Puddin' Man wrote:



I found that the "plaster" was more the consistency and hardness
of concrete than any plaster I seen before ...

The bath drain is overdue to roll over and die. The drain is
in a partition wall opposite a bedroom closet. To gain
access, I'd likely need to cut a large section of the
closet wall out.

My condolences. My home is built the same way. The plaster behind the
expanded metal is even backed with pea gravel, to make 'improvements'
just that much more fun. It's just amazing how much a 1 foot square
piece weighs.

I had to make a number of cuts over the years, and what I used was a
jigsaw, with the best blades I could buy at one of the big box stores.
Drill a hole, insert the jigsaw blade and away you go. Eventually your
progress will drop, because there are fewer and fewer teeth left on the
blade. Time to change the blade.

Depending on how much cutting you need to do, it might be a better
approach, as far as dispersed dust is concerned. You can find jigsaws
that have dust catchers, or others that connect to a shop-vac type of
cannister vac, to keep the mess under control.

With a grinder, wow. You'll need breathing masks!