Cutting floorboards - cheap reciprocating saw?

It depends how heavy you are.

I have a cheapie and when my 16 stone mate uses it, it works fine. But I'm 10 stone and when the blade jams, it's me that goes backwards and forwards.

So I wouldn't use it in any situation where I wanted a neat result. Depending on the amount of boards you have to lift, I'd use a Fein clone.

Your mileage - and body mass - may vary.

I use a jigsaw with the blade snapped off to the depth of the floorboard. You start with the blade near horizontal and pivot the tool into the work

- most base plates have a curved front to make this easy. With care and a firm but steady hand you can start the cut in the middle of the board and go to the edge. Then turn round and go to the other edge. As regards hitting a nail - you can usually see them and go round it. But these blades are cheap enough anyway.

I'm sure the Fein type tool is ideal for this, if only because the blade is so thin. A wide kerf is bad news for bare boards, or even if you're carpeting. I wonder how long it takes though. What does ARW use? A chainsaw? :-) The jigsaw cut has never worked for me, and only results in the shortened blade thudding against the board from a dizzy height. Maybe it depends on the length of the stroke.

You need to snap the blade so there is a tooth at the bottom - or do a bit of grinding after snapping. And enter it to the work carefully. Oh - and don't use a pendulum action.

Oh, and this currently looks good value

you can use a multifunction tool but it is slow going.

Fein Multimaster (or a clone). I have used the Fein and a Bosch copy, I found the Fein much better to use. YMMV.

PS apparently your aldi's have them soon.

Interesting extract from the manual

===================================================== If you need to reduce the cutting capacity of your tool (depth of cut), the pivoting foot plate (2) may be adjusted as follows. Loosen the two securing screws (A) on the underside of the front housing with the spanner (8) provided. Slide the pivoting blade foot (2) to the required position. Tighten both screws (A) and check that the blade foot (2) is firmly latched. (see Fig.3)

As in another thread: Fein clone at Aldi on 18th. - get there early or they'll be gone! I missed them last time and ended up suffering the indignity of a Bosch Pro instead ;-)

By far the best thing I've ever used for floor boards and, if used carefully, v. low chance of hitting a pipe or cable.

I cut the tongue each side of each joist, slide a knife blade along to find the joist and mark both sides then try to cut in the middle of the marks but missing the nails (ideally, leaving the nails in the bit that doesn't need to come up but...) The semi-circular blade for the Bosch has a depth that's within a gnatscock of the thickness of my boards - YFMV. It can be angled to cut vertically adjacent to the other boards alongside.

This is probably one of those cases where for trade use in someone else's place, speed may be of more importance than finish. Hence big saws to get boards up fast. For domestic use where you will not be doing it every day, the multimaster approach has more finesse. The thin kerf takes out very little material, and the ability to stick a cut through at a 45 degree bevel mean that in some cases you can even cut over a void, but restore most of the strength without a nogging simply by shuffling the cut bit up a couple of mm.

In message , AlanD writes

I have the Bosch and can't say I am hugely impressed. Plunge cut in wood for example... the blade remains stationary and the tool vibrates!

"David WE Roberts" wrote: [snip]

Best tools for the job IMO are a floorboard handsaw or a Fein multi tool or clone. Get yourself to Aldi next Thursday? If you use the bimetallic multi tool blades the will go through nails.

If you are cutting lots in a continuous cut, a circular saw set to the board thickness is quick. But you have to finish the cut with a jigsaw to avoid running on to the next board.

Virtually impossible to take up floorboards over the big area without damaging the tongues and grooves. If it is a big area, better to take up and replace with chipboard. Much quicker too. Remember to leave access traps to get at whatever when you do the job.

You get lots of draught potential in all the cracks between floorboards. Especially if you've ripped them up & put back.

If you have only got a few to do, I would go for a floorboard saw: a sort of small panel saw with a rounded end, and teeth around the curve. One merit over any power tool other than a Fein (apart from delicacy) is that you can cut very close to a skirting board.

The Fein works but is very slow.

The other tool I use is a circular saw set to floorboard depth, after taking suitable care to be sure there are no nails or screws in the way. I find the best way to locate floorboard nails in old floorboards is with a small rare earth magnet.

Is today's flooring-grade chipboard the same thickness as our 1970's floorboards though?

Even if you feathered the higher edge and used good underlay you might get a shadow line if it's more than a few mm.

There are floorboard screws which have a second thread to tighten the floorboard and not squeak.

I got one of these to check used timber for nails before machining.

Only a moron would consider ripping up T&G and replacing it with chipboard. And a moron has considered and advised it.