Multi Tool suitability for electrical back box installation

Forget distributing 240V.

Thread the house with USB power connections.

/me runs, that way... ;-p

FWIW I'm aware of the use of these things in conjunction with an SDS drill- not tried myself.

... snipped

hard) and the rotating thing works OK if the pilot hole is sound (but it makes a lot of dust). I'd be very interested in finding an easier way, but what I've been doing is: draw the outline on the wall, drill a lot of holes to the right depth (not just around the edge), use a bolster or SDS chisel to cut out the material and square the edges, bu&&er about to get a flat enough bottom, drill the fixing holes, put a splodge of drywall adhesive at the back and sides, push the box in, fit the screws, fill the gaps with more adhesive and finish-off with a filler. (PS, don't forget the grommet!)

Cutting back box holes in brick is a bit "heavy duty" for a multitool, you'd go through ££ in blades, I'd use a box-sinker on an SDS with roto-stop.

I've got 3 multi tools. Never even considered using them for this. I've never seen blades for them that will cut masonry - at least at a sensible speed.

Given I prefer to keep making good to a minimum, I tend to drill holes all the way round with the SDS drill - then use its chisel to remove the rest.

Neh, in a few years everything will be cordless, or should that be wireless, so we won't need sockets.

Brick and plaster? No chance! These things are fine for cutting holes in plasterboard when you have stud partitions - but no good for solid walls.

You need a decent SDS drill, followed by an SDS chisel. Even a box sinker would struggle on brick, but is ok on block walls.

I've still got a yellow plastic doohickey which you screw to the wall and then it acts as a drill guide for a masonry drill to drill lots of holes in the right place.

Then smash out the remaining bits of brick with your weapon of choice.

Alloy version .

I used to use one because my freestyle hammer drilling is more dangerous than effective.

Cheers

Dave R

Is that really worth the bother over a pencil line? ;-)

I have never found one to be of any use.

Stitch drilling and or SDS chisels are the only methods I have found successful on hard brick. And even then you sometimes just have to bond in the back box (old bonding and a bit of cement) as the brick collapses.

Possibly great for cutting holes in plasterboard stud walls but I'm not sure that it would help with cutting socket backbox cut outs in plaster/brick. i) Non-of the blades claim to be suitable for brick ii) The blades would only go in around an inch before the body of the tool hits the wall.

I have one of these tools with various blades and it has got me out of trouble or made the job easier on many occasion - sometimes abusing a blade which can result in a costly small job. They are great for some jobs but box sinking in brick is probably beyond their capability.

I can see the advantage if you have plaster applied in 1905 as in my house. It has a hard surface but as soon as you drill into it it's soft, sandy and crumbly beneath and the entry point of the hole gets larger. I often have to install a wall plug and then repair the surface with filler. Attempting to drill hole with a centre say, 10mm away would be difficult because the surface is no longer flat or particularly sound. A jig such as shown would guide the drill in for the next hole. For a small job I would make my own drilling jig from a piece of scrap plywood.

About the only bit of this job they are well suited to is when you need to cut a neat hole in a tiled surface. However, once through the tiles you would switch to a SDS and / or wall chaser.

I chuck the rubble back in mixed with a bit of PVA and multifinish when I find I've inadvertently knocked through to the next room.

Learnt the hard way not to use foam in such applications.

Owain

That is just a chance to fit an extra socket in the other room:-)

Unless it is the bathroom or next doors bedroom:-(

I have done it. Those pesky single skinned terraced houses.

They're excellent. The blades blunt quickly, but just push harder and they will cut when blunt. Keep going until the blade is worn away completely!

Well we can forget that.

But I sometimes use a wall chaser to make the cuts for the box edges and I have had some success in cutting through the plaster/render coat with a multi tool when it positively, absolutely has to be neat - like a back-to-back socket.

Why?