Best way to Channel

[Darkstar_surfer]

I plan to embark on hiding the cables around my Plasma on the run up to Christmas. As far as I can tell there are 4 ways to do this, and several variations on these themes.

1. Get some one in to do it - Cost about £200 to £300, timescale 1 day.

2. Cut through Plaster with knife, drill holes in Breeze block with drill, Chisel out remaining block, etc. - Cost depends on the tools I break, timescale 1 years, 2 months 19 days, you should have seen how long it took me to replace the bathroom door, for over a year it hung without a handle.

3. Use an angle grinder to cut two slots and then chisel out remains. - Power tools and me were never meant to mix, did I tell you about the time I tiled the bathroom floor and ended up flooding the kitchen and we got a new kitchen ceiling courtesy of our ex-insurance company.cost and time scales, see 2 above.

4. Drill straight through the wall and run the cables out side. Cables will be exposed. Cost very little, time scale 1 day, I am good at drilling through walls, it is the stopping I have not managed.

So what do you think I should do.

 

[jaffamuffin]

Alternatively, rather than multiple runs of conduit up the wall, run one (larger, wider, but flat) (OR maybe check ebay for something called 'cable management') straight up the wall to behind the plasma. ALL cables will go this route.

You may have a problem with the mains cable interference.(data and power should always be separate if possible) You can test this by just tie wrapping all the cable before committing.

Then run the L + R speaker cable into the wall from behind the plasma to each speaker. You really should be able to just cut a couple of times with a blade, and push the cable in, unless you are using heavy speaker cable., and Paint/ plaster over again. I'm thinking like a couple of mm deep and wide.

Oh and you'll probably have to buy new/longer cables. But that's life.

 

[Darkstar_surfer]

I had a 100 meter drum of speaker cable and I am no where near finished, and it is heavy. The two runs up the middle is to separate mains from data. I had to run separate speaker feed as I could not fit any more speaker in with the component feed.

I remember a mate trying to fit lights all round his living room and he used an angle grinder and it took him months to clean the dust out afterward. Just one of my worries. The other is my kids demand their TV is available 24/7. So I have to work quick. Final problem is I can't move the plasma on my own safely and I can't keep asking the neighbor to drop everything to help.

 

[alanframe]

The easiest and quickest way I have found is to use one of these and an sds drill. Much less dust than the angle grinder and it will go behind the skirting.

Channelling Chisel

I'm sure you could hire one from somewhere?

 

[Darkstar_surfer]

That seems a great idea. I do own an SDS drill so I may buy the channeling chisel as I like to own my own tools so I can do the job when I want too.

Is this any good.
5 SDS+ CHISELS INC 80MM WIDE TILE CHISEL + 2 DRILLS C12 on eBay, also Drill Bits Accessories, Drills, Power Tools, Business, Office Industrial (end time 07-Oct-08 19:30:00 BST)

I had heard about a custom channeling tool that was like two angle grinders and a vacuum all in one that is quick and makes little mess. Does anyone know what they cost to hire and which of these two solutions makes the least mess.

 

[vex]

Is it solid plaster or what is called 'dot and dab'

I guess it depends on the age of the house. We are just wiring a house in MK, built in 2000 that is totally dot and dab downstairs even on the outside walls.

Dot and Dab is where plasterboard is fixed to the outside wall using large 'dots' of adhesive and then the plasterboard in 'dabbed' to it. Leaving anything between 5 and 15mm of gape to run cables in.

HTH

V.

 

[Darkstar_surfer]

My house was built late 1970's, maybe early 1980. There is no plaster board as far as I can tell just plaster straight on to breeze block. As you can see I have drilled a few holes in to it to mount the plasma and speakers and also gone straight through to run satellite cable to my self installed dish.

Hi Vex, if you want to give me a ballpark figure for channeling and plastering, based on hiding the trucking in the above picture, mains, component and HDMI to plasma and speaker cables as required then PM me and maybe we can talk more as I am only 10 miles from MK.

By the way I just bought some Monitor Audio Radius R225 to replace the front speakers which is my reason to finally comit to a permenent instal.

 

[drdes]

Hi Darkstar,

I am currently in the process of doing a similar thing to yours in terms of set up. One question:

How will the speaker wire go for the front right hand side speaker. Will you have the speaker cable going across the wall or will you have it going vertically up from the amp, across through the ceiling and then down again vertically to the speaker?

Thanks.

 

[aggallim]

Hi, I too am in the middle of such a project. I just bought my first house and wanted to keep it tidy without running loads of cable. I'm not amazing @ DIY so was hesitant to do it myself but i plucked up the courage to borrow a chaser.

