Oscillating tools are multifunctional tools that cater to various consumer bases for multiple purposes. They are seen to be used home builders, woodworkers, electrical workers, and contractors. It is among the most straightforward tools to use, but its effectiveness can be increased even more if some tips are kept in mind to perfect the technique of using it.
When you are just getting started for the first time with an oscillating tool, you may feel as if you need some help to get started. Here are a few tips for how to use an oscillating tool.
So let’s talk about What do you use an oscillating tool for?
Table of Contents
Guide and Tips for Using an Oscillating Tool
Here are a few “using an oscillating multi-tool” tips you can look at for better use of an oscillating tool.
1. What is an Oscillating Tool, and How Does it Work?
An oscillating tool is a powerful tool that works with the principles of oscillation. It is as simple as it sounds. The device moves from side to side, which gives an oscillation of 2-4 degrees, but usually, 3 degrees is seen in most machines. It oscillates extremely fast at 20,000 strokes per minute, but the speed can vary with different models and variations.
This high rate of speed is why it feels like this tool is vibrating because the tool moves around a specific point. Blades, sanding pads, scrapers are all attachments an oscillating tool is compatible with to do different types of work.
2. Different Types of Blade Attachments: Round and Straight?
Different blades can be attached with an oscillating tool, and there are mainly around the blade and a straight-edged blade. When cutting something in a straight line, round oscillating tool blades are high since they are known to be best for long linear cuts. When making a plunge cut, which is cutting into something to take out material, it is better to use a straight blade.
It is recommended that you make a shallow cut with the round blade first over the line, which you are going to be cutting through. Once you have made the shallow cut, proceed by gradually deepening the cut. You must remember to take the blade out from time to time to blow off the dust that gets built up.
You must also not push or press against the tool, and you are merely going to be guiding the blade firmly and let the oscillating tool and knife do its job, or else you have the risk of damaging your blade or worse damaging the machine itself.
3. How to Use to Trim off Flat Surfaces?
Using an oscillating multi-tool is not tough if you have proper guidance. When working, sometimes some extra edges have to be trimmed off. For example, when making a wooden cabinet and you might have miscalculated and cut a piece of trim slightly longer than it should have been, this is when you can use an oscillating tool to trim off the excess.
You simply have to use a straightedge as a guide for the blade which you are using with the oscillating tool to trim off the small piece. If your cabinet was trimmed then you can remove trim with a trim removal tool. It is essential to be careful and not let the blade gouge the straight edge when cutting.
4. How to Use an Oscillating Tool to Remove Grout
A lot of the question I found over the internet is how to remove oscillating tool for removing grout from items or something like “how well oscillating tool remove grout?”. The electric oscillating tool is a perfect item for removing grout using it is inbuilt interface and switches.
- First, you need to attach a proper accessory that rightly removes the grout.
- Find out the area where grouts are and clean it with water or other suppliant, to make the ground removing process smooth.
- Hold the machine precisely to the area so that it removes the grout.
- There will be some leftover, which the oscillating tool cannot do. Use a chisel to do the rest stuff.
5. How to Prepare Everything Faster Before You Start Flooring?
When installing a new floor in a house, you are going to need to cut through a lot of doorjambs and many other places. This is where a flush-cutting blade comes handy. Simply hook it up to the oscillating tool and start cutting as you desire.
These blades smoothly cut the door jambs and also put a finish, which is a lot nicer than other methods, which may take longer as well.
Before you start cutting, you can find some scrap flooring material to just set things up as a guide. Using such a guide will help you tremendously when trying to make a cut that is clean, straight, and flush so that the flooring material slides in and is snug in the slot you just created. This way, you do not make a mistake with the actual flooring but only use the scrap.
6. Oscillating Tool Tips and Tricks to Remove Trim
Oscillating tools are great for removing trims that you are willing to take down from the walls. To begin with, you need to pry out the trim piece away from the wall and then slide the blade of the oscillating tool.
Be sure to be very careful when prying so that you don’t damage the wall nor the trim too much. After you have done this, you will need to probe for the nails. To do it, just be sure to have the blade which can cut metal and then just go through the nails.
This is one of the safest and fastest methods of taking out nails while also being harmful to the wall. To eliminate this chance of damaging the wall, try using sheet metal on the wall before you start cutting through the nails.
7. Using Oscillating Tool for Sanding
Most people will suggest using a sanding machine instead of using a multi-tool. But oscillating multi-tool is a great option. You can easily use the different attachment to give your furniture excellent sanding with your capable oscillating machine.
- First, you have to select a proper blade for sanding.
- If you are unsure, search over the internet or handyman guide for sanding with the multi-tool.
