I need to cut a channel in drywall to run cable. Tool to use?

Question

I'd like to cut a channel in my drywall to run coax. Any suggestions? thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Well, first of all, you don't cut a "channel" in drywall to run cable. If your new connection is going to tie in with an existing cable jack on the same floor I recommend installing a jack in the wall at the appropriate height and then remove the moulding at the bottom of the wall. You will find a small gap that you can lay the cable into and run it from your new jack along the wall to an existing one, then pass it behind the drywall and up to the new jack you just installed and the one you want to tie into. You will need a cable "splitter" in order to join your new cable to the existing cable jack. Then it's just a matter of putting the moulding back in place and you're finished.
If you need to make a connection to a jack on a floor either above or below you, then it becomes a little more involved but still not difficult at all. You will either need to pull you cable through a crawlspace below the room or through an attic above. That route is more time consuming but not hard to do. Good luck with the installation.

Answer 2

I agree that pulling the floor molding out usually gives you a small channel you can use.

The hardware store sells a "drywall knife' which is a cheap aluminum knife with serrated edges like a saw. I have used this to cut out rectangles for wall outlet box's. I'm sure it would work to cut a channel.

Suggestion: Use a metal yardstick and a sharp knife to 'score' 2 lines on the sheatrock to outline the channel. This will keep the edges neat when you go to work with the drywall knife.

Answer 3

I need to find a cable splitter in dry wall help