Any experience with back box cutters?

[down2earth]

The boss is thinking about buying one as we have a job coming up that requires about 30'ish to be knocked out, if anyone has used one I'd be grateful for some feed back, can they cope with brick, breeze block etc, are they really much quicker.

Thanks

Down2earth

 

[down2earth]

Thanks for all the feedback, as Rockingit says, there doesn't seem to be one single solution, it depends on the circs, best go and find my lumphammer.

 

[wade88]

Speaking of sinking boxes, how many of you guys plaster up your own chases etc?

 

[pennywise]

Speaking of sinking boxes, how many of you guys plaster up your own chases etc?

When needs must lol and you haven't got a spread onsite

 

[Rockingit]

Again, depends on the customer and situation. A little bit of careful filling is different to a whole wall skim. If I've the time, I'll quite often throw some bonding coat around just to help out as I'm nice like that (and why pay a spread when you can pay the sparky....... )

 

[wade88]

I havnt really done much plastering you see, and tend to just keep some ready mixed (which costs a fortune) with me just in case and have no issue just filling in with that when i need to. what do you guys generally use if you found yourself feeling generous enough to plaster up

 

[kung]

Hi Wade88 i found a local training centre in Hurst near Twyford not that far from you see www.train2build.co.uk good courses i,ve done a plastering/rendering course 3 yrs ago to help ! glad i did alright im no plasterer but i find it easy now and patch work is a breeze ! worth the money i reckon !
Only problem i find is some customers saying "oh your going to do what with my lovely ££££££ wall paper ? " and look at you as if you were just about to taser their kids ! how do they think we do it ?

 

[wade88]

Hi Wade88 i found a local training centre in Hurst near Twyford not that far from you see www.train2build.co.uk good courses i,ve done a plastering/rendering course 3 yrs ago to help ! glad i did alright im no plasterer but i find it easy now and patch work is a breeze ! worth the money i reckon !
Only problem i find is some customers saying "oh your going to do what with my lovely ££££££ wall paper ? " and look at you as if you were just about to taser their kids ! how do they think we do it ?

Tell me about it mate! Went to this one job bac kin November, woman wanted some new outside lights installed with the switches inside. So as i wondered around the gaff and did thew initial survey on the place it came to light she had just spend £8k!!!!!! on re decorating and THEN she thought she would call me in to a 110 year old house with double brick layered walling recently coated in thousands of pounds worth of paint, 4k worth of new carpets only to be lifted again as i need floorboard access, but surface mounting is not an option! She literally thought sockets and switches must have been wireless or something?! She was oblivious that domestic electrical work actually creates any mess at all. Some people literally havcnt the faintest idea what is involved in something so simply like adding a socket or putting a switch in. Its a messy game love!

Just did some work in a flat in south london, CU change, new circuit and a couple of sockets, one of which was SM, so no problem, but the couple had a 4 monthold kitten which nearly dies of fear everytime the hoover was on so i said once the SDS comes out for this socket you might want to take the cat for a walk to avoid cardiac arrest, so cut the socket out and chase the wall out back to next available spur, but with plaster top coats on thermalite especially on older buildings, that stuff goes so brittle and crumbly it just comes off in piles right? But she was clearly expecting no more then a little scratched paint or at worst maybe a crack in the plasterwork or something? Making that little job far more difficult then its needs to be when trying to explain the nature of chasing walls?!!

 

[Rockingit]

I always love the look of fear in their eyes when you pull a crowbar out the wagon....

 

[wade88]

Absolutely! Always worth dragging in a sledge and chainsaw just for comic effect if you have them..."You wanted a new ceiling rose yes? Ill just fetch the chain saw..."

 

[kung]

Mine only comes out for downlighters !

 

[kung]

i didnt do the 4 day electrical course it would be too intense for me to get the cables that straight !