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.
Thank you Nahmie. Much appreciated.
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.
Thanks
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" wrote in message news:k snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com... Snip
Someone> else, can't remember who, has just introduced a variable speed model.
The Makita is variable speed which I would imagine would help prevent the breakage of screws.
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.
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.
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