Ok what is the best way to put a 9.5" speaker hole in the ceiling? I have tried the rotozip with hole attachment but this throws dust everywhere. Have also done the standard drywall saw although this is a nice upper body work out doing it ten times in a day is too much. I have looked for a hole saw that fits on a drill but none go that big. There has to be a better way!!

I always do it with a standard keyhole saw (drywall saw)unless it is horsehair plaster or that really hard cementboard they used back in the 40's/50's. If you're doing it 10 times a day, then you should get used to it real fast!

This round hole cutter works great for ceiling cans & speakers, but it only goes to 7-3/4" max.

[Link: mcm.newark.com]

Afraid the drywall saw is it.

jack,

LSD man....

[Link: lsdinc.com]

surf around their site, lotsa cool stuff....that saw goes to 10 1/4"

also, you can get diamond coated masonry bits (perfect for drywall) up to about 20" in diameter, you turn them slowly with a hole hawg....they are not cheap, but they last forever, and catch their own mess!

avdude
site admin
www.integrationpros.com

This message was edited by avdude on 10/25/03 10:34.

Thanks Dude
I knew it was out there. I have checked with my dist., MCM and other sites and could not find it. This will pay for itself.
Thanks again.
Jack

I do lots of holes this way...

trace the outline of the circle you want to cut on the ceiling. I use a rotozip tool to cut the drywall following the outline of the circle. At the same time, I'm holding the nozzle of a shop-vac alongside of the cutting rotozip. 98% of the dust is sucked into the vac. Customer is happy!

Ed

even easier rotozip has a vac attachment that connects to and covers the bit and allows you to keep both hands on the rotozip [Link: rotozip.com]
much cheaper too only $15.00 or $20.00

Thanks to all for the information.

and another one --

Stanley makes a keyhole saw handle that is less thatn ten dollars, where you can replace the blade. It comes with a POS blade skinnier than a hack saw blade, which is basically worthless. But the clamp will hold any and all Sawzall blades, so I keep a couple of these on hand. Different blades for different cuts. In fact, when I am on worksites, I often see long blades on the floor that are not good enough for the guy sawing through six inches of wood, but which is just dandy for my application. I did not buy any blades for the first three years I used this tool.

A word of caution -- before you scribe that circle, or rectangle, cut a little hole in the ceiling and poke around with a tape measure. Sometimes wood is in the oddest places. Have you ever tried to erase a pencil line from a semigloss ceiling?

That is good advice! Another thing I do before making a mark or cut is to take the template and push a wire at four diferent points around where the cut will be made. If you are using a back box you will know for sure you are in the right spot. For the wire I usually grab one of the locate flags from the cable company.

anyone use that circle guide that rotozip has?

[Link: rotozip.com]

I am curious about all this cutting - we tend to use pre-construction brackets to eliminate all this.

We tend to do some existing homes and alot of the new home construction we prewire are either not sold or the owner does not plan to install speakers right away. Then there is the added cost of the rough in kit. If we know they will be installing right away we will use a rough in, especially on in walls.

same here. I wish we were using precon brackets in every home but it doesn't work out that way.

My company does almost solely retro-fit... in nice houses that don't want to see dust. I'm a bit old-fashioned and my methods take a bit longer but here are a couple tricks.

1. Ceiling holes... first locate your template. Poke the center with an insulation hanger (coat hanger wire). Bend it at 90 degrees so that the bent part is 1/2 inch longer than 1/2 of the speakers diameter. bend the bottom to reflect the same 90 degrees. Put the wire in the tiny hole and spin it. Your lower bend will tell you where the obstructions are. We always send a guy into the attic to move insulation and check where the finder is. The hole is cut by a keyhole saw that has been thrown into a clear garbage bag blue taped around the hole... You can see your cut and all of the dust falls harmlessly into the bag. Client LOVE the fact that you take these precautions with their house and furniture.

2. Wall speakers. use the same wire trick. Get a painters hand masker with 9-12" paper. Pull off about three feet. run the tape and paper (make sure the tape is blue masking as regular masking pulls off wallpaper and texture) down the side... fold it 90 degrees along the bottom... fold it 90 degrees up the other side. Crumple the corners and you ahve a dust catcher extraordinaire... one that you just crumple up and throw away.

Like I said... these methods take longer but your customers will almost always comment on your careful nature!