How do you make a cut out in the middle of 1/2" Hardiebacker it says score it and ht it with a hammer? The cut outs are smaller than that for shower valves. Can't I just use a hole saw at slow speed while wetting the board, and for the longer cuts in the middle for shelves Can I use a circ saw with a fiber blade, like for stucco?

Thanks,
Kris

Hi Kris

For holes:

You could score and punch as you mentioned.

For smaller holes:

You could use a carbide tipped hole saw.. no water needed. You could also use a regular hole saw... just won't last long.

You could use carbide tipped drill bits.

You could even use a sharp cold chisel and hammer as long as you support the board firmly.

Heck, I've even used a flat screwdriver and hammer to punch a few small holes in my time!

For cutting:

Cheapest/best choice for long cuts is the hardibacker carbide tipped scoring knife (or similar tool)... see image. Just score the board deep and snap clean.

You could also use an angle grinder and a diamond or fiber board blade, or even a regular carbide tipped circular saw blade in circular saw, but the DUST is considered very unhealthy/dangerous so you would need to do your cutting outside and wear a good quality face mask/respirator and safety goggles... NO JOKE!

They also sell different kinds of power shears and power shear attachments... see image. These can be inexpensive all the way up to crazy expensive. These are definitely the preferred tool for high volume work as they produce almost no dust!

Any questions just let us know...

Mark