Bosch oscillating tool review

[Michael]

site and I cut and scrape a lot of stuff with it. When I go the Bosch men tioned in my mini review, I immediately used it to cut the bottoms off old, hard, 2x6s, hard pieces of yellow pine trim, baseboards, etc. I also used it for all manner of cutting for work inside a kitchen rehab. I get pisse d off if I pick up a tool and it doesn't work at 100% capacity all the time . And since none of my crew guys own an oscillator, if it needs to charge t hat could mean down time. I have battery powered tools I use in the job (c ircular saw, recip saw, drills, hammer drills, etc.), but an oscillator isn 't one of them.

hey do. You should always use the right tool to do the job no matter what, and these are not made for continually sawing boards, plywood, etc. They are dandy trimmers, will plunge cut where your circular saw will not, can b e used as "jamb saws", cabinet installation saws, etc. But these are not m ade for heavy duty sawing, sawing in straight lines, or any kind of large p roject work requiring a lot wood cutting.

d years. Today's battery powered tools certainly have their place, and for light work like a small repair I have a battery powered set I take with me and don't break out anything corded.

r board. They all insisted that I take out the OSB and put in 3/4 plywood. I would prefer to put cement board over the OSB, of course, but if it will prevent failure, then I'll replace the OSB.

ring your right. 1) OSB has open ended strands that will attract moisture, and in a horizontal installation, this can cause delamination of the stran d structure. Tile is usually mopped clean at least once in a while and the water will go into the tiny little micro cracks that you won't notice in y our grout lines. The cracks are created from flexing of the substrate, fai lure of the grout to adhere PERFECTLY to the tile, movement of the foundati on, and if on wood screeds, weather changes. 2) OSB will flex over time in heavy traffic. I have pulled up old carpet laid over OSB subfloor and you can see the grain is raised under the pathways to bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. from tiny bits of flexing every time someone walks on it. So it does delam inate some, regardless of any manufacturer's claims. Delamination causes t he adhesive bonds to break, then the tiles move, the grout joint fails, etc . as above.

I had plan to take out the OSB and replace it with plywood and backer board , then tile. Again, that's because I'm told that's how to do it.

hat you have at your local big box may be for vertical use only, NOT to be used for foot traffic. Make sure you are getting the correct stuff, don't r ely on the HD or Lowe's guys; go to a real tile outlet and if possible, tal k to an installer.

ure we follow:

g tile installation is the underlying subfloor. ...

hering the cement board (foot traffic, horizontal grade) to the plywood, I spray the plywood with a coating of PVC primer to close up the pores a bit on the plywood to make sure the adhesive gets a good bite. Plywood will dr aw out the moisture in the adhesive too quickly in some cases and will give a less than satisfactory bond. Besides... the latex primer is cheap, chea p insurance.

eir grout joints should not be more than 1/2". regardless of prep. Remembe r, grout is not a structural component, and the only function of the grout is to keep stuff from getting in between and under the tiles. Wide grout j oints on a wood floor will definitely let go and separate from the tiles.

you follow the right steps. And if you follow them closely, your work will last as long as the tile does. With that in mind, don't buy cheap tile! Make sure you buy something that has a PEI rating or 3 or above so it will stand the wear and tear of furniture, kids, coffee tables, cleaning, etc.

oing with this! We all love work in progress threads.

Thanks, Robert! What are your thoughts on removing the vanity in the bathr oom to tile underneath? I'm inclined not to do it, but I'm really on the fe nce.

Thanks,

Mike

[Leon]

I'm sure Robert has a better answer but tiling under the vanity makes it easier for the next "re-do" I build my own vanities so I simply build them the same size or larger. BUT if you are re tiling it is not that much more trouble to cover the whole floor.

[-MIKE-]

They "whys" are as important as the "hows." There are newer technologies available that can save you a a lot of work, possibly money, and which may do a better job than what has always been used.

I'm just saying make sure the conditions that require doing what they are telling you to do actually exist in your situation.

[nailshooter41]

Nope. I like that one!

