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

 

[Graeme Harrold]

and chalk line

Chalk line too, and for difficult walls (uneven) wet the line (tip courtesy of a roofer)

 

[empress]

if i've got a lot of boxes in a row i rough kango out all holes for em then get a nice straight bit of wood 2x1 usually fixed at each end level then mix me old fav mature plaster board bonding and and push em all into it.
battern makes perfect level shelf for em all to sit on while drying, quick measure on spacing then 30mins set hard ready for wiring.
remove battern and perfect straight level boxes
angle grinder too much flaming dust and mess for me ,don't bother with screws rawplugs as most of time fixings are crap and we don't want to upset the spreads with loose boxes now do we!

 

[ghost]

I've been using a laser level for years, just a cheap n cheerful one. One of my pet hates is to see a tiled kitchen with sockets all over the place, the tile lines are a giveaway.
Expanding foam is also a handy tool to hold awkward boxes solid, as long as you can get at least 1 good fixing somewhere on the box.

 

[Spudnik]

Some good methods chaps. although the straightest line in the world will not help if the back "wall" of the recess is not somewhere near upright.

 

[a.e.s]

That stanley laser and a 4" disc cutter are a must for me on older houses. I will always use my stanley laser in kitchens and the disc cutter means you dont have to knock half a wall down with an sds drill. Also I will not use anything but a stabila level, in my humble opinion every other make of level is just a waste of time, you may as well just do it by eye. And always level 2 boxes that are next to eachother by the centre of the lugs, single and double boxes are slightly different sizes.
I hope this makes sense, I have just drank quite a lot rather quickly, so apologies for bad spelling and grammer

 

[professional]

Use a scutch chisel instead of a bolster - the teeth bite into the brick causing much less damage and afford a greater degree of control.

 

[Kiers1970]

CLL laser, next purchase!

 

[Amp David]

Use a scutch chisel instead of a bolster - the teeth bite into the brick causing much less damage and afford a greater degree of control.

Same here too. Miles better off with a scutch

 

[hopkins85]

Same here too. Miles better off with a scutch

I chucked one away thinking it was knackered as all the ends were shot then realised on them that you can buy new inserts.

 

[BluSparx]

Hi

I use the following:

QuadcutPro

nice and easy cut into the wall which means i just need to ensure my trusty spirit level helps me mark up right before drilling and cutting in ---- attach to the SDS and once drilled bob's your uncle

really fast too

 

[Amp David]

I chucked one away thinking it was knackered as all the ends were shot then realised on them that you can buy new inserts.

Bless

 

[jase]

Hi

I use the following:

QuadcutPro

nice and easy cut into the wall which means i just need to ensure my trusty spirit level helps me mark up right before drilling and cutting in ---- attach to the SDS and once drilled bob's your uncle

really fast too

yeah i like the box sinkers, although the ones i've seen are more expensive than these, cheers for the link blu!!!

 

[jase]

Hi

I use the following:

QuadcutPro

nice and easy cut into the wall which means i just need to ensure my trusty spirit level helps me mark up right before drilling and cutting in ---- attach to the SDS and once drilled bob's your uncle

really fast too

yeah i like the box sinkers, they get the depth good too although the ones i've seen are more expensive than these, cheers for the link blu!!!

 

[BluSparx]

I only found the link by chance I ordered a set for £299.99 and the idiots sent me a Diamond Core Drill Set and said they couldn't get hold of the set I wanted for around 3 weeks - i needed something urgent and found this really good quality and direct from the manufacter which makes it cheaper - no middle man taking his 200% profit

 

[rocker]

Are they any good then? I've heard they work on breezeblock, but brick will destroy them.

I am already a massive advocate of the scutch. The most revolutionary hand tool to be made in the last 50 years, I'd rcommend one to anyone.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, guys!