Before:

After:

Doesn't look amazingly straight but its a damm sight straighter than you'll get it with a SDS chisel.

I'll be posting end to end piccys when i've finished, hopefully with some nice KEF 2005.3's

 

[bardel]

aggallim,

do you have more details on the "chaser" tool you've used? Might save me some time too... Otherwise, I'll be going with the combing chisel for an uneven / wonky channel, but fairly safe from causing much damage to the surrounding areas.

Thanks

Barry

 

[Darkstar_surfer]

Hi Darkstar,

I am currently in the process of doing a similar thing to yours in terms of set up. One question:

How will the speaker wire go for the front right hand side speaker. Will you have the speaker cable going across the wall or will you have it going vertically up from the amp, across through the ceiling and then down again vertically to the speaker?

Thanks.

My original plan was to channel along the top of the skirting, floor can not be lifted and I don't want to damage skirting. Then vertical below the plasma and from there run two horizontals left and right. Although your question had me thinking I may be best to run vertical from behind the amp to the left hand speaker then across the wall behind the Plasma and on to the right speaker.

 

[baggy89]

one of these?
Sparky Fk652 230mm Wall Chaser

 

[SeriousPigeon]

I had heard about a custom channeling tool that was like two angle grinders and a vacuum all in one that is quick and makes little mess. Does anyone know what they cost to hire and which of these two solutions makes the least mess.

Don't be fooled by thinking that these make a little mess. The vacuum cleaner attachement reduces the dust level from phenomenal to merely extreme.
I used one to cut conduits for wiring in my kitchen and after a couple of channels I had about 2 feet of visibility, there was that much dust!

 

[aggallim]

do you have more details on the "chaser" tool you've used? Might save me some time too... Otherwise, I'll be going with the combing chisel for an uneven / wonky channel, but fairly safe from causing much damage to the surrounding areas.

I borrowed one that i can't remember the name of, but it looks a lot like a blade saw:

When I was looking I found one for hire about £45.

 

[RS2005]

Fein Multimaster????
Fein MultiMaster, Fein Supercut, Fein Tools, Accessories

I've not used one before, but I'm quite tempted to get one for various little jobs inc running some cables.

Anyone used one?

 

[velvitjester]

Just use an angle grinder,the wall chasers are just a waste of money tbh.

Its ****,just check that there are no wires or pipes behind,although you shouldnt need to go that deep.

and then fill with polyfilla etc.

 

[thorpe]

Fein Multimaster????
Fein MultiMaster, Fein Supercut, Fein Tools, Accessories

I've not used one before, but I'm quite tempted to get one for various little jobs inc running some cables.

Anyone used one?

indeed i have for many years now, great tool expensive blades but other than that the tool is great, only last weekend my mum decided to get a little telly for her conseratory asked me to come over and wall mount it so broke out the fein an old blade, took me all of 10mins very little dust as i taped the vacum onto the attachable extractor

i might suggest that unless your into DIY on a major scale or are in fact a trades person then you would porberly be just as well in getting Bosch PMF 180E All Rounder 3 In 1 Multi Tool Cuts - Saws - Sands 180w 240v - PMF 180 E - 0603100071 - Bosch Multi Tools it works exactly the same as the fein multimaster in fact the blades for the bosch also fit the old fein multimaster they wont fit the new models.

as for using it to do channelling, depends what your cutting into, it will do dot and dab very easy and neatly, it will take plaster and breeze block in its stride, but if your thinking of going though bricks then your going to be eating though blades so i've always stuck to a wall chaser, grinder, or hammer and bolster depending on how much time ive got and how much dust will be acceptable.

@ original poster simple solution weve often used is to plant a stud wall from the floor to ceiling, you'll lose perhaps 3 inches off the room size (depends on timber used and plaster board) but its cheap, quick, simple, and allows for easy routing of cables both now and in the future

shouldnt take more than a day provide youve brought the stuff in advance will be cleaner that grinding and will be better than putting cables on the outside wall

 

[davehk]

Fein Multimaster????
Fein MultiMaster, Fein Supercut, Fein Tools, Accessories

I've not used one before, but I'm quite tempted to get one for various little jobs inc running some cables.

Anyone used one?

I have a Fein Multimaster. Superb tool for cutting floorboards, skirting, ceiling, channels in plasterboard even, but not for chasing into plaster or breezeblock and certainly not brick.

I use a circular saw with a cutting disk, and then a cold chisel and SDS chisel to remove the material between the cuts. much less dusty than a chaser.