Where can I find the guide wheel fitted on the end of an electric chain saw to set its depth? Any particular caster wheel? Thanks!

I have seen them made with rollerblade wheels. I have also seen them made using white nylon bushings from the hardware store...

Chain saws are faster but leave a really big mess. Hot knifes are cleaner but take longer.

You can also try using a circular saw. If you have a old blade kicking around, just bend a couple teeth in opposite directions to create a wider kerf. You can set the depth you want and easily pass through the foam/plastic ties. This method is very fast but messy.

I had an installer claim a grinder works well, since it melts through the EPS, rather than creating a mess of beads. Haven't tried this myself, but it was an interesting idea.

I have tried a cutoff wheel on a grinder and it was a little difficult to control as the wheel tends to grab the melted foam. A grinder might be the same especially as you push the wheel deeper into the foam.

The skillsaw works well and very controllable, but like the chainsaw, it is messy with very small pieces/dust(wear goggles) I wonder how a skillsaw with a cuttoff wheel would work? I smell an experiment comming on

I just did my whole house with a jigsaw and a long blade. I made up the chainsaw, but it was really messy so I didn't use it. After I cut with the Jig saw, I popped out the cut sections with a regular screwdriver. No big deal... Very easy and fast.

We use and love the Wind-Lock ICF Super Groover. It’s not as fast as the chain saw method, but it’s way faster than other hot knifes and you don’t have to deal with EPS blizzard cleanup which can take considerable time too. It’s a pricey tool, but likely well worth it if you do a lot of ICF electrical/plumbing work.

Super Groover

I took a cheap electric chainsaw and drilled a hole in the bar, made up an axle out of threaded rod, and used roller blade wheels. It was messy, though. For wider slots, I used a SawZall held on an angle and let it bounce off of the concrete. I had to make holes going down to the basement behind the ledger, so I cut the outlet box hole, made a corresponding hole in the basement, and dropped a red-hot 1/2" ball bearing. It melts it's way through in about 30 seconds. Put a piece of tin foil in the lower opening if you want your ball bearing back, as it will keep going.

Yea the ball bearing trick works pretty well, as does a heated ring for cutting larger holes. I did this to cut the fill holes in my lower fox bucks. Formed a 5" ring out of I think 9GA wire tack welded at the ends. Hold with pliars, heat with torch then drop it where you want the hole

An electric chainsaw is dirt cheap and a dull chain cuts as well as a sharp one. We never bother with any guide or rollers, just skim the concrete for our wire routes. We do use a template and router to cut our our boxes as we want them to sit tight and square.