What circular saw?

[Robin]

A situation has occurred that means I need a circular saw - does anyone have any advice, recommendations, horror stories, etc?   

[AndyP]

Well if you are intending on chasing someone!? Id use a petrol chain saw myself! Either that or yr gonna need a long extention lead lmao

[>>CHOP<<]

a little more information on its intended use would be helpfull...and if you intend to do alot of it ..?

[Robin]

If I was to chase anyone it would be the person who fitted the bathroom out in our house...  What's happened is the plastic nuts holding the bath tap/shower fitting have split and fallen away, leaving the fitting loose (but still connected to the water pipes, at the moment).  I've bought some replacement nuts made of brass, but first I have to take the panel off the side of the bath - who ever fitted it filled and painted over the screwheads, so I had to sand round the edge of the panel to find them - but even with the screws removed the panel is mostly still in position because it was fitted before the skirting board on the adjacent walls, which were fitted before the radiator and basin

So I figure if I use a circular saw, with the depth set to the thickness of the panel, I can cut a section out of the middle, without cutting through the bath, then pull the two ends currently held by the skirting into the newly created gap.  Make sense?

I don't intend to use the saw that often, but maybe once I have it I'll *find* uses for it 

[Dell Boy]

Buy a seven & a quarter inch saw blade circular saw from Screwfix or similar & a jig saw & dont pay more than £ 50.00 for the pair.
Derek {ex carpenter before getting tied into Rascals}.
P.s. my bathroom is the same. Previous owner was a shopfitter & hid everthing behind inaccessible false panels.

[>>CHOP<<]

Hi robin...im a joiner/carpenter .. what i would do is to divide the panel into 3 and  make 2 cuts vertically cutting out the middle section then the remaining two sections can slide inwards past the edges of the skirting boards ..to find the screws use a little metal detector made for finding pipes and wires ...when you put the panel back into position make a feature of the two joints by putting a cover strip over them .... dont use a circular it will be useless use a jigsaw or a good quality pad saw ...then as the cut gets big enough use a normal fine tooth handsaw ...good luck robin...

[J J 007]

sledge hammer should do it lol

[Robin]

Thanks for the advice.  I decided I *wanted* a circular saw.  It did help me remove the bath panel, although I also used a hacksaw blade, drill and 24" wrecking bar (one of the best tools I've ever bought  ) - turns out the 'panel was also fitted before the floor tiles were laid.  It had also swollen from absorbing water.

From then on it was just a case of disconnecting the water pipes, fitting nice brass backnuts (eBay, £4), and reconnecting the pipes.  Then disconnecting the pipes again in a hurry because the "flexible tap connector washers" don't work with the flexible pipe; it needs "hose washers".

But all I have to do now is get a new bath panel, repair the damage to the walls, paint the walls (the masking tape that I used to hold a dustsheet in place has taken some of the paint off the walls), and repair some of the floor tile grouting, then the jobs a good'un.

Let this be a warning to you all - if you buy taps and they have plastic backnuts, get some brass ones and use them instead.  Plastic is great, but not for this application (and don't get me started on it's use for securing toilet seat fixings)

At least I got to drive my little van to Toolmaster and (repeatedly) to Wickes   

[Ed the drink]

i know its a bit late but i would have advised just removing the skirting board thats in the way, it may not have worked because of the tiles but heh youv already done it now.
Ed

[Robin]

The skirting board was behind the pipes to the radiator...

I'm enjoying having a circular saw   

[Pirate]

I'm enjoying having a circular saw

I just got myself a huge stone cutter (like a grown up angle grinder) to do my patio

Power tools are to us blokes what shoes are to women

[Ed the drink]

if your laying a patio, hire a mini digger( even if you dont need one) their so much fun!, youll decide a lot more holes need digging but they will be fun too. and yes tools are fun, thats pretty much why i became a carpenter/builder. i get to use all the big tools and other people pay me to do it!!!! yay me

[J J 007]

i wish i had as many tools as my missus has shoes lol

[>>CHOP<<]

god...dont we all..!!