I'll get some pictures up this weekend. An installer does not have to use a Festool to do this... one can use a circular saw against some sort of a guide. The ends can be finished off with a sharp chisel. It would a good idea to score the cut line with a razor knife first. I'm in Roanoke.

Pictures of the Festool saw and Fein Multimaster cutting out hardwood for a transition to tile. http://www.custom-surfaces.com/24.html

Jerry> that link was very helpful, thanks for providing. Being that you are in Roanoke (not far from Lewisburg), would you consider helping me with these cuts? If so, please advise your labor rate or whether you would be interested in quoting the job. I am flexible on the timeline.

Perhaps you guys can help?

The flooring installers did not cut out for all the registers. I cannot figure out why as these are generally at the beginning or end of runs and the planks had to be cut there anyway to stop/start runs. Help me out here guys - is this a normal practice or is this just being lazy? A portion of the register(s) was/were cut out I am guessing to allow for easy identificaiton of their placement. In any case, the GC called in the heating and cooling company to finish with the HVAC. He was told about the registers not being cut-out. He stated that this would be done prior to the HVAC guys arriving. This was not done. THe HVAC guys came and found the registers partially cut-out and took it upon themselves to use a tool evidently unfamiliar to them - a circular saw. On the register in front of the main entry door from the garage the saw kicked back and left a visible 2" gash in an adjacent piece of hardwood.

This really ticks me off because I have only limited pieces left that are of the poorest quality (nicks, dings, mill marks, finish imperfections, etc.) Now I am going to have to dig through the remaining stock to find a less than perfect replacement piece that will go in a common area in the main entry to the home.

This might also be a good time to mention that the GC gave us an allowance for only 1,500 s/f of wood. My measurements showed that this would not be enough and I ordered an add'l 100 s/f (approx. $400) on my own. We had barely enough stock to finish and as mentioned above the pieces left upon finishing the job were few and many of them imperfect. BTW, the GC put me in touch with a flooring broker in NC for the purchase of the wood, so the responsibility of ordering the materials and receiving less-than-acceptable stock is shared.

So perhaps with this information you can begin to understand my general frustration level to a small extent.

Sorry, but I'm not licensed to work out of state. There are several ways to cut down on the floor. Another way is to use a router with a pattern cutting bit. You can use a piece of MDF board as a guide and the router bearing will against the MDF to make a smooth straight cut. It will take 2 or passes to cut all the way down. Then score the line with a sharp razor knife and a sharp chisel out the ends.

If you intend to cut back farther back into the floor to install a header board he/she can use the router with a top bearing slot cutter to groove what you have cut to receive a spline for the header board.

This is very time consuming but it's not rocket science either. Have you checked the NWFA consumer site to locate an installer in your area? http://woodfloors.org/consumer/findPro.aspx

Thanks for the subsequent advice Jerry. I have tried to locate an installer on the NWFA site but there are none in this area. Closest would be Roanoke, but then there is that insurance issue. So this isn't as easy as you make it sound. But your advice has been helpful and at least I now know what to ask for should I find a knowledgable installer within 100 miles.

Jerry,

Is there any chance you would reconsider offering a quote on this job? I would be willing to sign a disclaimer absolving you of any liability given the out-of-state status of the job. I have called many installers this week and have yet to come across one that has even heard of a "festool". I don't believe they are too advanced in this geographic location. No one was able to help after I described the work I needed to have done.

Like you said, it isn't rocket science and all that would be required is 2 cuts b/t door jambs.

Please let me know if you would reconsider sending someone out.

Thanks,
Jeff

the "fesstool" is a circular saw with a guide built on it. you can use a small circular saw and a board as a guide in replacement of it. It takes a steady hand but is possible.


other options besides the fess tool and router


Skil makes a 5 1/4 circular saw that works well (only cuts 5 inches to the door jambs though) but greatly reduces the amount of fien tool use/ or chiseling.

$100ish

Makita has an even smaller saw (3in? i think) it gets about 1 1/2 inches to the door jambs.

$250ish

The fien multimaster can do it all (but not sure on how many blades it would take) It can cut all the way to the door jambs, under them also. You could use that and a scrap peice of metal (like a chunk of a t square) as a guide (Ive noticed if you use wood for a guide, it tends to dig into the wooden guide messing up your cut) With a steady enough had you could freehand it. But being prefinished I wouldnt.

$250-300ish but bades are 30ish each, could take 2 could take six.

There is nobody to send Jeff...it's just me

If you can wait awhile I am willing to do this for you. I have work scheduled into December.... possibly even January if I should run into major problems or if customers add on more work. That happens all the time.

I need your email address and some photo's if possible.

Jerry

Jeff, is Harpers Ferry close to you?

Jerry, Harpers Ferry is 225 miles (about 3.75 hrs). Roanoke is 82 miles and I think my best chance to find an installer with the tools to handle this job. If you are not interested personally, would you have any laborers on the payroll that would be willing to do this as a side job? If not, are there any other flooring guys that you could recommend?

Also, I actually need 3 cuts, not 2. I forgot about the laundry room entrance.

Thanks

Like Gary and Floorguy, I have no laborers or any helpers. I'm just one guy that has to do all the grunt work and the actual installation. The guy you want is probably not in the yellow pages...find a hardwood floor distributer nearest to you and they should have a few names you can contact directly.