Lifting floorboards?

Hi, Quick question; In order to lift a floorboard normally I cut through the tongue with a circular saw and then put a cut perpendicular over a joist to free the board. I do find this rather heavy handed and messy and of coourse the problem is being very careful of pipes just below the floorboards. Has anybody any other methods of removing floorboards that is not so destructive? Thanks, Matthew

Reply to
Matthew
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Use a Stanley knife for the tongue, and a jig saw held at an angle for the cut through.

Reply to
Nigel Molesworth

Or dovetail saw for the tongue up to a butt joint in the board if there is one. Then lift the board high enough so that you can cut it further back with a tenon saw without damaging anything. Punch nails in if poss to avoid snapping the board, and pull them out afterwards.

cheers

Jacob

Reply to
owdman

You can buy a floor board saw like this

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which is surprisingly effective. The teeth continue around the curved section of the blade. You can do a very neat job with one of these.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

I use a fine tenon saw for the tongues - and a jigsaw to cut across the board - having first drilled a hole for the blade to start. Also, I cut against the joist - not over it. This is much cleaner, and avoids splitting the board round the nail holes. It simply means that I have to nail a batten onto the side of the joist to support the board when it goes back.

Reply to
Roger Mills (aka Set Square)

Yes, I have one of those but have never really got to grips with it, I find it less effective than an ordinary square-ended hardpoint saw.

Somewhere I have a DIY book (the Collins one I think?) which shows a picture of an "electrician's skate" IIRC which is reccomended for this task and looks the biz... I think it's like a cross between a foot-sized skate board with an ice-skate blade beneath, which you run up and down the T&G slot till it breaks through. However I've never seen one in real life, or seen one on sale anywhere!

David

Reply to
Lobster

I was going to say this, but I thought I'd be told off.

Reply to
Nigel Molesworth

I usually cut 2 or 3 boards, and lever them out, retaining the grooves. They can be re-fitted either joined together with the lower groove removed on the end board, or separately levered down. In both cases there is no gap where the tounge has been cut, resulting in a much more draught (and sound) proof floor.

Reply to
<me9

You don't need the hole - start with the jigsaw blade near horizontal then pivot it down into the work. The front of the bed is curved to allow this. I snap off a blade so the deepest the cut can be is the depth of the board.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

No, you'll get told off for abusing your jigsaw.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

I think the best way would be one of those oscillating cutters, like the FEIN supercut. It just slices through the floorboard and you stop when it's free. Not tried it, but I have tried all other methods, including the cut-off jigsaw, which is *very* clumsy. Also tried one of those side-cutting drill bits, and it wandered all over the place - might be OK with a gig though. I hate the cut at the side of the joist and nail on a batten too. The new batten is never as firm as you'd like due to the fixing /load distribution. Simon.

Reply to
sm_jamieson

It is, actually. The problem is that the board flexes more because it is no longer supported by the tongues and grooves of adjacent boards. This will be the case more or less whatever you do - except for taking up several boards in one go, and not breaking the tongues, as someone has suggested.

Reply to
Roger Mills (aka Set Square)

Tools are there to do what I want them to do.

If I want to hit a chisel with a hammer, or put a plane down on the blade, I'll bloody do it. Fuck off Mr Robinson (Form 4 woodwork).

Reply to
Nigel Molesworth

I don't suppose this is recommended as it sounds dangerous but I have become quite expert at it and have never had the saw jam. Perhaps you could practice using a small underpowered saw. I use an 8" circular saw by resting it on the floor with the front part lifted up, and tilting the blade down until it has cut through in one place. Then slide it forwards to cut as far as needed. Set the blade depth to the thickness of the floorboards. If you cut two boards at both ends, they will lever up in the middle without breaking the tongues. Put them back the same way. ____/\____

Reply to
Nick

Except with a circular saw you can never just cut across the individual boards you wish to lift, either you run onto adjacent boards or have to resort to chisels and hacking them to bits.

The Fein Multimaster lets you cut with about a 1mm kerf across a single board and if you wish it also cuts the tongues off almost invisibly.

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(no connection just a satisfied user)

(Cue Dr Dribble saying it's hideously expensive and you can get all the functionality in 3 bits of Ryobi/Wickes/Rotozip crap for 1/3 price)

Reply to
Matt

Once I have cut a slot with the circular saw I use a small handsaw to cut vertically up to the next board.

Looks interesting but from that website I can't see exactly how it can cut floorboards. Besides I have two skilsaws and handsaws which are vastly cheaper.

Reply to
Nick

That's just hard work ! I use my old and trusty Black+Decker drill/saw attachment

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cut across the centre part of a board, three if its T&G and finish the edge were it meets another board with a jigsaw fitted with a shortened blade. I can get a board up in 30sec like this, I still keep my original purposes made tools for this job,
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but they are just slow and hard work, and don't do a better job

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Reply to
Mark

Scroll to the bottom of the page under Fein Multimaster Accessories

Then follow any of the following links: Replacing floor coverings/Interior Construction/Boat Building and Maintenance. All using similar methods to those required to remove a floorboard.

I've got a few circular saws, jigsaws, handsaws and floorboard saws. None of them do the job with the same combination of neatness and speed as the multimaster. Circular saws are an evil way to do any floorboard work (and so are jigsaws!)

Reply to
Matt

Crikey. Try my jigsaw with the blade snapped to the right size trick. ;-)

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Why do you have to hack the boards to bits? It's easy enough to finish a circular saw cut with a chisel if you do it properly.

Reply to
Rob Morley

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