# Cutting elec boxes in sheetrock -Hole saw, Jigsaw, Oscillating saw



## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Oscillating saw


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## surferdude2 (Nov 21, 2019)

I know you didn't ask, but have you considered using a router that is made especially for that job?


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## CodeMatters (Aug 16, 2017)

Best method depends on timing: new construction vs reno. In new 
construction the drywall is being put on over boxes whereas in an 
electrical reno the box is being inserted into existing drywall. 
Since I'm not a drywall hanger, I normally only do the latter. For 
that, my preferred tool is the drywall saw....only takes about a 
minute. My other preference is to always install the new box on
an existing stud. I never use F-clips.....consider that method hacky.


EDIT:If I were a drywall hanger, I'd use a drywall saw to find the 
edge of the box and cut it out with a rotozip tool.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

If the box is square I like the oscillator. If the box is round, I like a jig saw or a regular old drywall hand saw. The rotozip takes some skill to avoid zipping off the line.


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## JLawrence08648 (Mar 1, 2019)

surferdude2 said:


> I know you didn't ask, but have you considered using a router that is made especially for that job?


I have a Ryobi 18v router. I wasn't sure if that would be bulky to use and hesitant since I've never used it for that. I probably should buy the bits and try it on a scrap piece of sheetrock. I have a kitchen I need to cut 4 and a den I'll need to cut 9.

Can I get bits for a regular router or do you need a specific drywall router?


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

joed said:


> Oscillating saw


I use oscillating saw with a worn out blade. Cutting drywall, oscillating saw goes through it just as well with a blade that is worn smooth as a brand new blade.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Gosh....Sure seems easy to grab my osslating battery operated.... if not nearby, just my drywall stab.

CODE: Diffrent techniques in different parts of the country. I've heard on new build just going over electrical boxes and cutting out later...never done it and never seen it done.

How do they keep track of where the boxes are and where to stab their first cut. What do they use to follow the outside of the box....????? Do they have to go back and drop screws near the box, or is that not a problem


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> Gosh....Sure seems easy to grab my osslating battery operated.... if not nearby, just my drywall stab.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Mark the center and highth of box on floor.

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## surferdude2 (Nov 21, 2019)

Unfortunately the advent of the drywall router method led to a not so desirable consequence. If you use side mount bracket boxes, like we always did in commercial work, the drywallers would push our box back in the wall slightly and drywall right over it. Then as their last act, they route all the boxes out. Sometimes that made the box a little loose when pulled back to flush (depended on the wood it was nailed into) and occasionally missed a box completely. It wasted some time giving it our best shot as to where the box was likely to be.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

surferdude2 said:


> I know you didn't ask, but have you considered using a router that is made especially for that job?
> 
> Drywall Router Uses


Ayuh,..... That's how I "Discovered" the Roto-Zip tool,.....


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

A Roto-zip is a specialized tool for most DIYers, an oscillating tool has dozens of uses. I would never use a jig saw.

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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

To answer the original question, my preference would be the oscillating saw over the jigsaw; less dust, cleaner lines, and easier to see what you're doing. But the cleanest and easiest way, in my opinion, is a Rotozip, probably the most common brand for this particular task, or any other rotary tool with the proper bit for that matter. As far as flying right over the boxes and cutting them after the drywall is all on the wall, I've seen it done that way a lot, and it's definitely a time saver. You're moving fast enough to remember about where the boxes are, then easy enough to tap on the drywall to tell where they are, make a plunge cut, and let the bit bit follow the box. Of course that's on good days. Just as you can imagine, I've seen guys miss boxes too, which can really slow things down when it's later realized that there is no light switch where it's supposed to be, or whatever. And it definitely takes experience. I've done it myself a few times, but no expert, and would guess that it's a break even, timewise, versus the traditional method of laying out and precutting the openings first. The places I've seen where hanging the drywall first then using a Rotozip is on older remodels where walls are noticeably out of plumb. The problem being that if you put a square piece of drywall into a less than square corner your horizontal measurements are going to be off, and you're going to end up with less than zero gap on one side of the box and too wide of a gap on the other side. By hanging the drywall first, you start at the box and simply go around it, so it's dead center every time. "Every time" of course being arbitrary, based on the level of experience.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

And forgot to mention, but unless your project is fairly large, involving a number of boxes, you can't get much neater and cleaner than a plain old hand powered drywall saw. I hung quite a bit before oscillating and rotary tools became the rage, using a utility knife and a key hole saw, and can attest to the fact that many times a drywall saw is a whole lot easier and less hassle than finding a place to plug a cord and then keep it from under afoot while lugging heavy sheets of drywall around the room. Again, depends on the quantity of holes, etc.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

huesmann said:


> If the box is square I like the oscillator. If the box is round, I like a jig saw or a regular old drywall hand saw. The rotozip takes some skill to avoid zipping off the line.


Actually, if the box is round, and I know where it's supposed to be centered, a hole saw is the way to go.


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## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

huesmann said:


> Actually, if the box is round, and I know where it's supposed to be centered, a hole saw is the way to go.


