cutting flooring under toe kick

[jteneyck]

That's a job for a Fein tool.

With what blade?  I tried it with the coarsest tooth half moon shaped blade I could find and it was a complete failure.  That's what led to the Macgiver solution I came up with.  

John

[jteneyck]

Mike, try to put as little heat into it as you can or the blade will warp.  If you have a TIG unit you should have little trouble.  I only have a MIG unit and the blade did warp some, but it still cut fine and actually flattened out some again during use. 

Only cut uphill.

John

[ez-duzit]

I would never have thought to try a half-moon shaped blade. All of mine are straight. The ones with teeth that look like a Japanese saw are perfectly suited for this type of operation, similar to which I have done many times. This tool is just the ticket for cutting flush up against a face, with its offset blades.

[jteneyck]

I would never have thought to try a half-moon shaped blade. All of mine are straight. The ones with teeth that look like a Japanese saw are perfectly suited for this type of operation, similar to which I have done many times. This tool is just the ticket for cutting flush up against a face, with its offset blades.

Try doing it back under a toe kick.    

John

[ez-duzit]

Piece of cake.

[goaliedad]

Multi tool would be my choice. Slow, but effective. And safe

I like the contraption, but for a one time job?

[jteneyck]

Piece of cake.

Really?  Have you ever done it?  It was a complete bust when I tried.  The half moon blade (I know, you would never think of using one for that job, but I did.) teeth blind in a couple of inches.  I tried a straight bi-metal coarse tooth blade, too.  Maybe it cut 6 inches or so, slowly and with difficulty, before the teeth lost their edge and was done.  And I did that out along a wall where I could get the tool close.  There's no way to easily hold it under a toe tick.  Or control  the depth of cut.  Assuming it did cut.

John

[jteneyck]

Multi tool would be my choice. Slow, but effective. And safe

I like the contraption, but for a one time job?

Mine, too, but it didn't work for me, so then what? 


The contraption was the only thing I could come up with.  I didn't know toe kick saws existed, or I would have bought or rented one.  It ended up costing about $15 for the blade and maybe 45 minutes to fab the thing together.  And I have it if ever needed again. 

It seemed safe to me.  The blade is back under the toe kick and you have two hands (or should, anyway) on the drill motor, and safety glasses on your head.  I don't see how you can get hurt as long as you keep your hands on the drill motor.  

John

[Cooler]

I didn't know about jamb saws when I made this contraption to cut the old 1/2" plywood flush with the toe kicks in my kitchen.  I first tried an oscillating multi-tool.  Totally ineffective with the two blades I tried; the teeth were far too small and were easily blinded.  So I made this contraption:  



This blade is 3", but they sell smaller ones, too.   The key is it has large carbide teeth so it can clear the chips without blinding and tolerate hitting a few nails/staples.  I ground the head of a 3/8" hex head bolt round until it fit into the arbor hole, and then carefully welded the two together.  The plywood disks control the depth of cut.  I did about 40 ft with it w/o any trouble.  Just keep a firm grip on the drill motor.  




John

I assume that there is a screw head at the end of the mandrel that prevents the saw blade from binding against the toe kick.  And the overhand and the floor act as "guards" against getting your hands chewed up.  

I wonder if the thing ever wants to run away from you when you start up and how you deal with that.  It is the only issue I see.  I have a 3-1/2" plunge circular saw that will grab and kick back if I'm not careful.  I used it to cut openings for the soffit vents under the vinyl soffit material.  I figure if that will kick back then probably so will this gadget.

[mike4244]

Mike, try to put as little heat into it as you can or the blade will warp.  If you have a TIG unit you should have little trouble.  I only have a MIG unit and the blade did warp some, but it still cut fine and actually flattened out some again during use. 

Only cut uphill.

John

John, took 40 minutes or so to turn the wood plug and install the slitting saw mandrel. Took 20 minutes to make the cuts, went smoothly. I don't think the blade heated up as I only went thru one layer of vinyl tile and 1/4" plywood underlayment. Hardest part is working on my knees , getting old for sure.
thanks again, mike