of my garden, and that would get taken up by the roots of my plants. That would be bad. So this is how I'll make the wood ready for use.

I acquired an angle grinder to strip the paint off the reclaimed wood, and I got to work on it today. Here is the pile of the wood I'll be working on. (Remember, this wood was free!)

The project of stripping the wood is very slow. I think I'll buy a different attachment for the grinder. I'm currently using a 4" angle grinder equipped with a 120-grit flap wheel. I think the grit count is too high, since this is going far too slowly. The wood is coming out real smooth, but I'm sacrificing time to get such a nice finish. I'll buy a 40- and 80-grit set and see which works better.

The wood is looking fantastic, though. Check out the before, during, and after pics!