- Start with proper knowledge.
8. The Proper Way of Cutting Faucet Nuts Which are Rusty
If you ask me,
What do you use an oscillating tool for? I would have answered anything. This is why it is called as a multi-tool. Like it can be used for kitchen sink repairing to any other woodworking.
When nuts get rusty, it sometimes near impossible to have it open even if you try to open with a high-quality basin wrench. This is because the edges of the nut start breaking off and also start getting rounded the more you try to open it.
This leads to you not being able to open it at all. You can do away with using a reciprocating saw, but in most cases, it is seen that there is not enough room to use such a massive tool. This is when you can use an oscillating tool to your advantage.
You must install a bi-metal cutting blade to the oscillating tool since you are going to be cutting metal. You must use a high-quality blade to get optimum results.
At first, you need to have the oscillating tool angled against the nut and then start the tool at a plodding operating speed.
This is because you want to create a groove before you make the final cut. Once you have made the groove, start increasing the speed slowly and cut into the grove gently until you have cut about 75% of the nut. Once you are in this stage of the process, the nut is relatively weak, and you simply need to take pliers and break off the remaining part of the nut holding on.
9. How to Use an Oscillating Multi-Tool for Scraping Away Gunk Buildup
Oscillating tools are great when it comes to removing gunk from any surface. Some examples can be adhesive construction patches, dried joint compounds that are difficult to remove, and all other buildups can be scraped away with an oscillating tool with the right blade.
Before you start scraping away anything, you must buy a scraper blade for your oscillating tool. Once you have the scraper blade, equip it with the instrument, and you are ready to go to start removing the gunk. Usually, one would use an ordinary screwdriver or knife to remove these, but it is a lot easier, takes a lot less time and energy to scrape with an oscillating tool.
10. Cutting Cylindrical Objects with Extra Wide Blades
When it comes to cutting pipes and all other types of cylindrical or round objects with an oscillating tool, it is beneficial to have a blade that is wider than usual blades. The extra width of the blades is preferred on curved surfaces because they do not tend to slip off as easily as the ordinary blades.
Narrow blades slip off easily compared to these more full blades when working with round objects. Still, thin blades do also have their benefits when trying to cut other purposes except for any rounded surfaces like pipes or other cylindrical objects.
11. Cutting Drywall with Your Oscillating Tool
Some of the people would say you can cut drywall using a knife or a keyhole saw rather quickly. But to do it more accurately and in quick, precise time, you will need an oscillating multi-tool. Especially if you are doing it for more than 10-20 cuts, surely you will have to rely on a multi-tool. Here is how you can cut drywall.
Mark the area with a proper measurement where you will use the tool for cutting.
You will need a precise drywall blade, something like an HSS blade, which is better for these kinds of jobs.
To do it comfortably and properly use support.
In the process of cutting drywall, dust will naturally come. Clean it and start cutting again.
Using pendulum motion is somewhat best for cutting the drywall. Some people would call it a rocking motion. In either name, the process is the same and is an ideal one.
12. Using an Oscillating Tool to Cut Metal
When you are cutting metal with an oscillating tool, an ordinary blade mounted on the tool is not good enough to cut through the metal. Any regular rounded or straight blades will get damaged after a few moments of trying to cut metal with it.
This is because they are not made to cut through such a harder material. When and if you are going to cut metal with your oscillating tool, it is important to buy a blade of good quality, which is labeled as bi-metal.
These bi-metal blades consist of teeth made from cobalt steel, and this is harder on the Mohs’ scale of hardness compared to regular steel. This allows you to cut through steel. Just be sure to buy a blade of good quality.
13. Removing a Soap Dish, Towel Bar or Other Surface Mounted objects
Once your soap dish has broken or has become outdated, you probably would want to replace it with a new one. Towel bars also fall into the same category as soap dishes since both of these are surface-mounted.
You can perform this task with an oscillating tool. To do so, you need to jam the blade of your device about an inch deep into any of the corners of the surface-mounted object. Then you have to move the blade through all the sides around the object, be it a soap dish, towel bar, or whatever else it is.
After one pass, do the same thing again, but this time, shove the blade even more profoundly than you did the first time. This process will eventually cut through all the adhesive and caulk that was holding it onto the wall.
Bottom Line
Using an oscillating tool is mostly smooth if you have just the basic knowledge of how to use them. There are limitless places where the use of an oscillating tool may be needed. Remember the tips mentioned as they are going to guide you through whatever work you are doing with an oscillating tool.
Just remember to use the right blade for the right job. It is also remembering not to put down excess pressure on the tool when working and just to let the machine do the job by itself.
