How Do You Make This Cut?

[Julie Moriarty]

Cut offs were clamped in place to show the "before" state.

I've been confronted with this type of thing many times, tight conditions, you can't take it into the shop, no small plunge cut saw, etc. And you don't want a huge mess because you're working in a lived-in area. In this case, the kitchen. I always start with the intent of making a "shop quality" cut and that's usually where the quandary begins.

I have routers, 6" & 7" circular saws, a jig saw, a couple Japanese hand saws, forstner bits, drills, etc. The circular saws were out. Too big, bulky and messy. Trying to rout through quarter-century old oak didn't work for me either. So I did the top and bottom crosscuts with a Kataba saw and the rips with the jig saw. The jig saw cut was less than perfect. I sanded to the line to finish it off. And still had a huge mess that, in total, took me almost an hour to clean up, even with tarps laid out. The tiny chips ejected much farther than I expected.

So I was wondering how you guys tackle a job like this? Keeping in mind a good quality end result and not too big a mess.

[Greg Peterson]

Coping saw and sand to line.

[David Weaver]

Cut a section out big enough for a japanese saw (a kataba) - coping saw and sand flush or whatever, right on the line. Won't be much clean up to do.

[Joe Adams]

I'd use my Fein Multimaster with a fine woodcutting blade.

[Sam Murdoch]

The Fein MultiMaster or the copy cats versions out there now. I had never used this tool until a few weeks ago - actually was inclined to scoff at it but then I had the opportunity to work with my brother who owns the Porter Cable version. Now on the boat project I am working on I am using a Fein nearly every day as my perfect tool for trimming and scoring all kinds of otherwise tedious cuts. This is a WOW tool for the kind of cut you are asking about Julie. In the past I would have used one of my Silky Japanese saws but I must now admit that the MultiMaster or its cousins makes this kind of work soooo much easier and efficient. I make no recommendation on which version to own. Need to get more use to have any idea and was inclined to start a post here asking which others prefer and why. The Porter Cable worked just "fein". They are screamers though. Can't be used without hearing protection.

Looks like Joe beat me to it

[Jamie Buxton]

There are Japanese hand saw that will do a plunge cut. http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/pag...42&cat=1,42884 Multimaster guided by a straightedge is another way, but the downside is that it going to blow dust all over. I'd screw the straightedge to the offcut.

[David Weaver]

You can establish the line with an azebiki. I use one of those to make the initial saw cut on dados (they are super pimp against a straight edge), but a full depth cut will be difficult on a cut that short, and it's easy to overrun a line which will mean a saw mark on the front of the cabinet.

[Tom Ewell]

bullnose hand plane helps too after the prelim cut

[Chris Padilla]

I guess all those who have posted understand what you want to do but I'm not following at all what you are trying to do here.

[David Weaver]

She wants to cut out the marked rectangle on the right side that has the cope cut right through the middle of it. If you look closely at the left side, you can see that the cut has already been made on that side.

[Art Mann]

I also use the Porter Cable knock off of the Fein Multimaster and that is what I would use for that job. I would clamp a piece right on the cut line to use as a straight edge and as a guide to keep the blade perpendicular to the surface to be sawed. By going slow, I could obtain a nice smooth cut requiring little or no additional work. I thought those tools were hokey until I finally got one to cut off the bottom of door facings for clearance for new flooring. Since then I have discovered all sorts of other uses. I don't use it often but when I do, nothing else will do the job.

[Julie Moriarty]

If I had the tool, this is what I would have used

I already made both cuts before I began the thread. I was just wondering, for the next time I run into this kind of cut, what you guys do when faced with similar types of situations. Every time I run into this kind of situation I think of a mini plunge cut saw but tell myself, "It's only one time. It's not worth it to buy a tool for just this one cut." Then a week, a month or a year later, I am faced with the same thing again.

[Brent Romero]

I've had luck making a decent cut in a situation similar to this one by clamping a straight edge and using a Roto Zip tool with a very small bit. I think any route you go will cause a fair amount of dust. Another thing I have done in inhabited situations is have a second person hold a shop vac hose right against the blade. That usually sucks up 90% of the dust.

Let us know how it turns out.

[Tony Shea]

Lol, it already has turned out. As she just said she is looking for advice on the next go around. Her mess is already picked up.

I personally would derive a way with hand tools if dust control is a very important factor. I have to cut electrical boxes in all the time to add outlets, switches, etc and many times is in wood. My cuts don't need to be perfect as a cover plate will hide the cut. But I reccomend drilling holes large enough to fit a key hole saw into. They make some nice Japanese key hole saws that cut very effeciently. You will need to be able to cut a straight line with it to keep sanding to a minimum.

[Michael Mayo]

If I had the tool, this is what I would have used

I already made both cuts before I began the thread. I was just wondering, for the next time I run into this kind of cut, what you guys do when faced with similar types of situations. Every time I run into this kind of situation I think of a mini plunge cut saw but tell myself, "It's only one time. It's not worth it to buy a tool for just this one cut." Then a week, a month or a year later, I am faced with the same thing again.

That thing will give you a hurricane of dust me thinks. I would go with the Multimaster idea that is exactly the type of job that thing was designed for. I used my bosses once to cut a square hole from a built in for running some network wiring and it produced very little dust and it all laid right where the cut was done.