How to measure holes for electric boxes and transfer them onto a B-board back

It’s just a matter of carefulness, El.

Fortunately there’s this great product you need to know about: Oversize plates!

Is the case ease to maneuver about?

I’d take good measurements, cut a net fit and test it; adjust if necessary and install. The oversize plates, your best friends right now, will go on poifect.

Kindly,

Lee

-- "...in his brain, which is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd with observation, the which he vents in mangled forms." --Shakespeare, "As You Like It"

don’t measure, fit instead. once your b-board is cut to size, hold it either above or below the outlet and mark the outlet’s location, side to side, on either an upper or lower edge of the b-board. now move the b-board so the distance from the floor or top of a baseboard can be marked on a side edge of the b-board. extend the 4 marks from their edges into the middle of the b-board. where the lines intersect each other is the location of the outlet. never had it fail.

-- there's a solution to every problem.......you just have to be willing to find it.

Remove the switch plates. Find some 1” or longer
6/32 machine screws to fit the switchplate screw
threads. Cut off the end of the screws and grind to a point.
Push your cabinet against the points to mark.

I just measure carefully from two sides of the Sheetrock and mark them. To make the marks on the new Sheetrock I normally use a Sheetrock square. If you are hanging the Sheetrock lengthwise along walls remember after you hang the top sheet measure from that sheet down not the floor up, because you are going to lift the Sheetrock up tight against the top sheet.

The trick I use is to put lip stick around the edge of the electrical box and press the cabinet firmly into place transfusing the lip stick too the back ,I then drill small holes through to the inside of the back draw the lines on the inside of the back by having straight lines by using the small drill holes in the corners and cut out with a multi- tool. If you careful your cut out is dead on.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Jonathan
It’s my own lip stick LOL My wife gave me a stick she doesn’t use to keep in my tool box,It might make some folks wonder :)) I’ve used that trick many many times it works great.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

When the box is to flush with the wall I tape or hot glue some small sticks of cardboard to the inside of the box and put like stick on them. Since I tend to be dyslexic this is the safest method for me. If the outlet is still in the box it seems like I have just put the lipstick on it and measured out to get the correct measurement.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

To be code the box is supposed to stick out flush with any combustible wall material (your cabinet) so you may want to remove the existing box, get your cutout as close as possible, run the wire into your cabinet and use a plastic old work box installed from the cabinet side. If you have to cut a bit of drywall or plaster to get the box to fit back in the wall so be it.

Thanks you post reminded me of another approach ,If you screw on a electrical box extension it makes it easier to mark with lip stick and takes care of code problems too.

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/310574-carlon-electrical-box-pvc-extender.html?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&gclid=CJH-heuS67QCFQuCQgodjAIAFw#.UPW0pR1EEZ0

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

“PS: a1Jim, do you tell the wife you used the lipstick, or just put it back? lol”

Now that is funny right there! :-)

-- Handcrafted by Mike Henderson - Channelview, Texas

Thanks for all the information, I will let you know how it turns out. The installation will take place this Sat and Sun. Jim thanks for the info on the extender.
El

-- Elvin, Southern California, "How great would life be if we lived a little of it everyday"

Well I finally got all of the holes cut out and used all of your recommendations. I found an “Outlet Stamp,” That I purchased a number of years ago and never used therefore forgetting I even had it. It plugs into the wall and has four markers attached to the corners of the stamp.Naturally these markers were dried out so I used Jim’s idea of placing lipstick on the markers tips. My wife donated a tube of lipstick she was no longer using. I then placed the panel in front of the outlet stamp and push the back against the markers and lo and behold it gave me a perfect mark. I used my jig saw and cut out a hole for the electrical unit. I also had a few boxes with no electrical plugs but were just open for various wiring for components. The “outlet Stamp” can easily screw into the box and the same procedure is followed. Nice, clean and easy.
http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/catalog/outlet-stamp-main-370x336.pngOutlet Stamp, The
http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=289&idcategory=0
Thanks again
El

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Outlet Stamp, The

-- Elvin, Southern California, "How great would life be if we lived a little of it everyday"