Cutting CaberDek with multi tool advice

Joined
22 Dec 2005
Messages
2,942
Reaction score
534
Location
UK
Country
United Kingdom
We had an extension to our kitchen a few years ago with an new bedroom above. We always planned to fit additional lights in the kitchen, so had the electrician leave a spare circuit with a cable dangling from the ceiling.

Eventually, my wife decided on the lights she wanted. Typically, the cable is in the wrong place and she wants 3 lights rather than one.

Rather than cut holes in the ceiling, i chose to lift the carpet in the bedroom above and cut holes in the floor so that i could add the wiring in the right place and insert some wood above the lights so that i have something solid to screw the lights into and not rely on plasterboard fixings. I've done this plenty of times in the past, but only in older houses with tongue and groove floorboards which typically have been up in the past for rewires or new heating.

However, the floor in the extended bedroom above is Caberdek, glued at the joints and to the joists. I therefore chose to use my new multi tool to cut through the floor and create my access holes.

It was a bugger of a job and took about 2 hours to cut 4 holes approx 8"x 8". The Caberdek was an absolute sod to cut. It blunted the multi tool blades very quickly and would start smoking from the friction of the blade.

Is this typical of CaberDek or am i doing something wrong with my multi tool? Its a Bosch tool with starlock blades, and i tried small blades and longer half moon blades at a variety of different speeds to see what worked best. I ended up using a small blade at quite a fast speed which produced the best results but was still a bugger and still blunted the blade quickly.
 
Sponsored Links
Quite possibly it was the waste material not being ejected, and clogging up the cut. A circular saw would naturally clear the waste from the cut as each tooth passes through the material and then out. An oscillating blade never leaves the cut so can't carry the waste out as effectively. I had a similar issue cutting MDF with a holesaw.
Not sure about the blunting. Maybe too much heat and the blade loses its temper, and blunts quicker?
If doing this with a multi-tool, I would try keeping a hoover nozzle close to the cut to try and draw out the waste [and keep the dust under control], and be in and out of the cut with the tool a lot. Preferably, I would do it with a circular saw and tidy the corners with the multi tool.
 
Good point about the waste not being ejected. I was plunging down into the surface of the board so there was no where for the dust to go until i broke through. Once i broke through and could cut on the angle it was much easier.
 
Sponsored Links

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Back
Top