Can you Cut Drywall with a Circular Saw?

We all know how versatile tool a circular saw can be but can you cut drywall with a circular saw? well, here’s the answer:

A circular saw can easily cut drywall, however, it produces a lot of dust during the cutting process which is harmful to health and can also damage the tool.

Yup, you heard me, circular saw can easily cut drywall but cutting the drywall is not the only thing you should be caring about. There are certainly a few other things that must be on your checklist too.

Just as I mentioned earlier, during the drywall cutting process, the circular saw produces a lot of dust. This dust can cause a lot of health problems if inhaled. Besides that, there are a few other things that you should know before even thinking about cutting drywall with a circular saw.

Let’s find out why you should never cut drywall with a circular saw and what will happen if you try to cut it using the mentioned tool.

What is Drywall Consist of?

Drywall is a construction material that is lightweight and commonly used to construct the interior partition of homes, buildings, offices, etc.

It consists of a thin sheet of gypsum sandwiched between two thick sheets of heavyweight paper (known as lath). The paper is usually made out of either fiberglass or paper.

The drywall sheets are then cut into specific sizes to suit a given project.

The thickness of drywall varies from half an inch up to five and a quarter inches depending on its usage.

The two most common types of drywall are fiberboard which is made from wood and paper-faced panels that have a gypsum core and a paper facing.

The paper-faced panels are the most commonly used and are usually found in home construction projects.

A powerful circular saw can cut through drywall but that will leave behind a lot of dust which is not only harmful to health, it can also damage your tools.

What Happens When You Cut Drywall Using a Circular Saw?

Cutting drywall using a circular saw is pretty simple. All you have to do is set up the blade according to your desired depth and use a straightedge guide to cut through the sheet of gypsum.

Nothing can be more simpler than this, right? Just align the cutting line with the edge of the blade and cut.

But, what are the repercussions of using a circular saw to cut drywall? Cutting drywall with a circular saw leaves behind a lot of dust which means that your room will be filled with dust particles, especially if you don’t have proper ventilation in your workspace.  

If inhaled, even a small amount of drywall dust can cause a lot of health problems and you should always wear proper dust masks or respiratory protection to avoid this.

The circular saw blade can easily damage the drywall and leave behind rough edges and jagged cuts which will require extra finishing work that increases your project costs.

A circular saw may be able to cut through drywall but that doesn’t mean you should use it. There are numerous other alternatives available that produce less dust and can cut through drywall much faster than a circular saw.

Using a Dremel Saw Blade to Cut Drywall

The safest and simplest way to cut drywall is using a Dremel rotary tool with a special drywall cutting blade attached to it.

A Dremel rotary tool is a power cutting tool that uses a cylindrical attachment with a tiny blade protruding out of it to cut through any material such as drywall, wood, plastic, etc.  

Dremel tools are very easy to use and can produce precise cuts without leaving behind jagged edges which will require extra finishing work as compared to a circular saw.

Since these tools are battery-powered, you can take them anywhere and cut through drywall without creating a lot of dust.

These tools come with different types of blades that vary in size and shape depending on the function they serve.

Using a Dremel saw blade, you can cut through the drywall in no time and with very less dust.

Other Tools You Can Use to Cut Drywall

There are a number of tools available that can be used for cutting drywall including:

Pipe Slicers – Pipe slicers are large power tools that produce straight cuts on drywall which makes them suitable to cut through large sheets of drywall.

Drywall Slicers – These are handheld power tools that have a circular blade fitted into them and are used for making straight cuts on drywall.

Jig Saw – This is another tool that you can use for cutting drywall. Jigsaws come with an adjustable base which you can use to make different types of cuts on drywall.

Power Reciprocating Saws – These power tools have a saw-toothed blade and are used for making straight cuts across the drywall sheets.

Using any of these tools ensures a neat finish to the drywall without leaving behind jagged edges, cracks, or other such problems.

All the tools that we discussed here are available in different sizes and can be used for cutting drywall of any thickness.

Using a circular saw may give your project an inexpensive look but, it is not worth the risks involved.

Are drywall cutout tools worth it?

If you have drywall cutout tool then, you can easily avoid cutting from a long distance.

It really depends on your requirements and whether or not they are worth it.   For example, if you want to do an entire home by yourself, then no…but if you’re doing like 1-2 rooms with the family or a friend, then yes.

It really depends on a lot of factors like: do you have the tools to cut with? What areas will this save time in? There are definitely benefits to owning a drywall cutout tool but I think it is more worth your money if you’re doing multiple rooms or something similar. It’s just so much faster and less stressful.

