Tegger wrote:
Vic Smith wrote in
:


So I told my son to get a magnet from an old hard drive I had laying
around.
Best thing I ever used for finding studs.
It'll stick on the wall right over the nail.



I happen to have two old hard-drive magnets handy, so I just tried
this.

And IT ACTUALLY WORKS! Provided I use the half of the magnet assembly
which is flat, the magnet does indeed stick to the wall right over
the screw.

(The other half of the magnet assembly has a few tangs rising up from
the backing plate, creating an air space between wall and magnet
which greatly reduces the attraction of the magnet to the screw.)

In my experience, you can carefully knock the magnet off the assembly. Be
careful. the magnets are brittle, and can break.



However, it is a bit time-consuming finding studs this way, since
with the magnet you're locating a point (the screw), whereas with a
proper stud- finder you're looking for a line (the wood).

But, they are dependably accurate, which I haven't found with "stud finders". I
have a couple of those which I now never use.



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