You could use your jigsaw if you break the end off a blade so that at full stroke it is just long enough to reach through the floorboard. Then you should be able to jigsaw along the centre line of the joist without actually cutting the joist (much!).
(your circular saw will also do the job since you can set the depth of cut on that to the thickness of the boards)
I'm in the process of clearing loft space for storage. The old water tank is being chopped up and removed. The existing floor boards are sparadic, some hang over half way between joists. So I intend to cut some of them back to the joists in a manner that I can then lay the chipboard tongue and groove stuff.
I have so far cut the floor boards flush with the joists using my jigsaw. I now need to cut the floor boards back to half way across the joist leaving room to lay the new chipboards.
The question I have is what is the best tool to do the job? I've borrowed a circular saw but it seems a bit like a sledge hammer to crack a nut.
I am a DIY numpty and I'm not particularly experienced with what tools might be available and for what use. Any help appreciated!
It would be easier to screw a batten to the edge of the joist to support the chipboard. It is virtually certain that a significant number of the floorboard nails will be just where you want to cut, to the considerable detriment of any tool you use to cut them.
Colin Bignell
Yup, much better solution than my suggestion...
(obviously I am not thinking lateraly today!)
Yup - my preferred method. And you can start the cut in the middle of the board with no pilot hole by slowly pivoting the jigsaw from vertical to horizontal if you have a firm grip. Then turn it round to cut to the other end.
Trouble is a circular saw will damage adjoining boards.
On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 16:36:41 -0000, "nightjar" strung together this:
Exactly what I would do, a lot easier and safer.
considerable
Thanks for your reply. Why would this option be safer?
without
Thanks for your reply. What method or technique is best to break the end of the blade?
You're right that would have been one of my concerns.
considerable
Thanks Colin, this is a good suggestion. My only concern is if the batten would be strong enough to take full bodyweight if one were to stand and put full pressure on that end of the board.
I obviously have spare bits of floor board that I've cut so if I do choose this method I could use pieces of them for the battens, though they're not particularly wide.
On 21 Jan 2005 12:42:17 -0800, "Dundonald" strung together this:
You don't have to use broken power tools.
Re; strength. I usually use a minimum of 2x2 if possible and screw it into the existing joist, securely.
If you own a dremel, then use a cut-off wheel to chop off the end of the blade, and form the end into the proper shape WRT the last tooth. (look at the end of the existing one)
Crikey. I simply grip the blade with one pair of pliers and snap off the waste with another.
However, reading the question more carefully ;-) if I was simply adding chipboard butted on to old floorboards, it would be far less work to cut the old floorboards flush with the joist and screw a batten to the joist and the chipboard to that. The 'broken' jigsaw blade trick is best kept for cutting a floorboard where it is to be re-laid in an all floorboard situation.
Stick a decent guage of screw (i.e. a 10 or 12 guage) in, or for that matter just use 4" nails, every foot or so, you will be fine. They are under a shear load in that circumstance, and hence very strong.
Thanks for your reply. I guess old floor board won't be any good then as it's only about an inch deep at most.
On 21 Jan 2005 15:41:47 -0800, "Dundonald" strung together this:
Yep, a bit on the flimsy side really. It would work at a push but I'd like to see at least a decent piece of 2x1 on there if it's just in a loft, (as yours is, I forgot that when replying previously).
That will primarily depend on how you fix it. Large diameter screws at about six inch intervals would be more than adequate IMO. I never use nails in a loft, as I have alway lived in places with lath and plaster ceilings, which tend to dislike you hammering above them and express their dislike by dropping into the room below. I do, however, recoomend an electric screwdriver if you are doing a large area that way.
They only need to be half the width of a joist to give the same support as you would get by trimming the floorboards back.
Colin Bignell
nightjar That will primarily depend on how you fix it. Large diameter screws at about
I was forgetting this was a loft.... so forget the nails! (I think even a plasterboard ceiling gets a bit miffed when you bash thin joists to much!). You may need to pre-drill the bit of wood that is going to get screwed on as well to make sure you don't split it when you whack the screws through.
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