I wouldn’t recommend using the drywall cutout tool on a very detailed cutting job, but for edges that are just straight lines. You should also have a good blade in your Dremel of choice… not the one they give you to start. I personally like Bosch blades or Dremel carbide cutters.

Yes, it depends on how much the drywall cutout tools cost and the condition of your current blade. To be honest, I’d just replace the blades with a decent Dremel metal blade or Bosch blade and those will work perfectly for you!  

If you’re doing bigger jobs, definitely go ahead and invest in a new blade. The drywall cutout tools are perfect for smaller jobs and if you’re doing a couple of rooms, it definitely makes the process faster without any hassles of making multiple cuts from different angles.

They will help you to know whether or not these tools are worth your money… I mean it’s like $25-30 which isn’t a lot of money, but it really depends on if you need a new blade or not. I would recommend the drywall cutout tool for family jobs because they’re just so much faster than using a regular saw.

What are the advantages of drywall cutout tools?

There isn’t any other way to cut through drywall without creating a lot of dust which is a pretty big problem.

With drywall cutout tools, you can avoid all this mess and make the entire process much easier.  

Many people end up having cracks on their walls when they try to cut through drywall using regular saws but, that’s one of the main reasons why drywall cutout tools are used.

If you make the correct cuts using these tools, then you can avoid cracks and jagged edges which prove to be a huge problem when it comes to drywall cutting.

Using drywall cutout tools is also beneficial because they allow you to continue on with your work right away without wasting any time. If you use a regular saw on drywall, then there’s no doubt that the job will become much more difficult for you and it’ll take up a lot of time as well.

Drywall cutout tools are perfect because they provide an easier way to make cuts with incredible accuracy. With these tools, you don’t have to make multiple cuts, because just one cut is enough to finish the job.

They are perfect for home projects and they ensure that you finish your task without wasting time.

What are the disadvantages of drywall cutting tools?

These tools can be a bit expensive to purchase which can turn away people who are on a tight budget.

On top of that, these tools are not very sturdy and can be a bit difficult to use for bigger jobs.

These saws must be handled with care because if you don’t then the blade might stop working properly and it will cause you to lose time as well as money.  

For home usage, drywall cutting tools are great… but they cannot be used to cut multiple pieces of drywall at a time. If you try to do that, then the blade will not be able to handle the pressure and it will eventually break which is why these tools are designed for cutting through a single piece of drywall at a time.

These tools are very useful when it comes to cutting through drywall, but they cannot be used for other materials like metal or wood.

What are the differences between a drywall saw and a cutout tool?

People use drywall saws when they have to do big jobs which require multiple cuts from different angles. This is mainly because of the fact that these saws are sturdy and a lot more powerful compared to drywall cutout tools.

When it comes to speed, then drywall saws cannot be beaten by any other tool out there because they can make multiple cuts in just a matter of minutes. On the other hand, drywall cutout tools can only make one cut at a time which is why they are not capable of making multiple cuts at once.

What is the best drywall cutter to buy?

The best drywall cutters that you can get your hands on will be the ones that come with a new blade. If you plan on doing bigger jobs, then it’s definitely worth investing in drywall cutout tools that come with a new blade.

The replacement blades can be found online and they are not very expensive which makes them perfect for homeowners who like to do their own work around the house. On top of that, these blades are very easy to replace and you won’t need anything special in order to make it happen.

Also Read – Best Circular Saw under 100

What does a drywall cutter do?

A drywall cutter is a tool that’s mainly used to cut through different types of drywall and it can be pretty effective when you want to make cuts on your own.

Drywall cutters are perfect for people who need to repair or build something in the house because they allow them to get rid of all the cracks and jagged edges and make the perfect cuts.

These tools are primarily used on drywall but, they can also be used for other materials as well such as metal and wood.

What is a drywall saw?

A drywall saw is a tool that’s designed to cut through different types of walls, which makes it perfect for people who want to install a new piece of drywall in their house.

These tools are also known as drywall hand saws and they can be used for cutting through multiple pieces at once because they come with several blades that can fit each other together.

A lot of homeowners prefer drywall saws because they are more powerful than drywall cutout tools. 

Conclusion

Circular saws can definitely cut through drywalls but there are a few reasons due to which you shouldn’t use it for this purpose.

The first thing is that the saw produces a huge amount of dust during the cutting process. It can cause serious health issues plus, it can also damage the tool.

Moreover, it may not produce smooth cuts because circular saws are just too powerful for the drywall sheets. It will leave rough edges which will not look very professional.

However, if you still want to use a circular saw for the project then I highly recommend wetting the drywall a little. This way you won’t have to deal with the dust.