How not to use a sawzall.

[Gregor 4,846]

Several years ago, our crew ( 3 guys) was remodeling a kitchen in an old farm house for the owner. A couple years before that, we remodeled his bathroom. On this job, the home owner wanted his son to help with the demo work. My boss showed the kid how he wanted the old lath and plaster taken down, Cut between the studs with a sawzall, and pull it down. So the kid did as he was told, and cut between the studs. The only problem being, the sawzall had a 7" blade in it, and the kid was using it all. Of course the wall was only about 5" thick. On the other side of the wall was an acrylic tub and shower surround, installed only a couple of years earlier. The kid cut right through it, and down it, for about 4'. The homeowner "fired" the kid. I don't know whatever happened with the tub surround, but I was glad to get off that job. Things seemed a bit tense.

[Pullstart 62,922]

Oops.  I was running a sawzall tonight with a large blade trimming a vertical 2” PVC pipe to create slope to the appliance for condensate drainage.  Right behind that?  A 1” LP line.  Yeah, I was careful!

[ebinmaine 67,696]

I did a similar extended cut when we installed our wood stove upstairs. We were removing the sheetrock from the wall where the stove would set. I cut through the wall behind that as well. .. into the bathroom. I knew there were no electric wires there but didn't exactly account for the correct position of the other wall keeping in mind it was set in about a foot more....

@#$_&-+

 

[squonk 41,164]

Semi unrelated but funny.

 

Was working in a hospital about 12 years ago. This was before flat screen tv's were the norm. We had these big honkin 16" Tv's hanging on the walls of patient rooms. They were held onto this bracket with a single mounting pin which made them easy to change out as they were constantly failing. We had a slew of them in the basement for spares.

 

The hospital just bought the first allotment of flat screens. The 2nd shift mechanic just came in and his first call was a non working TV. He was vertically challenged and asked me to stay late and help. Ok So the room is the last one in hall. I help him get the old tv down. He starts to unbolt the old bracket from the wall. 1/2" threaded rods. He's unwinding the nuts and I put the old TV  on a cart and tell him I'm taking it down to the TV graveyard. I go past the room next to the room we're working on and here's the TV in that room still on and hanging at about a 45 deg. angle now. I run back to the room and stop him. I'm half terrified and laughing at the same time! Those TV's were using the same 1/2" rod right through the wall. If that TV hit the floor no telling how much noise it wouks have made. Prolly would have killed a dozen or so folks from heart attacks! 

[peter lena 8,647]

GREGOR, my father was terrified of electric tools , a lot of his friends had lost fingers and got caught up in poor operating usage. a lot of people just attack  a job with  an electric tool , with no foresight as to the problem they can cause. his use of hand auger tools had their merit , of course that was before OSHA , so it was fitting . but he still would not use any electric tool to do a job, pete 

[WHNJ701 4,165]

1 minute ago, peter lena said:

GREGOR, my father was terrified of electric tools , a lot of his friends had lost fingers and got caught up in poor operating usage. a lot of people just attack  a job with  an electric tool , with no foresight as to the problem they can cause. his use of hand auger tools had their merit , of course that was before OSHA , so it was fitting . but he still would not use any electric tool to do a job, pete 

My grandfather built his post ww2 home by hand.  All the framing, rafters etc... All cut by hand saw.  No nail gun, just a light hammer. 

Even if he had electric tools, they didn't get power until almost the house was finished. Those 2 tools still hang in the basement

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

44 minutes ago, peter lena said:

terrified of electric tools

 

I've got a picture of my Grandfather using a table saw that was homemade (as were a lot of them back in the day!) it had a 12" blade on an arbor, a belt and a motor with a switch.  That was it.  The blade was fully exposed.  He lived to 89 and still had all his fingers!

 

I believe the newer model Sawzalls have protection from this but on my older one (Milwaukee), the oscillating shaft with the allen screw that holds the blade is fully exposed.  Do NOT !!!! get your thumb into that opening when the saw is running!  Trust me, major damage will occur!  And it HURTS! a LOT!  Took months for that to heal and the nail never grew back correctly.  I damn near sawed my other thumb off in a band saw accident.  Surgeons were able to re-attach the hanging piece.  35 years later and there's still no feeling at the end of it.  Too bad it wasn't that thumb that got into the Sawzall!  I might not have felt it!

