The right blade for the job?

[Jim Dwight]

If you have a granite bar top like we do, it has supports somewhere. One way to do it is to inlet steel into the 2x4s. This is not thin, it is at least 1/8 and could be 1/4. You will not cut that easily and I would not try. Sheet rock is cheap and easy to work with. I would remove it - not just peak inside - and make sure you know what you have. Then cut, then put up new sheet rock. You will also need to pull some molding and put it back or you could just cut off a foot or so where the cut will occur. That would allow you to leave the base molding alone. Any bracing will at least be visible up high. A track saw will also not cut 3.5 inches deep but it would make a nice straight 2 inch cut and you can finish with a reciprocating saw, vibrating saw, or handsaw.

[Julie Moriarty]

My neighbor across the street had a leak somewhere in his house. His floor was flooded. He came over this morning and he, his brother and I did some "stethoscope" work with our ears pressed to the drywall to locate the leak. I suggested we open the drywall where we heard the flow loudest. His brother concurred. Then we talked about how to open the drywall without the sledge hammer approach. My neighbor and his brother wanted to reuse the drywall to patch it back in and that meant cutting half-way on the studs.

I went and got my Dewalt multi-tool with the non-carbide version of the blade I posted above. My neighbor said it was like a drywall scalpel and the dust was nothing compared to a rotary tool, such as a circular saw. Pick your poison but I still stand by the oscillating tool for drywall dissection.

[Brandon Thill]

Jim D> currently it's just the original laminate counter. I opened a hole between each pair of studs and ran my borescope to look around (love that thing!). No steel supports anywhere.

Julie> I was hoping for Black Friday deal somewhere on multi-tools, but no luck. I'll pick one up soon.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll update with my progress.

[al heitz]

Julie> I was hoping for Black Friday deal somewhere on multi-tools, but no luck. I'll pick one up soon.
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Harbor Freight with a 20% coupon - get one online if you don't already have one.

[David Helm]

You can't score and snap drywall that's attached to a backing. You'll have to cut it through with a utility knife. How long is the cut line?

Without pictures it's difficult to envision exactly what you're doing.

In order to cut through the sheetrock with a utility knife, first cut a vee in the rock to make room for the blade. You'll find it is much easier to make the cut.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I was hoping for Black Friday deal somewhere on multi-tools, but no luck. I'll pick one up soon.

Home Depot has the Ridgid ( a very nice tool!) for $99.
The ever popular Harbor Freight single speed tool is ~ $20.
It has a real following - myself included.
(This is one of those tools that I can say - -"If you had a HF multii tool, we wouldn't be having this conversation".)

I went and got my Dewalt multi-tool with the non-carbide version of the blade I posted above.

We removed a 16" x 24" section of drywall at my sister in law's to relocate a wall switch to the opposite side of the wall.
I used one of the wide Imperial blades to cut the drywall. Much more precise than my Roto Zip. Far less dust also.
By having someone hold the nozzle of a shop vac underneath, it was close to dustless.

[Brandon Thill]

So the TS55 track saw was a success! Easy setup, and the Vac sucked up virtually everything. Moving to new tools that are 10x faster (track saw vs circ. saw and straightedge for ex.) and have good dust collection was well worth the investment! Got lucky with toolnut.com selling the super long Makita track for $175 too.

I ended up ordering a Makita multitool, they have really good deals when you get those multiple tool combos. I think that will make the edge work go quickly. I'll be pulling the cabinets away from the wall next week and plan to use the track saw at maximum depth about 1 1/2" lower than this cut, then finish off the stud with a coping saw or similar. Surgical, quick, clean!

[Jim Becker]

Looks great...and the track saw certainly helps keep the cut as clean as possible. That really is a good buy on the longer Makita track...

[Brandon Thill]

Job finished! I ended up cutting the wall from both sides at the same height, then ripping down a 2x6 to be a cap that fully covers the studs and sheetrock. Will use some 1 1/2" to 2" molding to cover the cap. Did some minor plumbing so half of the inside of the peninsula had the sheetrock replaced. Replaced the cabinets at the same time too.