I'm going to be working on a basement remodel where I will have to rebuild the stairs and cut the floor joists to provide adequate headroom. The floor joists are perpendicular to the stairs so I will need to cut a doubled 2x10 joist flush to the stairwell walls. The tools I have are the standard tools- reciprocating saw, 7-1/4" circular saw and a chainsaw. What do you use in this situation? The reason I included chainsaw was because that would allow me to cut the joist from underneath where I have clearance to cut flush. Reciprocating saw would be difficult due to the height of the joist and the long blade needed.
Dustball
With a nice brand new wood blade (or pruning blade) and if you take your time to make sure your cutting straight you can get a perfect cut out of a sawzall. I would cut as much as possible with the circ though just because its faster and is dead straight. Then finish with the sawzall.
Dustball,
I do this stuff all the time. Don't even consider using a chainsaw. It's dangerous and not worth any time you think that you will save. Think about it, how often do you use a chainsaw? Do you use one every day, and can you carve animals with it?:no: We all use circular saws and sawzalls every day and can control them like there's no tomorrow. I can carve animals with mine:clap:
Seriously, use the circular saw first as high up as you can go, and then continue with a sawzall with a good 12" blade, those are the best in this situation for me anyway. It nice and safe also. Once you get to the top of the joists where it hits the bottom of the sub-floor, just slow down a little. Sometimes the blade might bind up and kick back on you, but you'll get the feel. It's a lot better than a chainsaw kicking back on you.
Some situations I can access it from upstairs because I can cut the sub-floor back enough so that I can snap the line on my joists and square the lines up and just cut straight down from the top in one shot with the circular saw.
I do this stuff all the time. Don't even consider using a chainsaw. It's dangerous and not worth any time you think that you will save. Think about it, how often do you use a chainsaw? Do you use one every day, and can you carve animals with it?:no: We all use circular saws and sawzalls every day and can control them like there's no tomorrow. I can carve animals with mine:clap:
Seriously, use the circular saw first as high up as you can go, and then continue with a sawzall with a good 12" blade, those are the best in this situation for me anyway. It nice and safe also. Once you get to the top of the joists where it hits the bottom of the sub-floor, just slow down a little. Sometimes the blade might bind up and kick back on you, but you'll get the feel. It's a lot better than a chainsaw kicking back on you.
Some situations I can access it from upstairs because I can cut the sub-floor back enough so that I can snap the line on my joists and square the lines up and just cut straight down from the top in one shot with the circular saw.
Circular:thumbsup:
I recently took out a butt-load of floor joists on a remodel job (40-50).
Ease it down, careful of the kickback. Once you get a good feel for it you know exactly when the saw wants to jamb.
I take it all the way down...slow down...keep going to the "KICKING" point. Stop. One or two swings of my hammer is enough to finish the cut (no sawzall needed).
But be safe and use the sawzall.:thumbsup:
I recently took out a butt-load of floor joists on a remodel job (40-50).
Ease it down, careful of the kickback. Once you get a good feel for it you know exactly when the saw wants to jamb.
I take it all the way down...slow down...keep going to the "KICKING" point. Stop. One or two swings of my hammer is enough to finish the cut (no sawzall needed).
But be safe and use the sawzall.:thumbsup:
I agree with Robert and Joe.
I draw plumb lines up from a popped line that I place where the inside of my new beam is going. Cut up as far as possible with a circ saw. Finish with a stiff blade on a recip saw. In the pix, I had to cut out everything above the platform and to the right. The only thing about remodels I find id that sometimes you "eyeball" things more than you use a level. Depends on the structure and how it has settled.
Fein also makes a tool called the Multimaster...it has a zero clearance ability, but it would be a pain to cut a long straight line.
Good luck to you.
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I draw plumb lines up from a popped line that I place where the inside of my new beam is going. Cut up as far as possible with a circ saw. Finish with a stiff blade on a recip saw. In the pix, I had to cut out everything above the platform and to the right. The only thing about remodels I find id that sometimes you "eyeball" things more than you use a level. Depends on the structure and how it has settled.
Fein also makes a tool called the Multimaster...it has a zero clearance ability, but it would be a pain to cut a long straight line.
Good luck to you.
Thanks for the comments. I like to think things out before doing them and cutting the joists cleanly and flush has me puzzled a bit due to clearances. I forgot to mention there is another joist 5.25" behind the doubled joist I need to cut so I can't get a circular saw on the back side (opposite of the wall) to cut up vertically to the subfloor. I think I'm going to go with the sawzall and a 12" Milwaukee AX blade and cut through the long face of the joist.
I say cut what you can with a circular saw, then finish with reciprocating saw with one of the thick, stiff, demolition blades in it.
Don't seem like a place to learn how to handle a chain saw, not to mention what kind of images of the quality of your work the sight of a chain saw
will plant in the HO mind.
Don't seem like a place to learn how to handle a chain saw, not to mention what kind of images of the quality of your work the sight of a chain saw
will plant in the HO mind.
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