[peter lena 8,647]

jabelman, it goes on , my father used to paint houses on his days off , used 2 , 20 ft , WOODEN LADDERS and metal scaffolding , all by himself ! back in the day , that was regular stuff , not even a thought  of  doing it any other way , used to WASH HIS CAR , after it rained with a wet rag ! that mindset was typical of the era , as things change so fast today , I  was glad to have seen the post ww 2  time period of improvement and growth , pete 

[tom2p 2,394]

sawzall (recip saw) is one of my fav tools - especially the light duty / single hand models 

 

handy inside and outside 

 

happy to report I have not done any damage yet - but good to read this thread to remind me of the potential !

 

[WHNJ701 4,165]

4 hours ago, peter lena said:

jabelman, it goes on , my father used to paint houses on his days off , used 2 , 20 ft , WOODEN LADDERS and metal scaffolding , all by himself ! back in the day , that was regular stuff , not even a thought  of  doing it any other way , used to WASH HIS CAR , after it rained with a wet rag ! that mindset was typical of the era , as things change so fast today , I  was glad to have seen the post ww 2  time period of improvement and growth , pete 

He used to paint this house all by himself, til I got old enough help.  This past September I painted by myself.  Just like like a Model T ford, told the wife it can be any color as long as it's white.  It's kinda of amazing he had this 4" brush must be from the 70s?  Its still one of the best brushes I ever used still going after 50 years

[Gregor 4,846]

We have a some Amish families living not too far from us over in Iowa. Many of them still shun electricity. It's weird to drive by these farms and see no wires of any kind going to the house, or barns, I hear these were popular with the Amish. My brother in law gave it to me years ago. It was in the barn of a small property he bought in the country. He wasn't exactly a tool type person.It runs perfect. At least it did about 2 years ago. The last time I tried it.

[formariz 11,987]

2 hours ago, jabelman said:

He used to paint this house all by himself, til I got old enough help.  This past September I painted by myself.  Just like like a Model T ford, told the wife it can be any color as long as it's white.  It's kinda of amazing he had this 4" brush must be from the 70s?  Its still one of the best brushes I ever used still going after 50 years

I have dedicated brushes for  various finishes that I have used for the last 30 years +. With care they are like any other tool and will last you a lifetime. A brush also gets better with age, they have to be "broken in" but unfortunately most now a days do not make it to that point.

[953 nut 55,329]

Back in the late '60s I was working as an electrician on a hospital remodel/addition job. A large opening was to be cut through the basement wall to connect the addition to the existing mechanical room. I had measured out all of the electrical components on that wall and went out to the other side with RED spray paint to mark their location. A few days later the demolition crew began creating the opening and apparently thought the red lined were where they should make the cuts. Curious to see what they were doing I went over to the  other side of the wall in time to prevent the impending carnage.            Showed them the BLUE lines marked on the wall and suggested they check with their foreman before going further.

Edited January 4, 2021 by 953 nut

[ebinmaine 67,696]

24 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

impending

[RandyLittrell 3,884]

Despite me being positive I knew where the electrical wires were, I cut into one and luckily just popped the breaker! 

 

I bought a stud finder that would find wiring after that! 

 

 

 

Randy

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

On 1/3/2021 at 9:27 PM, RandyLittrell said:

Despite me being positive I knew where the electrical wires were, I cut into one and luckily just popped the breaker! 

 

I bought a stud finder that would find wiring after that! 

 

 

 

Randy

 i just never had much luck with stud finders, preferring to knock and find with my knuckles. I think that most of the problem is that the stud finder always pointed at  ME 

[ebinmaine 67,696]

5 hours ago, ohiofarmer said:

 i just never had much luck with stud finders, preferring to knock and find with my knuckles. I think that most of the problem is that the stud finder always pointed at  ME 

Well played 'Farmer. Well played.