Rotozip

A RotoZip spiral saw cuts the openings a remodel is full of: outlet boxes and window openings in drywall, holes in set tile, cutouts in wood and laminate. It’s the tool a drywall hanger reaches for all day long, because it plunges straight into the sheet and follows a box in seconds, where a jab saw is slower and leaves a ragged edge. When the material changes, you change the bit, not the tool.

RotoZip makes spiral saws and the bits, hole saws and attachments that go with them, and the company is based in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. It started in 1972, when a professional drywall contractor decided there had to be a better way to cut drywall, and Robert Bosch Tool Corporation has owned it since 2003.

The RotoSaw

The RotoSaw is RotoZip’s current spiral saw, and the numbers explain why it cuts the way it does. Its 5.5-amp MagnaCore motor spins the bit at 30,000 RPM, and at 8-1/2 inches long it’s small enough to run one-handed along a ceiling box, with a bump switch you work with the same hand that’s holding the saw. It comes with 1/8, 5/32 and 1/4 inch collets, so it takes every XBit, ZipBit and XCore RotoZip makes, and it accepts the Circle Cutter Guide and the Dust Management Kit.

That range is the case for owning one. On a single remodel the same saw cuts the outlet boxes in the drywall, the valve opening in the shower tile, the heat register hole in the laminate and the notch in a piece of paneling, and all you swap is the bit. The kit comes with the saw, a Guidepoint ZipBit, a Sabrecut ZipBit and all three collets.

Drywall and Fiberock bits

Standard Point ZipBits handle everyday drywall cutouts. For running around an electrical box, use a Guidepoint bit, because the guide tip rides the box wall and the cut comes out tight to the box every time. Hang the sheet over the box, plunge inside the box opening, slide over to the box wall and run counterclockwise around the outside. The bit turns clockwise from the top, and that direction keeps it pulling into the cut instead of skating off the line.

Thin blue plastic boxes are the trap. The bit gets hot enough to melt right through them, guide tip or not, so use thick fiber-plastic or metal boxes wherever the saw will follow them. Fiberock gypsum-fiber panel gets its own Fiberock bit, made for that harder board.

Wood, laminate and tile

The Multipurpose XBit is the one to keep in the bag for whatever turns up, since XBits cut a range of materials from wood to fiberglass. Laminate plank gets the 5/32-inch Laminate Flooring bit. For tile, the Tilecut bit and the 1/8-inch tile ZipBits cut outlet and valve openings in wall tile after it’s set, so the tile setter can lay full pieces and cut the holes afterward, and the Floor Tile and Stone bit takes on harder floor tile. With the right bit in it, the RotoSaw cuts an opening in granite tile.

For round holes, the Circle Cutter Guide swings the saw around a pivot so a can light, a vent or a speaker opening comes out clean and round instead of freehanded.

The Dust Management Kit belongs on the saw for a Montana remodel, where the work moves indoors from November to April and the house is closed up tight around the drywall and tile dust.

Loading a bit

Match the collet to the bit’s shank, leave about 1/8 inch of shank showing, and snug the collet nut every time you change a bit. A spare 1/8-inch collet belongs in the bag, because collets wear, and a 1/4-inch collet is what the bigger floor tile and stone bit needs. Bits are consumables, so keep a pack on hand and swap one out when it goes dull.

RotoZip bits by job

Job	Bit or accessory
Drywall cutouts	Standard Point ZipBits (ZB8), drywall XBit
Running around outlet boxes	Guidepoint ZipBits (GP8)
Fiberock panel	Fiberock bit (FBR1)
Wood, paneling, mixed remodel work	Multipurpose XBits (XB-MP2)
Laminate plank	5/32 in. Laminate Flooring bit
Wall tile	Tilecut bit, 1/8 in. tile ZipBits
Floor tile and stone	Floor Tile and Stone bit
Round openings	Circle Cutter Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a RotoZip tool?

A RotoZip is a spiral saw. A small, fast motor spins a bit that cuts along its sides, so you plunge it straight into the material and then steer it freehand along a line. That’s why people call it a zip saw, and why it reaches box cutouts and odd shapes that a jigsaw or circular saw can’t. Pick the bit for the material first, because the bit decides how well the saw cuts.

How do you use a RotoZip on drywall around an outlet box?

Hang the sheet right over the box and fasten it everywhere except near the box. Put a Guidepoint bit in the saw, plunge through the sheet inside the box, slide out until the bit touches the box wall, and run counterclockwise around the outside of the box with the guide tip riding the wall. The sheet drops tight around the box with no measuring.

What RotoZip bit do I need for tile?

The Tilecut bit or the 1/8-inch tile ZipBits for wall tile, and the Floor Tile and Stone bit for floor tile. Let the bit cut at its own pace, because forcing it dulls it.

Is RotoZip still in business?

Yes. RotoZip still makes the RotoSaw and its XBit, ZipBit and XCore line under Bosch ownership, so saws and bits for it are current.

Can a RotoZip cut metal?

Yes. With the RotoZip Metal Bit in it, the same saw that cut the drywall cuts duct and sheet-metal openings on the job, so there’s no separate tool to haul in. Take it slow and let the bit do the cutting.