Straight and level boxes tips?

[rocker]

Right I've been in this game for a while now, but one recurring problem I'm having is getting knock out boxes nice and level at first fix after chasing (we're talking existing installations here, new builds are a piece of pee). I get it OK but it just seems to take me forever, and I'm still fully utilising the movable lug in the box! I've never had much guidance on this as when I wasn't on my own I pretty much always was doing surface stuff (gaffer had a lot of council house work). Has anyone got any ideas for getting backboxes good and level first time, every time? Nice one guys.

 

[Sintra]

Fix a lathe on to the wall (level of course) and use this to set boxes on before fixing.

 

[robsparky1975]

May seem a bit silly but some times i use the small section of my spirit level(pulls out and goes in backbox)and mix up some bonding and pop it in wall,level up,then drill it after it has dried,i also have a single/double dry liner guide which i use to mark out wchich has a level built in,think its kewtecknik bought it at edmundsons,cuts perfect for dry lining.mot bad for sunk in stuff either,very rare my boxes are on the ****.

 

[Gravid]

Yeah can be a right pain on old bricks. I find drilling the holes for them before you chase can help alot as long as the brick doesn't crumble during chasing.

 

[pennywise]

Cutting it with an angle grinder on the marked out lines does the trick with a dust extract . A good eye helps

 

[hopkins85]

Buy a stanley cll level set it up so that the line is level of lugs and bob's your uncle all box's level and all at the same height in the room.

 

[rocker]

Rob I have a little spirit level thing but I find that the steel boxes are often slightly malformed or the knockouts are poking up a little so I level it up inside the box and then find the lugs are on the wain. Maybe I want better boxes.

P'Wise that's my current method, I grind out the little rectangles but I only find I get a good line if I cut way past the 'side' of the box, so that the wide part of the disc goes straight to the edge of the box, but every time I do this, the spread starts having a whine about all the long cuts.

Hopkins what's a d l level set? Sounds good.

Cheers dudes, keep em coming

 

[Spudnik]

Im afraid rocker its all down to practice, the more you do the easier it becomes.

I find setting the height and then drawing a level line about a foot long for the bottom edge of the box.

Then using a trusty B&Q chisel and hammer (socket outline predrilled) just chipping away, and making 100% sure the back corners of the hole are completely square.

Keep going until the front edge of the box is flush all round and the bottom edge lines up with the 2 pencil marks left from the line.

 

[hopkins85]

As requested

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CttkJn2R-xk]YouTube - Stanley Cross Line Laser CLL[/ame]

 

[pennywise]

P'Wise that's my current method, I grind out the little rectangles but I only find I get a good line if I cut way past the 'side' of the box, so that the wide part of the disc goes straight to the edge of the box, but every time I do this, the spread starts having a whine about all the long cuts.

The spreads I work with love it, just tell him would he prefer you scored around the box with a hammer and bolster, then start chopping the box out, it creates 10 times the damage to the plaster around the box. Using an angle grinder almost makes a spread redundant, the decorator just has to fill the overrun

 

[Phil]

when i first started i used to use a perm marker. got some right grief off the painter as he went round trying to cover my little black lines as the customer specced things i would pop a cross on the wall of the pubs then they would change their minds on a dialy basis which was fine as i was on day rate so the more they changed the more i made etc. it turns out marker pens tend to be a little hard to cover with paint ?? never mind the guy was a toilet anyway,

 

[DurhamSparky]

im buying a laser!!!!! woop woop!!!! awesome!!! no more plumb lines or tape measure for me!!!!

 

[Phil]

im buying a laser!!!!! woop woop!!!! awesome!!! no more plumb lines or tape measure for me!!!!

funny you should say that as in my laser box i have plumb line and tape measure. old habbits die hard

 

[Phil]

and chalk line

 

[Des 56]

funny you should say that as in my laser box i have plumb line and tape measure. old habbits die hard

Progressm practicality and reality