A saber saw will do the trick and is safer than circular saw.

@ mike -

I was thinking about a multi-tool. Home Despot has the Ryobi on sale for $28.

I was wondering - I had been considering getting a dremel tool anyway because I need to do things like cut solder blobs to remove the end panels on bird cages and to cut cabinet door knob bolts off flush... Could a multi tool be configured to do either job? I wonder if because of the vibration I might not be able to hold it steady enough to not cut through the wires on the bird cage. Some of those solder blobs don't have a lot of clearance.

I mean the standard dremel tool, not their version of the multi tool. I used to have one when I was still doing silver work.

Here are a couple pictures of what I mean about sawing through solder blobs. The wire panels on these bird cages are held to the frame only by these small solder blobs and having end wires that slot into openings on the frame. So if I remove the solder blobs I can slip the end panels off, zip tie the cages together, and have one ginormous bird cage.

This is a solder blob that is close to the wires:

Below is a solder blob with plenty of space to saw through it:

Don't get me wrong, its not that I don't like tools - but I'm sort of past using them most of the time, and I'm not exactly in the economic upper echelon. I got mo' problems, but I sure don't got mo' money, LOL!

So I'm wondering if the multi tool in my not so steady anymore hands can do this job as well, or if I'd be better served to stick with the less vibrate-y and (I think anyway) more flexible and maneuverable regular ol' standard Dremel tool.

Also, here are the type of cabinet knobs I'm talking about.

The way these ought to be installed is, you drill a well - a hole that doesn't go all the way through - on the back of the door or drawer where you will be installing the knob, centered over the hole for the bolt. It should be as deep as the holding nut is tall or maybe a little deeper. You should be able to grab the nut with needlenose pliers to stabilize it when screwing the knob on. So wide enough to do that.

Then you saw off the excess post sticking out so its flush with the back. So you don't have that long post sticking out into your drawer.

This type of mount isn't usually used in better furniture, and isn't possible at all if you've got the crappy particle board/composite stuff that we mostly get stuck with these days. I see a lot of these installed incorrectly, leaving that post sticking way out like that.

Anyway. I'd like to use some of these on my kitchen cabinets so I'd need to be able to cut that post off flush. I know I can do it with a Dremel, but can a multi-tool do it as well? Or does the vibration make precision a distant dream? LOL!

Mike has it right. the oscillating multi-tool (OMT) is the way to go. Cuts flush and with the right blade will cut right through nails and screws. If the Home Depot Ryobi is too much Harbor Freight has two models on sale for $20. It'd be hard to rent a tool for that kind of money. You might find other uses for it, it seems to come in handy for lots of things.

For your bird cage, I'd think a Dremel with a cut off wheel would the better choice. Those blobs aren't solder, which is relatively soft, but rather welds which is generally as hard as the steel around it. The blade of a multi-tool is going to want to bounce around a bit as it gets started.

Either tool would work for the cabinet knobs but the Dremel, again, probably a bit better.

That was my guess (Dremel being the better tool for that).

Thanks for the help

The dremel brand multi tool is a dud If you will use it alot. But the multitool is a good solution to shelf removal project.

option #2

If you have a jigsaw, that can get you most of the way there and finish it off with a hand saw or muscles as well.

happy modifying