If you are working in a tight space, such as a crawl space, in the rear of a cabinet, or even just doing a tricky demolition job, cutting wood can be a challenge. After all, many wood cutting tools are fairly large and cannot fit into tight spaces. However, there are some tools that can take care of these harder-to-reach jobs. Today, we want to take a closer look at the eight best ways to cut wood in tight places.
8 Best Ways to Cut Wood in Tight Places
There are eight different ways you could go about cutting wood in a confined space, and we want to take a quick look at each of them right now.
1. Using a Dremel or Multi-Tool
One of the best ways to cut wood in tight places is by using a Dremel or any other type of multi-tool. Dremels and multi-tools can handle a wide variety of attachments, such as long and thin saw blades, cutting wheels, sanding bits, polishing bits, and more.
Due to the very compact nature of a Dremel, it does fit into tight spaces very easily and can perform a wide variety of tasks.
A Dremel is fairly short, narrow, and lightweight, so you can easily use it in tight spaces with a single hand. These tools can even handle some fairly long blades, which would allow you to cut fairly thick materials in tight spaces.
For more information on this method, read my article about how to cut wood with a Dremel.
2. Using a Drill with a Hole Saw
If you are working in a tight space, such as in the back of the cabinet or in a crawl space, something you may have to do is drill relatively large holes.
Maybe you have to insert a pipe or a cable, or just get into the wall for some other reason. If you need to make a perfect hole in a wall but are working in a very tight space, using a drill with a hole saw attachment is ideal.
A hole saw attachment is specifically designed to drill holes of various sizes, depending on the size of the attachment itself.
As long as you can fit your drill into that tight space, this should work just fine. There are some really compact and small drills out there, so this shouldn’t be much of a problem.
3. Using a Compact Circular Saw
If you need to perform fairly large cutting tasks and saw apart decently large and dense pieces of wood, such as a 2” x 4”, then you may consider using a compact circular saw.
Now, even a compact circular saw isn’t going to be that small, so there is a limit as to how far this goes.
However, there are fairly small models out there that should allow you to fit into fairly tight spaces. Some compact circular saws can be operated with a single hand, which is of course ideal for small spaces.
4. Using a Rotary Saw
Something else you can use for this type of job is a rotary saw, otherwise known as a cutout tool or spiral cut saw.
These have very special cutting blades that actually resemble drill bits more than anything else, in the sense that they are circular. They can make small cutouts by spinning that circular bit-like saw blade very quickly.
If you are working in tight spaces, and you need to cut very small and accurate holes into fixtures, sidings, and other objects that are made out of plywood, drywall, or other such materials, then a rotary saw is a great option to consider.
5. Using a Reciprocating Saw
If the name of the game is demolition, and you just need to cut wood apart so you can remove it, then there is rarely anything better than the reciprocating saw, also known as the demolition saw.
These have fairly large and long reciprocating blades that can easily reach into tight spaces. Their compact nature is one of this saw’s greatest benefits.
Moreover, the types of blades that these saws can use are ideal for cutting apart fairly dense and hard pieces of wood.
Even better, these demolition saws have blades that can cut plastic and metal, which definitely comes in handy for a variety of demolition jobs. Also keep in mind that there are various sizes of reciprocating saws out there, so you should generally be able to find one small enough for most spaces.
6. Using a Hammer and Chisel
The next option at your disposal does not involve any kind of power tool whatsoever, but rather a simple chisel and a hammer. Now, this is ideal if you have an extremely tight space that you just can’t fit any kind of power tool into.
As long as you can line up the chisel with the wood being cut, and you have enough room to tap a hammer, this should work. This is generally best for removing small and protruding pieces of wood, although, for actual sawing and cutting, it is going to take a long time and a lot of effort.
7. Using a Hand Saw
There are also many different types of hand saws that you can use in tight spaces, such as coping saws, Japanese hand saws, dovetail saws, and crosscut saws. You can find relatively small models of each of these, which should work fine for tight spaces.
However, do remember that you need enough space to move your arm back and forth so you can power the saw. As far as tight spaces go, although handsaws may work, they probably aren’t your best bet.
8. Using a Jigsaw
The eighth and final option that you have at your disposal for cutting wood in tight spaces, especially if you have enough vertical space to work with, is a jigsaw. There are relatively small jigsaws out there that can fit into tight spaces and are ideal for cutting curves and patterns but may also cut straight lines.
What Is the Best Method for Cutting Wood in Tight Places?
In all honesty, there is no number one best method for cutting wood in tight spaces, as it all depends on the job at hand and the tools you have available. For instance, if you need a very precise and clean-cut, a Dremel might be best. However, if you are just removing wood for demolition purposes, a reciprocating saw would be best.
If you just need to remove a small piece of protruding wood, a hammer and chisel might be more than enough. If you need to make holes and cutouts, then either a drill with a hole saw attachment or a rotary saw would get the job done.
How to Cut Wood in Tight Places: Mistakes to Avoid, Tips and Tricks
Lastly, here are a few additional things to keep in mind:
- Always wear breathing protection when cutting wood in tight spaces because you do not want to inhale sawdust
- At the same time, when working in tight spaces, it’s also recommended that you wear eye protection
- Before choosing any tool for whatever job you are doing, just make sure that it can actually fit into the tight space before you start
Summary
As you can see, you have plenty of options at your disposal in terms of cutting wood in tight spaces.