power or hand?Whats the best tool to use for undercutting door frames? [?

February 6, 2010 by admin · 13 Comments
Filed under: Do It Yourself (DIY) 
power tool
andrew182942 asked:

I am laying new flooring lamanite flooring i have 2 doors in my living room i,m not laying it threw these doors just up to them. i understand to make it look good that i should cut under the door frame to the same thickness as the lamanite and underlay in order to pit the lamanite under the door frame. so whats the best tool to use power saw? if so which kind and where can i hire one from here in scotland? or shoould i buy my self a hand saw and if so what kind ? hand saw sounds like a lott of work is it really that hard ?
help please thanks >?

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13 Responses to “power or hand?Whats the best tool to use for undercutting door frames? [?”
  1. maplewoodjoe says:
    February 7, 2010 at 9:35 pm

    I lay tile, and I have an “undercut saw” that is specific for that pupose. You could rent one. A power saw (circular) will not work maplewoodjoe

  2. Just Me says:
    February 10, 2010 at 6:31 pm

    Undercut Saw. You can buy one at Lowe’s or any hardware store. Just Me

  3. QandA says:
    February 11, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    if you are only doing 2 doors I would just get a hand undercut saw. A power undercut saw is expensive to purchase. You might check a tool rental place to see if you can rent one. To use the hand undercut saw take a piece of the laminate with a small piece of the underlayment under it and place it close to your door jamb, then rest the undercut saw on top and use the laminate as a base and guide to cut a nice straight line. QandA

  4. ben s says:
    February 13, 2010 at 2:43 am

    you can buy an undercut saw cheap at any hardware store or you can rent an electric one cheap for a few hours. if you only have one doorway to do you can use the hand saw but if you have a few then the power saw is the way to go. it looks like an angle grinder and it has an adjustable height guide ben s

  5. Seth J says:
    February 15, 2010 at 6:43 am

    Some recipricating saws like the new de walt ones have 4 position blade holders that hold the blade verticaly w/ teeth both directions or hold the blade horizontally positioned w/ teeth either direction — i put the blade in horizontally and its the perfect height resting the saw on the floor to cut out the jambs — for tileing etc… —- plus you dont buy a undercut saw that is just used a couple times and collects dust — the reciprical saw is soooooo useful with so many things !!!!! Seth J

  6. Tommy C says:
    February 17, 2010 at 6:20 pm

    A coping saw is the real tool called for here but a hack saw with a fine tooth blade is a very good sub Tommy C

  7. bill_berkshires says:
    February 20, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    one of those times that the answer is found in the question. An “undercutting” saw - handheld flexible saw is awesome tool but used seldom. $15 - $20 bucks Home Depot or Lowes. bill_berkshires

  8. jimmiv says:
    February 22, 2010 at 5:52 am

    I have found the best tool to be a thin Japanese hand saw. Not only are they cheap and easy to use b ut they give the best cut.

    If you insist on a power tool, a reciprocating saw, Sawsall,
    with a metal cutting blade will work. However the Japanese hand saw can cut it as fast as placing a blade in a sawsall and is $100 cheaper, that is an American money. jimmiv

  9. robling_dwrdesign says:
    February 22, 2010 at 9:27 am

    Perhaps it is a local thing, but most people I know call them jamb saws. And like most things there are hand saws and power saws. Some examples.

    The hand saw has an offset handle that pivots so you can saw from the left or right. Or some have teeth on both sides of the blade. In the link, like the Crain 336

    There are a couple of types of power saws. One looks like an angle grinder. You can adjust the height of the blade so it will cut different heights. Like the Crain 820. Another type is like a circular saw. But instead of the plate perpendicular to the blade, there is a fence parallel to the plate. But adjusting the plate you cut at different heights to accommodate different thickness of flooring. It looks like the Crain 812.

    For the handsaw the best thing to do is use a scrap piece of flooring and in your case underlayment to guide the cut. You should try to cut the casing and jamb bit above the thickness, about 1/16″ or 2mm or so. Not a lot. But the easiest tool I’ve personally used is a tool similar to the Crain 812. I had 6 or 7 doors to do for a tile job. Rented that and was done in about an hour. Money well spent. I went around to each door and cut them to the height I wanted and then dropped the blade down a bit and cut them again to clean out the debris. It was the easiest time I’ve had doing a tile remodel. Usually when you cut them with a handsaw, it is hard to get the debris out, and it is hard to get tile to slide under the jamb without something getting in the way.

    You should be able to rent a power saw or buy a hand saw at most stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s.

    But with just two doors, I’d use my handsaw. Up to you. Either way will work. If you never plan to do it again, maybe rent the power saw, because it will cost about 1/3 the rental price to buy the handsaw that you never plan to use again. But then again I have no idea what the price would be in Scotland. Good Luck either way. robling_dwrdesign

  10. firesparky@btinternet.com says:
    February 22, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    For gods sake you only have to make four cuts use a hand saw firesparky@btinternet.com

  11. jayktee96 says:
    February 24, 2010 at 6:19 am

    Easy by hand if you mean the door stops, any panel saw will do. Otherwise a Fein cutter is the boy for the job, and lots of others.

    Axminster Tools have in stock. jayktee96

  12. kevin h says:
    February 24, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    you can use a biscuit jointer to cut the bottom of frame. you can hire 1 for a couple of £s kevin h

  13. r m says:
    February 25, 2010 at 2:48 am

    i suggest that you forget about hiring and buying power tools
    take the doors off before the floor is laid
    get floor laid
    measure from the bottom hinge to the new floor level
    mark this distance minus 5mm or so on the bottom of the door
    cut using a hand saw and clean up by sanding

    ps i use a fein supercut but thats because i use it for lots of stuff, not the most efficient for this job i agree an undercut saw would be better r m

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