Have you seen the round boxes that have the hole saw built in?

http://meproducts.net/products/smartbox/sharktooth


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## Calson (Jan 23, 2019)

After I got an oscillating tool the roto-zip has not left its box. Easy to do straight cuts with the oscillating tool and I can control the depth when I want to cut only the sheetrock and not worry about a stud or wiring in the wall.

A jab saw is something I own only so I can show people how not to cut sheetrock. They are cheap and illustrate very well that you get what you pay for and no more. 

I had to repair some damaged sections of sheetrock in my garage and needed straight cuts in the damaged sheetrock so I could use the "sheetrock" repair board I got at Home Depot and have a clean seam for mudding. The oscillating tool did the job perfectly.

I first became familiar with oscillating tool when removing decking sections and needing to cut through the plastic clips without damaging the roofing membrane. I have since that time used it to cut a variety of materials and it uses the same 20v batteries as some of my other DeWalt cordless tools which was a big plus.

Whenever I have had electricians do any work for new construction or a remodel I have always had to schedule a carpenter to fix the sheetrock afterwards. I have also learned to pencil out the templates and watch them while cutting out openings and checking how they have attached the boxes as otherwise the quality of work being done today is terrible and a lot of rework is par for the course.


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Hate those rotozips! I'll take an oscillating saw.


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

jbfan said:


> Have you seen the round boxes that have the hole saw built in?
> 
> http://meproducts.net/products/smartbox/sharktooth


Cool product. I don't really get it though. It's basically a single-use, disposable hole saw. The fact that it attaches to the box seems pointless. You have to pull the box out and remove the round saw blade anyway. So why bother putting the box in the middle while sawing? Just keep the right size hole saw chucked in all the time. Removing the box and pulling off the blade just seem like added steps.

Obviously, it's only good for whatever weight your sheetrock can carry. I'd be concerned that, over time, the weight of even a smallish ceiling fixture will warp the sheetrock. I know you can't always anchor it to joists or the floor above, but isn't it best to do so whenever you can?


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## Calson (Jan 23, 2019)

When a product like Shark Tooth has 20% of the people who bought it on Amazon giving it a 1-star rating I would not take the risk. At $7.50 one is paying an extra $5 per box for being able to avoid buying a hole saw or taking 5 minutes to cut out the hole with a tool. 

For a large job with many holes needed the best tool is one of the Hole Pro adjustable hole cutters with their dust shields. Center the pilot bit and drill the hole and the cut plug pops right out and the tool is ready to cut the next hole and no mess to clean up. I have used the tool to make a tight fitting plug out of a scrap sheetrock to replace small holes or damage in sheetrock caused by door handles when the door swung too far. Usually easier and faster than cutting out a rectangular section of sheetrock between two studs.


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## JLawrence08648 (Mar 1, 2019)

Friday a neighbor gave me an almost new single speed HF Chicago Electric oscillating saw. I used it today to cut out a 3" x 34" piece of window frame 
sheetrock that was nailed to a 2x4. It worked beautiful. That is the tool to cut holes in sheetrock.


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Friday a neighbor gave me an almost new single speed HF Chicago Electric oscillating saw. I used it today to cut out a 3" x 34" piece of window frame
> sheetrock that was nailed to a 2x4. It worked beautiful. That is the tool to cut holes in sheetrock.


The buzzy saws are nice. Something that size would have taken me maybe 25 seconds with even my el cheapo ryobi powered roto-zip clone.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Rotozip (or Dremel): I would never use this without a guide to cut around. For example, install your drywall first. Let's say screw in the top half of the sheet, let the bottom half float. Then cut around the outlet with the Rotozip. Does not work as reliably with plastic boxes. Takes some experience. A good amount of dust. Makes perfect outlines though. Also use this techique around windows and doors. Precutting cannot match this for perfect lines.


Oscillating tool: First choice for most precutting when a utility knife scoring and snapping is not an option. Not as good choice for round holes. Less dust, but more than scoring and snapping. This is the best blade for most drywall work.
https://toolguyd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Rockwell-RW8958-Compound-OMT-Blade.jpg



Jab saw: quick and easy to do for small cuts. A good amount of dust but flies around less than first 2. Cuts circles pretty well. If I only have 1 outlet I'm usually not going to drag out the tool for it, but if you have a battery operated one handy I might use it.


Score and snap: first choice obviously. For L cuts, U cuts, or box cuts, you can use this for the last cut you make. For electrical outlets I usually don't bother, for larger cuts I always do.

Recipro saw: works OK for larger cuts, but obviously can't turn corners, so you'd have to start them with a jab saw. Metal blade is an option for less dust.

Jig saw: never felt the need, but plausible. Thinnest kerf blade for least dust.



Circular/table saw: never, although I have seen it by people who don't know what they're doing


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## Sparky911 (Oct 1, 2019)

Jabsaw,,,


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## NotYerUncleBob2 (Dec 29, 2017)

This: https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XDS01Z


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