While I was constructing my compost pile I had to attach the rabbit fencing
to the boards - so I used U staples. Those have got to be the hardest
things to insert into a board. 2 of the worst aspects in a fastener, 1 they
are round and uneven meaning you have to hit them just perfectly in order to
drive them in, 2 they are small so you have to hit them with your fingers
right on the impact surface.

Do the staples with the flat hammer spot at the top of the "U" go in easier,
or are staples like this just a big pain to propery hammer in? If so I
really feel sorry for people who have to string barbed wire fences.

For barbed-wire fences, there is a staple driver tool:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...0777_200310777
that is called a Goldenrod Hired Hand™ Staple Driver.
It holds a stick of staples and is hammer-powered so that no fingers
get smashed. It's $50, which is fairly expensive for a bit of rabbit
fencing.

I have a pneumatic medium-crown construction stapler that would do the
trick, but it's way too expensive other than borrowing from a friend,
unless you already have one. Used to attach sheathing to framing in
home construction.

On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 21:26:28 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

While I was constructing my compost pile I had to attach the rabbit fencing
to the boards - so I used U staples. Those have got to be the hardest
things to insert into a board. 2 of the worst aspects in a fastener, 1 they
are round and uneven meaning you have to hit them just perfectly in order to
drive them in, 2 they are small so you have to hit them with your fingers
right on the impact surface.

Do the staples with the flat hammer spot at the top of the "U" go in easier,
or are staples like this just a big pain to propery hammer in? If so I
really feel sorry for people who have to string barbed wire fences.

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
While I was constructing my compost pile I had to attach the rabbit
fencing to the boards - so I used U staples. Those have got to be the
hardest things to insert into a board. 2 of the worst aspects in a
fastener, 1 they are round and uneven meaning you have to hit them just
perfectly in order to drive them in, 2 they are small so you have to hit
them with your fingers right on the impact surface.

Do the staples with the flat hammer spot at the top of the "U" go in
easier, or are staples like this just a big pain to propery hammer in? If
so I really feel sorry for people who have to string barbed wire fences.

On the few occasions I've been faced with this, I simply held the staples
with a pair of needle-nose pliers. If you have a LOT to drive this may be a
pain, but you won't have to buy an expensive tool.

"PanHandler" wrote in message
. ..

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
While I was constructing my compost pile I had to attach the rabbit
fencing to the boards - so I used U staples. Those have got to be the
hardest things to insert into a board. 2 of the worst aspects in a
fastener, 1 they are round and uneven meaning you have to hit them just
perfectly in order to drive them in, 2 they are small so you have to hit
them with your fingers right on the impact surface.

Do the staples with the flat hammer spot at the top of the "U" go in
easier, or are staples like this just a big pain to properly hammer in?
If so I really feel sorry for people who have to string barbed wire
fences.

On the few occasions I've been faced with this, I simply held the staples
with a pair of needle-nose pliers. If you have a LOT to drive this may be
a pain, but you won't have to buy an expensive tool.
So it's not just me then. I was beginning to wonder if I was doing it the
wrong way or something. I can't fathom doing this for more than a few quick
jobs. Trying to hold the fencing in tension, while driving a very small
uneven staple into wood with a hammer just isn't fun.

Eigenvector wrote:
While I was constructing my compost pile I had to attach the rabbit fencing
to the boards - so I used U staples. Those have got to be the hardest
things to insert into a board. 2 of the worst aspects in a fastener, 1 they
are round and uneven meaning you have to hit them just perfectly in order to
drive them in, 2 they are small so you have to hit them with your fingers
right on the impact surface.

Do the staples with the flat hammer spot at the top of the "U" go in easier,
or are staples like this just a big pain to propery hammer in? If so I
really feel sorry for people who have to string barbed wire fences.

The staples work well for their intended purpose - attaching wire
fencing to rounded fence posts. They were not designed to go into
boards. That said, hold them like roofing nails - between the first &
second finger tips, palm up, with the thumb out of the way. One tap to
set the points into the wood, remove the hand, and one or two solid
hits to drive it all the way in. The more times you hit it, the more
it will go askew.

Now that's another problem - stretching the fence while stapling it to
lumber. It should be possible to get adequate tension between corner
posts, connect at the corners, then attach to the line posts. A single
stretch should be sufficient since the tension is set once the corners
are stapled. Usually a two-man job.

Eigenvector wrote:
So it's not just me then. I was beginning to wonder if I was doing it the
wrong way or something. I can't fathom doing this for more than a few quick
jobs. Trying to hold the fencing in tension, while driving a very small
uneven staple into wood with a hammer just isn't fun.