drywall cutter

I am putting up 5/8 firecode sheet rock alone on a garage ceiling... (stop snickering). I am cutting the sheet rock into 6 foot lengths for easier handling. I have a home made jack that I made out of a camper jack with a dead man fastened to it. the jacking isn't half bad but... the cutting is. I am using a utility knife... (stop snickering).... heh heh. I would like to know what the pros use to cut drywall? Rotozip? sawzall?

Reply to
M
Loading thread data ...

Utility knife with a good sharp blade and a drywall square or held at the end of a tape measure. I don't like any of the click knives. I used to use a Stanley 199

formatting link
but prefer a Hyde 42080
formatting link
. They are a bit harder to find, but fit my hand so much better. Personna makes some of the best blades, though any heavy duty blade is OK. ______________________________ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) snipped-for-privacy@7cox.net

Reply to
DanG

I am looking for a power tool?,,,,

Reply to
M

Does the dead man's wife know you're using him?

sorry. couldn't help it.

Reply to
Steve Barker LT

That's ok... even I laughed.... I thought of a few comebacks but I don't want to go there.

Reply to
M

Any power tool is going to rough up the edge to where you will have to use the accursed knife to clean it up anyway so you are losing not gaining. A saw will make a hell of a mess in dust too. A sawzall isn't too bad for cutting holes though, like for plugs etc. Still hard to beat a keyhole saw. Six foot? Hope you are good at taping butt joints.

Reply to
Glenn

First of all, I got to say you really took on a tough project by yourself. I've had to do the exact same thing myself. So you're on the right track but as for cutting here's what you need to do.

Think twice. Cut once.

Get it? Truer now than ever. On a sheet of paper draft all of your planned pieces and cuts and use a snap string to mark all the planned cuts on your materials. Label each piece on the paper plan and use colored chalk to lightly mark a corresponding label on each piece you plan to cut.

The drafting can be drawn without drafting tools but drafting a plan with real tools is the best approach. You want to maximize the use of your materials while minimizing the number of cuts. This is not only most economical it also is the only reasonable way to allow you to manage the weight while working in the air. You yourself noted you are cutting your drywall into pieces.

You can use a utility knife when you're on the ground to follow your drafted plan if you want to but if you follow my advice you'll only need a hand saw or two for cutting. The utility knife gives you the cleanest cuts (but the tape and mud will cover everything anyway) and it is extremely difficult to cut drywall with a utility knife when working in the air. Prove this to yourself. Working on the floor you can pretend you're working in the air. See how you can or can't cut through 5/8" using a utility knife safely and accurately with the least number of "slices" which is how the utility knife actually cuts. It slices; which requires greater pressure and control. Remember, everything you do when working on the ground you will have to be able to do safely and accurately when working in the air.

So when cutting drywall while working in the air its safer and more efficient to use a "hole saw" also called a "drywall saw" depending where you live; terminology varies. They make a dry wall saw?. Hello? They make a tool called a drywall saw?

Hell yes, its something like 6 teeth per inch on a short and narrow blade ending in a knife-point tip. Very rough cut as its used to poke a hole through drywall with the knife-point and then get a starter cut going to proceed cutting holes for wallplates and power outlets. Okay. Are we on the same page?

That type of hole saw should be held in a pouch for fine cuts when you're up in the air. You also need to go to your tool store and buy a larger hand saw that also has about 6 teeth per inch. I think they call it a rip saw? Hello? Rough cut, Rip saw? 6 teeth per inch? Making sense now? You might have to shop a couple of two or three stores to find the right saw in stock. Ask the store guys. Most of them may be so old they fart dust but old farts get old because they learned to use the right saw. :-)

The point being, I'm trying to help you understand the heavier the saw when you're up in the air usually means less safety and less control. Wear a dust mask while cutting; 6 teeth per inch takes out a lot of material with each cut.

The only power tool you should need will be a power drill to drive the screws which you should be using to fasten the drywall to whatever is it you are applying the new drywall to.

Reply to
clintonG

Why?

Matt

Reply to
Matt Whiting

Most any power tool is going to make a tremendous amount of dust. Stick with a good sharp knife. Anything else is non-professional. Maybe you want a non-professional touch with power tool for cutting sheetrock?

If you want to throw money at it, hire a professional drywaller to do the job. Then, you can see it in action.

Reply to
Jonny

utility knife is fine. I'm assuming that you know that you only need to cut through the paper on one side, snap off the piece, then cut through the paper on the other side. No fuzzy edges. Easiest to do this with the drywall leaning more or less vertical against a wall. You should really consider renting a drywall hoist instead of using short length sheets. The extra butt joints would be a killer.

Bill

Reply to
bill allemann

...top posting repaired...

...

Thought you were looking for what the pros use? Only place I've seen any power is I have seen a very few use the zip to do cut out the window/door openings after hanging full sheets, but never for separate cuts.

I prefer a scoring knife designed for the task...the Stanley is the

10-519 -- the long blade is designed for smoothing the edge after the break and is much more suited than the sharp blade. Search Amazon for "Stanley scoring knife" to see one. Goldblatt and other drywall tool manufacturers have slightly different versions, but this is fine for the occasional use.

As someone else noted, cut/score one side and snap, then cut the other side.

Reply to
dpb

I know enough to layout and cut on the ground. Cutting in the air would be stupid. I guess I didn't relay that message that well. I was looking for a power saw to cut the wall board... on the ground.

Reply to
M

M (nospam) wrote: ...

All a power saw of any sort (actually any even w/o the "power" portion) does w/ drywall is make for a mess of creating dust where don't need to.

What you really need is to rent a full-size lift and some help to manhandle the sheets and could probably finish hanging a ceiling in a grarage in a half day. If haven't finished, I'd go to the local day labor pickup point early of a morning and hire a couple of guys and be done w/ it...

Reply to
dpb

"M" wrote in news:4YGdnQpYK7bFQabYnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com:

Assume you are not taping and mudding since this will double your taping.

Leave the drywall on the pickup. Measure and score on the pickup. Slide piece off to scoring. Snap down by it's own weight nice and even. Back slice easy after snapping.

But then, you may have it all in the garage already...

Reply to
Al Bundy

Use a knife, use that saved money to Rent a drywall jack...well worth it.

Reply to
jaymay75

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.