Comments on: Cheap-Ass Tools: Beaver Saw Drill

by: Fred

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:53:31 +0000

Re SuperJdynamite Says:

Your’e absolutely right about old construction.
I have a demo sub who typically deals with the issue - so my crews usually start with bare walls on a remodel or build the walls on an addition - but I sometimes need to do some more surgical work. We use Fluke Low Vott Alert (1LAC-A) which sees most anything.

by: SuperJdynamite

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:46:42 +0000

“Anyone used a Rotozip bit in a drill? Any reason why you couldn’t?”

Never tried it, but the “pitch” of the rotozip cutting edge is much steeper and reflects that it’s designed to be used at high speed. I think that once chucked into a relatively slow hand drill it wouldn’t cut all that well.

by: SuperJdynamite

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:44:41 +0000

“hmmmm… cant wait until somone uses this to remove old drywall and cuts right into some onld wire….”

This is a problem no matter what tool you’re using to cut into drywall. It’s a good idea to sweep the area with an AC sensor if you’re unsure what’s behind the wall.

by: Fred

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:40:53 +0000

Re PutnamEco

Good idea for sheathing.

We use pilot panel bits (looked in our stock and ours are Dewalt DW6458) - but these are used in a 1/2 inch plunge router. They do make nice clean cuts - but the Roto-Zips are a bit easier to handle up on the wall and do a decent job on both wood and drywall if you pick the right bit. I never tried a pilot panel bit on drywall - but I’d worry about the innards of one of our plunge routers getting clogged with drywall dust.

by: PutnamEco

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:59:46 +0000

For an alternative that you can use in a router, there is the pilot panel bit.

www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-48-23-6041-4-Inch-Router-Double/dp/B000CSSF7U/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1206017834&sr=8-14

Works great for cutting out window openings in sheathing.

by: rick

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:59:31 +0000

hmmmm… cant wait until somone uses this to remove old drywall and cuts right into some onld wire….

by: ToolFreak

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:50:18 +0000

Lowe’s has been getting rid of these at their stores, on clearance for around $1.

by: Stuart

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:28:23 +0000

It’s not entirely a great idea to use rotozip type bits in a drill due to the chuck design. The jaws are meant to hold drill bits as perpendicular as possible, and can support large loads along the axial direction of a drill bit. Think about it, would you want to put a 1/4″ router bit into a drill? I didn’t think so.

I suppose one could use a cheap drill to avoid wearing out or damaging the chuck of a good drill, but then again, cheap drill = cheap chuck.

by: Fred

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:24:24 +0000

Stanley made one too - their #186

Woodworker’s Supply sells a set:

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=948-873&search=Drill%20Saw

Drywall routers are more versatile.
We still have a pre-Bosch-Takeover Roto Zip that still works.

by: KMR

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:39:52 +0000

Black and Decker made these Beaver type bits at least 15 years ago… I still have one somewhere. Almost the exact same design, your typical split drill bit head and a shank with a ton of sharp square bodied teeth on it.

by: Benjamen Johnson

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:36:34 +0000

I thought about Rotozip bits when I was posting this. I’ve used them in dremels with varying success, but I think maybe the issue would be the 1/8″ diameter. Rotozip bits might need to spin faster than a normal drill spins. The 1/4″ beaver saw drill is designed to spin at a slower speed for drills plus it has teeth vs. a cutting edge.

by: Aaron

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:55:46 +0000

Anyone used a Rotozip bit in a drill? Any reason why you couldn’t?