I am adding a small pantry with door to the kitchen area and want to continue the hardwood floors from the kitchen area into the pantry. After removing the baseboard moldings I see that the last hardwood board against the wall was roughly ripped to fit. I want to cut out a portion of this board where the door opening will be, so that I can continue the flooring into the pantry. Can I cross-cut this board without having to remove the entire board first? There is not enough room to plunge cut with a circular saw – would it be better to just use a chisel?
Added drawing to show what I'm trying to do. The boards against the wall have been ripped down to only about 1" wide, so there's not much to cut…
Best Answer
For close cutting, either horizontally or vertically in very close quarters, I recommend a multitool.
It has different blades for wood, metal, and can do some limited grinding and tight sanding. You do need clearance of at least the width of the blade plus about 1/4 inch.
If you do not have that much clearance, you may need a Dremel-type rotary cutting/grinding tool. It can cut or grind down to very small widths.
Failing that, or if you are hand tool inclined, you can use a chisel.