Take Some Of The Guesswork Out Of Drywall
By Eric Dykstra
To cut a hole in drywall for an electrical box, you measure X, then measure Y, transfer those to the drywall, and cut out as needed with a saw or rotary cutter. It’s simple in theory — but in practice there’s a lot of room for error, especially if you’re a DIYer for whom this isn’t your regular job. The Blind Mark Electrical Cutout Tool system, with its two-part magnetic template, takes out the guesswork and helps you avoid costly mistakes.
The Blind Mark kit comes with three targets and one target locater template. Before the drywall goes up, you place the targets inside the electrical boxes. After the board is secured, slide the target finder across the drywall until the magnets lock together. Mark a line around the template, cut out a hole for the future switch or outlet, and remove the target. It simplifies the multi-step process and helps eliminate mistakes. The kit sells for $25 at the official site as well as at Lowe’s and Home Depot.
Blind Mark [Official Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
January 30th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I have used a product called Handy Mark (http://www.handymark.net/index.html) which, in my opinion, is quicker and easier to use. You place the Handy Mark in the box, bump the drywall up against it to mark the back of the sheet, then use a saw to “connect the dots” to make your cutout. I will say, though, that Handy Mark doesn’t seem to be in major distribution, making it a little harder to find. I got a case of them donated to a Habitat affiliate that I used to work with, and the volunteers really like using them.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Am I misreading the copy? I’m more a plumber than an electrician , but I always thought that the face of the box needs to be flush with the front face of the board. The box is roughed-in proud of the stud face to accommodate the thickness of the board?
January 30th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
@Eric: I’ve used the Handy Mark as well. Sometimes the marks are a little hard to see, especially when you’ve trying to hold a 10′ piece of board against a ceiling and then bump it hard enough to put some dots in it.
@Fred: The box sits proud of the framing so that it’s flush (or a little behind) the face of the drywall once it’s installed.
Anyone know if there’s any products that will do the same thing when the outlet or switch is already wired? I’d love to find something like this that has plastic tabs that I coud plug into an outlet for positioning.
January 30th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
The HandyMark ($10) says it works “with a quick modification” with receptacles in place. http://www.handymark.net/
January 30th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
or lipstick on the box works…
January 30th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
@Frank: I’ve used the Handymark - the quick modification is to break out the center plastic tab. It works OK, but the Handymark has one flaw that I forgot to point out.
It’s exactly the right size to clip into a standard plastic box. If you’ve got metal boxes, the Handymark doesn’t fit.
January 31st, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Thanks Joe.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I’m a commercial electrician, never once had to cut out drywall for my boxes. Maybe if you are a general?