There is only one instance where I don't pull toilet and vanity, and that i s when it is a "landlord" job, where my client wants the work done as cheap ly as possible. Otherwise, I agree that it is best to pull the work. Be a ware that if you don't pull the cabinet, you can have some screwy looking e ffects depending on the thickness of your tile, the adhesive, the board, et c. that can creep up about an inch depending on what you do.

I pull the cabs, baseboards and toilets for a better, cleaner install. I d on't like a funky look to it where you can feel the cabinet height is off w hen you are washing your hands, the baseboards look short, and the toilet i s now part of a permanent install from being grouted in. Besides, when you pull , the tile job in a bath is a snap! A lot fewer cuts a nd plenty of room to work on the floor instead of wedging yourself in there to work. When you start your work, remember to take the entry door off the hinges as well for the duration of the job to get that out of your way, to o. It is surprising how much faster and how much better a job turns out wh en access is easy.

And as Leon said, building your own vanities has its place. If you are asp iring to do some cabinetry, the bath is a great place to start. A simple c arcass style constructed cabinet can be quite satisfying to build, and can give you enough cabinet experience to be proud of yourself. A good carcass , nice facing, well fitted doors and a drawer bank is a nice size, doable p roject.

Be aware that if you pull the cabinet you will need to take that new oscill ating tool and raise the holes for your plumbing in the cabinet back the co rresponding amount of your tile/substrate thickness. Likewise, you will ne ed to reset the top as it is no doubt caulked in at the edges, and may need to reset a mirror.

When you do a project like this, think like a contractor. Imagine yourself walking into the bathroom and thinking, "what would be my very first thing to do?", make yourself a list of all the tasks needed, form a time line, a nd then a final list of organization and schedule. With that, you will lea ve out almost nothing, you can always tell what needs to be done next, and where you are time-wise in the project when your significant other says, "O K, tell me again how much longer until I can use this bathroom again".

Robert

[krw]

And "filling the gaps" looks like the hack it is.

You won't be able to match the grout, either, so best just bite the bullet and tile under the damned thing. Tiling is a lot of work, it's not that much more work to pull a vanity and really saves the work of cutting little pieces around it, to say nothing of the added planning complications.

[Michael]

is when it is a "landlord" job, where my client wants the work done as che aply as possible. Otherwise, I agree that it is best to pull the work. Be aware that if you don't pull the cabinet, you can have some screwy looking effects depending on the thickness of your tile, the adhesive, the board, etc. that can creep up about an inch depending on what you do.

don't like a funky look to it where you can feel the cabinet height is off when you are washing your hands, the baseboards look short, and the toilet is now part of a permanent install from being grouted in. Besides, when y ou pull , the tile job in a bath is a snap! A lot fewer cuts and plenty of room to work on the floor instead of wedging yourself in the re to work. When you start your work, remember to take the entry door off t he hinges as well for the duration of the job to get that out of your way, too. It is surprising how much faster and how much better a job turns out when access is easy.

spiring to do some cabinetry, the bath is a great place to start. A simple carcass style constructed cabinet can be quite satisfying to build, and ca n give you enough cabinet experience to be proud of yourself. A good carca ss, nice facing, well fitted doors and a drawer bank is a nice size, doable project.

llating tool and raise the holes for your plumbing in the cabinet back the corresponding amount of your tile/substrate thickness. Likewise, you will need to reset the top as it is no doubt caulked in at the edges, and may ne ed to reset a mirror.

lf walking into the bathroom and thinking, "what would be my very first thi ng to do?", make yourself a list of all the tasks needed, form a time line, and then a final list of organization and schedule. With that, you will l eave out almost nothing, you can always tell what needs to be done next, an d where you are time-wise in the project when your significant other says, "OK, tell me again how much longer until I can use this bathroom again".

Thanks, Robert! It's pretty great getting professional advice here. While I'm in there, I think I'll just go ahead and pull the big tub too and put i n a whirlpool. Might as well do it all.

Mike

[-MIKE-]

I retract my previous statement about not pulling the vanity. Like you, I was thinking about the "landlord" type of job. I forgot how annoying it is the see the shrunken toe kick and weird trim transitions around cabinets like that.

I have to see some pretty horrendous trim/tile awkwardness every day in my own home due to previous owners who fancied themselves "flippers" after watching to many HGTV shows. :-)