Push studs apart for rough-in panel box?

[brxndxn]

I recently moved all the network cables from my closet to the garage (other side of same wall). I purchased a 14" square panel box that is made to fit between the studs. However, the studs are only 13 3/4" apart so the box will not fit. I could either chip away part of the studs or push them apart to wedge the box in..

Does a tool exist that will allow me to push the studs apart a quarter inch? I would imagine it would take considerable force.

 

[lxskllr]

Car jack/bottle jack

 

[lupi]

great googalimoogie.

 

[Modular]

I would definitely not jack the studs apart. Just chip out the wood in the area you need to fit the box into.

 

[Sea Moose]

The answer is here?

 

[FoBoT]

use a sawz all or bear mounted laser beam

 

[Mike Gayner]

Push the studs apart? Shit, where do people come up with this stuff?

 

[Sea Moose]

Push the studs apart? Shit, where do people come up with this stuff?

1/4 inch = 6mm = fuck all movement

 

[Bignate603]

Do it right and just notch the stud.

 

[DrPizza]

That's an 1/8 inch per stud. Huge question: what's attached to the other side? Is there wallboard on the side you're facing? If so, I think I'd just notch them both 1/8" with a good, sharp chisel.

 

[Rubycon]

Plunge cut with a circular saw fitted with a carbide tipped blade. The kerf width doubled is going to be pretty close to 1/4".

 

[DrPizza]

Plunge cut with a circular saw fitted with a carbide tipped blade. The kerf width doubled is going to be pretty close to 1/4".

I don't think the depth of a circular saw is quite enough though. How deep is the breaker box?

 

[iGas]

You can try pushing the stud apart, but it depends on what is on the other side, and the nails may move a bit and ding your wall on the finish side.

Or, cut off 1 stud at install height and box it in with 2x4/2x6 to support/strengthen the stud/wall. Can also run a length of 2x4/2x6 on the other side of cut off stud to support the cut off gap.

 

[MotionMan]

The answer is here?

Yeah, the first result should help.

MotionMan

 

[gophins72]

based on title, i thought this thread was about something else...

 

[Howard]

Are these studs load bearing?

 

[iGas]

Are these studs load bearing?

The extra stud to gap the cut off would be sufficient and boxing it would make it even stronger.

No need to worry here.

 

[Lean L]

When I want to push my stud into a panel box I just ram it in there. then I take it out and ram it back in again. With the better, tighter panels, some lubricant is useful.

 

[Fayd]

I recently moved all the network cables from my closet to the garage (other side of same wall). I purchased a 14" square panel box that is made to fit between the studs. However, the studs are only 13 3/4" apart so the box will not fit. I could either chip away part of the studs or push them apart to wedge the box in..

Does a tool exist that will allow me to push the studs apart a quarter inch? I would imagine it would take considerable force.

chisel.

 

[marvdmartian]

based on title, i thought this thread was about something else...

Perhaps, in San Francisco?? :sneaky:

 

[Ninjahedge]

Pushing 1/4 inch (1/8 on either side) will probably not do anything to the structure, load bearing or not. It will, however, tweak the nnails as mentioned earlier.

Boxing out the opening is another method. If the wall is load bearing (you would know by which way the roof beams ran, or how the roof was peaked above that floor, or by which walls have windows and which don't...). If it is load bearing, doubling the studs on either side is recommended, if not, then just a cut-and-boxout should be fine.

The other is to get something like a dremmel (is that the proper name?) and etch that notch into the studs. The hardestpart would probably be keeping the tool level, which might be achieved by temporarily attaching a panel over the studs, marking out the neccessary lines, and drilling/routing through both the panel and the stud....

Or you can just get another panel.

 

[Rubycon]

I don't think the depth of a circular saw is quite enough though. How deep is the breaker box?

Big boys use big toys.

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Foot-15-Am.../dp/B0000224SI

 

[stech1]

If they'll move, push em apart. 1/4 is hardly going to hurt anything. Obviously, if they are load bearing, which in a closet, I hardly doubt it, they won't move. But, if they move, push them suckers apart and modify as necessary. Not rocket science...

 

[Greenman]

Fail fail and fail again.
OP said it was a common wall between the closet and the garage.
The wall between the house and garage is a fire rated assembly, any box you put in that wall has to be fire rated. There is also a size limit that I don't remember right off hand.
After you determine that you do indeed have a fire rated box of a legal size then you can put it in.

 

[Ninjahedge]

Only if the box is one that goes through the wall.

You are right about fire rating though. He may ned a FR box, or add an extra layer of sheetrock on the garage side (as well as sealing any penetrations) to come back up to code......