Never tried it with an outlet box, but I did find that while the Rotozip *bit* was great for cutting tile, I had a whole lot more luck with it when I put it in a Dremel tool with a flex attachment for cutting holes for plumbing fixtures.
I'm not that familiar with the full Rotozip line, but the ones I've used were all single-speed- and that speed was way too fast for cutting tile, IMO.
As many have mentioned it's versaitality with drywall, I have a new appreciation how well it does that job.
My wife and I had our new house drywalled, we've built the rest...but hired the drywall hanging and finishing, the pro crews are just WAY faster. The hanging crew gave artisan with a rotozip new meaning The way they'd just tack the edges of a sheet, find the ceiling fixtures and in a couple of seconds out plopped a DW puck.
In the ICF construction, I had to add a 3 1/2" OSB nailer at the bottom of the exterior walls. Tacked the top, let the bottom rest on the OSB, never measured just let the bit run on the nailer...trimmed perfectly.
They're amazing to watch...and I did just that...watch as we've busted our hinny on this project and ready for a break.
Like everything...every tool has it's place and it's your responsibility to choose the right tool. I'd never use a rotozip to poke a hole in 1/2 OSB just as I'd never use a reciprocating saw to cut dove tails.
Don't get rid of it....if you do, you'll find that it would of been the cats meow.
Hang in there....
DAC
Hmmm. I have no problem cutting around plastic boxes. Have to be gentle though.
Did you use drywall bits?
To get rid of the drywall dust problem experienced during cutting, I purchased some drywall bits. They reduced the dust dramatically.
Possibly, the drywall specific bits are better at cutting around plastic. (Thinking out loud :)
Gary.
I have limited space on my service truck, so I carry a very basic model (sans. D-handle, variable speed, etc.) with an assortment of bits for different material that all fit in a small plastic tool box. I'm sure your method is superior, but I'm usually doing a one time install on very short notice (ex. the freezer unit was just delivered and we need it running by lunch rush in an hour!). Its noisy, and messy, but it cuts clean enough to install a cut in box, and any minor sins are covered by the plate. It has enough beef to do tougher jobs as well. An added benefit to the model I carry is that it is relatively inexpensive, should it be stolen on a jobsite. The Flexshaft machine stays home in my personal shop, not to be shared with my tool abusing cohorts. Marty
Martin (NoxiousDog) Person,
*****************************************Connoisseur of budget meats, electrician, Collector of manure.
The problem with this is the edge of the outlet/switch box will be
1/2" below the finish side of the drywall. I know some/most of the screws on outlets/switches can span the 1/2" but it just seems like a poor quality job to have the outlet/switch box not at the surface of the drywall.I have a Sears brand of the Dremel and it is useful in some instances. Gets used a couple times a year. Glad I bought it. Not sure I see the need for a Roto Zip. Might acquire one of those small palm routers like the PC 3510.
No need to buy those great big plates to
Just read the other responses of just barely tacking the drywall in place and cutting out the hole with the box in its proper 1/2" proud of the studs position then sliding the drywall over the box hole and finishing the drywall screwing. Might have to try this with my Sears Dremel next time I hang drywall. I'va always done the measure where the box is and cut the drywall before putting it on the wall method.
Sure- No reason why it can't work, I just like the bit running slower. Seems like when I tried it in a standard Rotozip like the one you're describing, it really burned those bits up fast. In the Dremel at the lowest speed, they last a good long time, and I have a bit more control.
Now that, I can certainly understand. Even though a Dremel is hardly an expensive tool, I only use it for tile, and it stayed locked up unless it was in my hand. Now I don't do tile work anymore (though I suppose I would if a side job came up) so it just stays in the basement as a "just in case" tool.
It is. I think you missed something in the description- you rough in the boxes so that they will sit flush with the finished drywall surface, and then screw in the perimeter of the drywall and maybe a stud or two. Just what you need to hold the sheet on the wall or ceiling. Then you cut the drywall around the boxes and it pops down over them. *Then* you finish screwing it down completely.
Sounded like a crappy way to do it to me as well (I always used to layout the sheet and use a keyhole saw to cut the holes before hanging sheets) until I saw a guy actually doing it. Took about 10 seconds to make a firm believer out of me.
No real need for the Rotozip unless you're a sheetrocker or do a *lot* of remodeling, really. It's sure nice for what's being described, and saves a lot of time- but it's nothing a guy can't do with a utility knife and/or a keyhole saw. For a hobbyist woodworker or DIY home repairs, there's not much call for the thing.
Should have read this before I posted the last one. Sorry!
If you're going to try it with the Dremel (and I haven't,) I'd suggest getting one of those "router" attachments so that you've got a way to keep the bit perpendicular to the wall. Should work fine, then- but freehanding it might be a bit more trouble than it's worth, and probably not a good reflection of the potential it has.
If you've got sheetrock maybe. If you've got real plaster it's a godsend.
At the moment my baasement shop plans have changed. A friend said I should stud and insulate and drywall the basement walls instead of just painting the concrete white. I'm thinking I will do this. So instead of rotary hammering the metal boxes and conduit to the walls with Tapcons, I'll be putting outlet boxes every 4 feet onto studs attached to the walls/floors/joists. Lots of outlet boxes.
Still wondering about the drywall attaching. When I hang drywall I put in the screws so any wrinkles are worked out as I screw it down. Put 3-4 screws into the same stud or two in the middle of the drywall sheet. Then put screws in the studs to the sides until I get to the outside of the drywall. Like when laying laminate, you start in the middle and work to the edges or start at one end and work to the other end so no bubbles occur. But with drywall its probably stiff enough that resting it on top of the 1/2" protruding boxes will not cause any bubbles, warps to form. I'm thinking up problems that do not occur.
I'll have to try it with the utility knife and keyhole saw and see if that works. Then maybe try the Sears Dremel freehand. Then maybe buy the router base thing for the Dremel tool. Then maybe buy the PC 3510 since its a new tool and I want a new tool. Want, not need.
You are 110% correct. Lath and plaster will kill a keyhole saw in a matter of seconds. I was talking about new installation, and most folks go with premade rock these days.
Never really saw any wrinkles on sheetrock, but if you just run the screws along the top of the sheet, you should be able to use the technique *and* set your mind at ease. Before you zip it out, all you need is enough holding power to keep the sheet from falling off or sliding around.
Please note that utility knife and keyhole saw works best if you layout and cut the holes while the sheet is on the ground. The drywall bits have blunt ends that should not tear up your wiring, but using a keyhole saw to cut around the roughed-in box is a good way to either cut your wires or give yourself a really good shock, if the wires are live. It can work very well, you just need to measure carefully.
Sure- there's more than one way to skin a cat.
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