Best and quickest way to cut floor boxes into raised floor tiles?

[Askii]

Hi all, was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for cutting out floor boxes in the raised floor tiles. If you know what I'm talking about and have seen them, then you'll know that they're wood with a metal casing around the tile. I've done 100's of these when I was an apprentice and the odd one now and then but we usually get one of the labourers to do them as it's easier and cheaper but I've had a price to do 100+ and I'm gonna have a go at doing them myself. We used to use a joiners bandsaw but we can't do that this time, so basically what's the best jigsaw blades that are gonna eat through wood AND metal without the blades being destroyed after one tile. Or anything else that's quicker/cheaper with effective results.

Thanks Askii

 

[Resu]

Fein multimaster worth a shout.

 

[tlangdon12]

With a 100+ to do, the bandsaw is still the best option. What's the issue with using a bandsaw for this job?

 

[shanky887614]

Hi all, was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for cutting out floor boxes in the raised floor tiles. If you know what I'm talking about and have seen them, then you'll know that they're wood with a metal casing around the tile. I've done 100's of these when I was an apprentice and the odd one now and then but we usually get one of the labourers to do them as it's easier and cheaper but I've had a price to do 100+ and I'm gonna have a go at doing them myself. We used to use a joiners bandsaw but we can't do that this time, so basically what's the best jigsaw blades that are gonna eat through wood AND metal without the blades being destroyed after one tile. Or anything else that's quicker/cheaper with effective results.

Thanks Askii

some tct universal jigsaw blades should work.

 

[tlangdon12]

If a bandsaw can't be used, I'd use a bi metal blade such as the Bosch T318AF which is designed to cut metals and sandwich construction materials upto 65mm thick. Screwfix sell packs of five and have a offer on jigsaw blades at the moment.

 

[happydundee]

2x 10mm holes in opposite corners. Then 4x straight cuts with a decent jigsaw. I use hilti bi metal blades and get 5x floorboxes done before they start to struggle. Make a template out of 3mm plywood, the same size as the floor tile.

Come in 100mm from edge of tile to avoid pedestal and to keep strength in tile. If you make cutout off centre, then the tile can be rotated to avoid the legs of desks when furniture goes in.

 

[davesparks]

You're getting through blades pretty damned quickly there, it suggests something is wrong with your setup. Could be the wrong blade, wrong speed, pushing too hard on the saw, saw setup incorrectly etc

 

[PEG]

^^ As Dave said...with addition of trying Starrett blades...they are THE best jigsaw ammunition. View their demo video,i've done MUCH worse to them,and been impressed...

You can do a pretty neat cut through a 200mm UB,using two 6mm holes in the web,and a steady hand on the jigsaw...:yes:

 

[Askii]

Thanks all. Only just seen all the messages after completing the job this weekend. I just ended up jigsawing the lot and it went well. Invested in some Bosch blades (T345XF) as mentioned above, they say they're for wood and metal and cost about £13 from screw fix for a pack of five and used 3 packs. Blasted through them with the Makita jigsaw I've got and with the length of the blade, if you get 2 bits of timber and run the jigsaw along them to raise the blade then you can use the whole length of the blade after you've ruined the top part. Bought a decent dewalt hss extreme 13mm bit aswell which flew through the corners of the tiles instead of a 20mm hole saw and flat bit combo I usually use. Good blades are everything though and glad I spent £50 in materials instead of £20 on some cheaper rubbish ones. Oh, and wd40 comes in handy every now and then aswell.:smile5:

 

[Askii]

And I couldn't use a bandsaw because I haven't got one, and can't be bothered buying one for it to just sit in the shed and it was about £100 to rent one. And also when I was younger I saw a joiner chop his thumb off using one and I like having all my fingers.:icon14: :bigcry: