The right blade for the job?

[Brandon Thill]

Hi all. I'm remodeling my new house, and one thing I'm doing is cutting down the "ledge" on the peninsula in the kitchen. I want to cut it down to countertop height then install a larger countertop to open the kitchen up to the living room better. Doing some exploration I've found that under the sheet rock on one side there is that mild steel strapping on the studs to (I assume) protect the drain pipe from getting nailed or screwed into. My plan was to attach my track saw and cut just to the stud and no more on that side of the wall. Since there is the that metal strapping, I decided to use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AYE9PY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1. My question is whether this blade is also ok to do the main task of cutting the drywall?

[Bernie Kopfer]

Any blade will cut sheetrock. and if the saw is held or guided so that it is unable to rock or twist your cut will be clean enough.

[Brandon Thill]

Good to hear, thank you!

[Lee Schierer]

Be prepared for a huge cloud of dust. Please wear a mask and goggles.

[Brandon Thill]

I always wear PPE. I'm hoping this new Festool TS55 will help the situation.

[scott vroom]

I'd cut back that sheetrock with a utility knife to avoid the dust storm your circular saw will generate.

[Brandon Thill]

For already finished walls? Score it and will break clean there?

[scott vroom]

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.

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi all. I'm remodeling my new house, and one thing I'm doing is cutting down the "ledge" on the peninsula in the kitchen. I want to cut it down to countertop height then install a larger countertop to open the kitchen up to the living room better. Doing some exploration I've found that under the sheet rock on one side there is that mild steel strapping on the studs to (I assume) protect the drain pipe from getting nailed or screwed into.
It sounds like what you have is a vent pipe in the ledge wall where you want to cut the ledge down. Maybe some exploratory surgery is in order. I've found an oscillating tool priceless when it comes to cutting drywall that's already been hung. A blade like this is perfect for the job you're doing:
https://images.homedepot-static.com/productImages/2de95959-7e47-408d-ada2-442976239a12/svn/dewalt-oscillating-tool-accessories-dwa4213-64_145.jpg

[Jerry Miner]

Listen to Scott and Julie. Cutting drywall with a circular saw will create a huge dust storm. Several passes with a utility knife will get you there---but if you have an oscillating multi-tool, that is the tool I would reach for.

[Jacques Gagnon]

As indicated by Julie: I've found an oscillating tool priceless when it comes to cutting drywall that's already been hung. A blade like this is perfect for the job you're doing:
https://images.homedepot-static.com/productImages/2de95959-7e47-408d-ada2-442976239a12/svn/dewalt-oscillating-tool-accessories-dwa4213-64_145.jpg

Bingo!

[Greg R Bradley]

The OP didn’t make it clear in the original post but the size of the blade gave it away. He later said ts55 and cleared it up. You not only won’t have a cloud of dust, you will have far less than you would with a multi tool. Just use a vac that won’t let any drywall thru the filter and make sure to not remove any drywall until you are done cutting. In other words, make sure the inside of the wall stays mostly closed while you are cutting and you will have no dust at all. You will make more dust breaking the drywall off the nails to remove it.
Use a steel cutting blade as any rotating object will cut drywall, even one with no teeth at all.

[Rich Engelhardt]

+3 to the above answers.
You don't want to use a circular saw on drywall.

Even the MF tools generate an avalanche of dust.

Scoring installed drywall seldom works out well since in order for the score to work, it need to be on the side that's fastened to the wall.
If you score the face, it does little to help it snap off clean.
I prefer to use either a MF tool (like the <$20 Harbor Freight or Fein) for srtaight lines &/or a Roto Zip for curves.

[Gregory King]

Whoa Brandon! I'd give this a little more thought first Why don't you take the darn thing down and reframe it to the correct height. It's only a few studs and drywall. Best to see what is behind all of this. Perhaps the plumbing and electrical needs an update anyway. The first plan is a recipe for disaster. Trust me.

[Brandon Thill]

I've already looked inside and know what I need to do: just some wiring that will be moved or terminated. Tearing it all down and rebuilding seems like 10x the work and time for?

[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.
_____________________

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!

https://i.imgur.com/D5Q8pKk.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JRmB11J.jpg

[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.

https://i.imgur.com/gD0LNq3.jpg