electrical tools

[5544]

I know i probably am long in the tooth, but how do people cut out the wall for the knock out boxes. Most of the houses down here either have bricks as hard as rock, or the walls are pretty much falling down.
I have considered trying out the cut out tool which allegedly cuts the perfect hole, but i can't see how that can be of help unless you are cutting into thermolite blocks. I currently stitch drill and bolster out, but it is laborious

 

[Pete999]

Those cut out tools aren't much good for bricks, never used one but I think they were designed for new build, thermalite blocks etc, I f you have a particularly hard wall, use a masonry drill set to the depth of the box, drill a series of holes and cut the debris out with a 3" bolster, job done

 

[Guest111]

Stitch drill then chop out with chisel in sds.

 

[richy3333]

Best way, is to get someone else to do it for you

 

[camerabloke]

Employ a labourer to do it for you

 

[driverman]

I know i probably am long in the tooth, but how do people cut out the wall for the knock out boxes. Most of the houses down here either have bricks as hard as rock, or the walls are pretty much falling down.
I have considered trying out the cut out tool which allegedly cuts the perfect hole, but i can't see how that can be of help unless you are cutting into thermolite blocks. I currently stitch drill and bolster out, but it is laborious

Scutch (combe) chisel is the way to go. Been using for ages

 

[7029 dave]

Give it some welley.

 

[Delboybully]

SDS on roto stop, use good quality chisel bits- not the cheap ones unbranded bits.
These are good
Armeg Electrical Box Sinker Chisel Hard Material | Electrical Box Sinkers | NoLinkingToThis
Armeg SDS Plus Scutch Comb Chisel | SDS Plus Chisels | NoLinkingToThis

Have 2 chisel bits to hand, swap them over every few minutes or they get too hot and the shaft will snap.

Also lots of elbow grease

 

[amlu]

for hard bricks and neat hole cut with a grinder with diamond blade (very dusty, only on unoccupied places with no other trades around)
or wall chaser+hoover combo. then chisel out with a SDS with flat chisel.
10 minutes or less with some practice

 

[amlu]

for crappy walls when you cant get a good fix mix some bonding and cement , glue the box to the hole using that, will set in an hour, come back later fix some wallplugs.

 

[garnhamr]

for crappy walls when you cant get a good fix mix some bonding and cement , glue the box to the hole using that, will set in an hour, come back later fix some wallplugs.

knock the back knock outs halfway out so they dig into the bonding

 

[driverman]

There is some tool on the market that will drill a hole for a box that also has a hoover attached along side, something like a Henry type hoover. Mate of mine see's an electrician using it all the time and wonders why I don't use one. My needs don't warrant getting one, but if chopping boxes in all the time, worth looking into I think.

 

[telectrix]

angle grinder with diamond blade, then sds scutch. done 5 boxes ( including fixing ) in hard as rock brick in an hour last week, and i'm 68, not some young fit sparky bod.

 

[PEG]

angle grinder with diamond blade, then sds scutch. done 5 boxes ( including fixing ) in hard as rock brick in an hour last week, and i'm 68, not some young fit sparky bod.

...Well i'm 94,and i did 6 boxes in 45 minutes...of course,the other folks in the communal lounge were not pleased about the dust on their jigsaw...:wheelchair:

 

[Geordie Spark]

angle grinder with diamond blade, then sds scutch. done 5 boxes ( including fixing ) in hard as rock brick in an hour last week, and i'm 68, not some young fit sparky bod.

Hell's teeth ...................... You're old enough to be my Dad!!!

 

[Sparky Pat]

4 inch hollow core bit with SDS Max drill driving it. Knock out core with chisel and cement boxes in. Been doing it this way for longer than I care to think about, works well for me.

 

[uksparks]

I usually use a comb chisel on a cordless 36v SDS. Works fine for me.

 

[shanky887614]

i use a flat chisel bit in 18v sds, works fine for me, i usually only have a couple mm around to fill

if it is solid brick or im chopping in a meter box ill use a 240v bosh angle grinder.

if its on a site ill borrow a cordless grinder (its not worth me paying £80+ for someling ill use every 6months or so)

 

[telectrix]

Hell's teeth ...................... You're old enough to be my Dad!!!

be careful . i might be. spent some time in geordieland in the 60's. :juggle2:

 

[Guest77]

As pete in post 2 really, don't buy a box cutter they are only good for thermalite, he's right because I own one and it stinks on any other brick/ stone surface

 

[uksparks]

With a comb chisel on solid brick like engineering brick or ones without a hollow but, you can get a nice clean hole with a comb chisel, but it just depends on what you are up against, some blocks or bricks just fall apart looking at them. I always carry a few bags of 20 min easi fill plaster to make a nice job.

 

[richy3333]

...Well i'm 94,and i did 6 boxes in 45 minutes...of course,the other folks in the communal lounge were not pleased about the dust on their jigsaw...:wheelchair:

They must have been chippies then if you got dust on their jigsaw?!

 

[richy3333]

Hell's teeth ...................... You're old enough to be my Dad!!!

Age and fertility are Independent beasts...