Cordless Impact Drivers
 

I am looking at getting the Makita 12 volt Impact Driver. Bought before the
end of the year and Makita sends you an MForce cordless drill.

The unit is a 1/4" hex drive. With out a clutch how do you know if the
screw is getting too tight?

"Leon" wrote in message
om...
I am looking at getting the Makita 12 volt Impact Driver. Bought before
the
end of the year and Makita sends you an MForce cordless drill.

The unit is a 1/4" hex drive. With out a clutch how do you know if the
screw is getting too tight?

As the screw tightens up, it stops "spinning" it in, and it starts
"hammering" like an auto impact wrench, so you can see it slowing down and
ease off the power.

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=in...n&lr=&filter=0

Watch the wrap! This was a thread during Aug. '03. If you get the answer
"similar results omitted" tell it to give you all of them.

--
Nahmie
The law of intelligent tinkering: save all the parts.

Thank you Nahmie.
Much appreciated.

"Norman D. Crow" wrote in message
...



"Leon" wrote in message
om...
I am looking at getting the Makita 12 volt Impact Driver. Bought before
the
end of the year and Makita sends you an MForce cordless drill.

The unit is a 1/4" hex drive. With out a clutch how do you know if the
screw is getting too tight?

As the screw tightens up, it stops "spinning" it in, and it starts
"hammering" like an auto impact wrench, so you can see it slowing down and
ease off the power.

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=in...n&lr=&filter=0

Watch the wrap! This was a thread during Aug. '03. If you get the answer
"similar results omitted" tell it to give you all of them.

--
Nahmie
The law of intelligent tinkering: save all the parts.

If the screw is already fully seated in hardwood and you try to
"tighten it up a bit", the next result will be the top of the screw
twisted off. DAMHIKT. My 14.4 Makita works just fine however in
continuing to sink 4" construction screws through soft wood.


On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 23:26:45 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:

I am looking at getting the Makita 12 volt Impact Driver. Bought before the
end of the year and Makita sends you an MForce cordless drill.

The unit is a 1/4" hex drive. With out a clutch how do you know if the
screw is getting too tight?

Thanks

"Thomas Kendrick" wrote in message
news:1101562486.YIuKJHopIEGCRBUtzbbfQw@teranews...
If the screw is already fully seated in hardwood and you try to
"tighten it up a bit", the next result will be the top of the screw
twisted off. DAMHIKT. My 14.4 Makita works just fine however in
continuing to sink 4" construction screws through soft wood.


On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 23:26:45 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:

I am looking at getting the Makita 12 volt Impact Driver. Bought before
the
end of the year and Makita sends you an MForce cordless drill.

The unit is a 1/4" hex drive. With out a clutch how do you know if the
screw is getting too tight?

"Leon" wrote in message
om...
I am looking at getting the Makita 12 volt Impact Driver. Bought before
the
end of the year and Makita sends you an MForce cordless drill.

The unit is a 1/4" hex drive. With out a clutch how do you know if the
screw is getting too tight?

I have the Hitachi 12v model, which I bought on the advice of many people at
Fine Homebuilding's forum and Amazon reviews. It's a beast. I have to be
very careful driving stainless steel screws, most of the time they'll snap.
Very easy to drive a galvanized 4" deck screw right through a deck post.
You just have to go easy on it. I know Bosch has either just come out with
impact drivers or is about to, and I'd have bought one of them if I didn't
really need an impact driver right away (house building project). Someone
else, can't remember who, has just introduced a variable speed model.
Possibly Panasonic.

I find that if you need to be concerned about too tight, or about snapping
it off, use a cordless drill and predrill your holes, or a hand screwdriver,
or even better, a bit and brace. I can get a boatload of torque out of a
14" swing brace and a square drive bit.

Jon E

"Jon Endres, PE" t wrote in
message ...
Snip

Someone else, can't remember who, has just introduced a variable speed
model.
Possibly Panasonic.

The Makita is variable speed which I would imagine would help prevent the
breakage of screws.

I find that if you need to be concerned about too tight, or about snapping
it off, use a cordless drill and predrill your holes, or a hand
screwdriver,
or even better, a bit and brace. I can get a boatload of torque out of a
14" swing brace and a square drive bit.

Well my 4 DeWalt batteries have seen better days. I have 4 cordless drills.
I might as well buy new rather than 2 new batteries. Makita has a deal
going from now til the end of the year. Buy the VS 12volt impact driver
with 2 batteries, case, and charger send in the rebate card and they send
you a 12 volt MForce drill.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 17:43:54 -0500, "Jon Endres, PE"
t wrote:


I find that if you need to be concerned about too tight, or about snapping
it off, use a cordless drill and predrill your holes, or a hand screwdriver,
or even better, a bit and brace. I can get a boatload of torque out of a
14" swing brace and a square drive bit.

Jon E



yep, the brace is still king for driving big screws with fine
control...

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 17:43:54 -0500, "Jon Endres, PE"
t wrote:


I find that if you need to be concerned about too tight, or about snapping
it off, use a cordless drill and predrill your holes, or a hand
screwdriver,
or even better, a bit and brace. I can get a boatload of torque out of a
14" swing brace and a square drive bit.

Jon E



yep, the brace is still king for driving big screws with fine
control...

Maybe not in all instances... ;~)

My partner and I has an odd job 2 weeks ago. I think an impact driver would
have been ideal.
Picture standing on an extension ladder with your feet at about 12' from the
floor. Picture the ladder in a 4 foot wide hall way that limits how much
you can lean the ladder. Now, picture trying to drive a 7" square drive
screw in to a stud 18' above the floor with an 18 volt cordless. The drill
was strong enough but you simply could not apply enough pressure to keep the
bit engaged. No such thing as getting behind the drill unless you had
wings. We yanked the screw and put a lag bolt in with a ratchet and socket.

We did 4 lag screws this way to mount an Elk, 2 Caribou, and 1 Elan. One of
the Caribou's was 6' tall from bottom to top of the trophy with a 46" wide
rack. The second funniest thing to picture was the 2 of us going up 2
ladders with the trophies dangling between us 18' feet up. Never again.