hi folks,
does any manuf. make a small, CORDED impact driver similar to the cordless ones(i have makita 12 v) ???? i love the size and weight of the cordless versions, esp. as my hands get more ancient. i’m finding i spend alot of money on batteries, and a corded version would work great in the shop. it would probably last forever too.
p.s. if nobody does make ’em, they should. they’d sell a ton.
thanks, squeak
Replies
I use a Sioux air screw driver in the shop and whenever I am running air hose anyway. It is not an impact, but it is very compact and drives screws well. Much less clunky then any battery unit. When the screw sets, you can hold the trigger and give an additional twist on the handle if you want to perfectly flush a screw that stopped short. I rarely need to do that though. I sink 3", number 10 screws into construction lumber without predrilling all the time. The tool is great for scabbing a board to a rafter when repairing damage and you can hardly swing a hammer.
http://browntool.com/Default.aspx?tabid=255&CategoryID=414&List=1&Level=a&ProductID=2158
Squeak, does your Makita have a Lithium Ion battery, or older technology?
I have some Lithium Ion battery drills. I hate em! They die in a moment without showing they are about to do die in a moment. Hard on this old man up on a ladder!
fg,
nimh batteries.............about 1/3 - 1/2 less money than than lithium.squeak
"nimh batteries.............about 1/3 - 1/2 less money than than lithium." Yep, I know, but having used the 18V lithium Makitas (impact driver, drill), I'll not go back to NIMH for demanding applications. And their compact size is great for older hands (count mine in that group!). It sounds, from your original post, like you're either driving a zillion screws a year, or not getting your money's worth out of whatever tools you're using.
Unlike Will, I can usually tell when the driver or drill is starting to slow down, and back on the 15-minute charger it goes. The smart charger cools the battery before charging, improving the longevity of the battery, and by the time I finish a cup of coffee, it's ready to go again.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I think the drill manufacturers have figured out there's a lot more profit in selling spare/replacement batteries (like ink and supplies for computer printers). ;-)
Yep, Makita (and maybe others) makes at least one:
View Image
Look here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000140B4A/ref=asc_df_B000140B4A975527?smid=AF8EGQ3KRZQB6&tag=yahoo-tools-mp01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B000140B4A
Now you gotta buy a ton of 'em. ;-)
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
mike,
what you're forgetting is SIZE and WEIGHT! the huge impact drivers and screw guns which are corded are way too big and heavy and overpowered for cabinet and furniture work. wouldn't it be nice to have a very small driver like a 10 or 12 v lithium?
squeak
"what you're forgetting is SIZE and WEIGHT! "
Well, I'm not forgetting it -- you just asked if anyone made a corded ID. You didn't ask for a SMALL one! ;-)
I gave you a link to the one I know about. Me, I'd just as soon use cordless for that application -- plenty of power with my cordless IDs, so no reason for a corded.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
When you say screwguns are heavy, I took my vintage 70's Rockwell model 7521 screwgun in one hand and a Milwaukee 18v drill/driver in the other - the Rocwell corded is noticably lighter.
I do a lot of assembly both at home and at work - my corded screwguns are light, compact and have great control for cabinet assembly. If you really want a compact machine, look at the Sioux and Milwaukee "close quarter" machines - they are a comfortable fit in your hand and are corded. I taught woodworking with high school students - all of them and in particular the young ladies - ignored the battery machines donated by DeWalt. All of them went to the Milwaukee close quarter machines - they loved them for comfort and control. And many of their projects were cabinets and casegood in general.
I have been looking for one of these for a while, too. I am wondering if anyone besides Makita makes one specifically designed for driving screws (and not hanging drywall or torquing on lug nuts.)It appears screw guns designed for drywall will run too fast and are non-clutched, and that the "impact wrenches" are both 1/2" square drive and are going to be too strong for #8 screws.
Drywall guns are the ONLY way to go.
If yer hangin' drywall.
Impact drivers -- I know of none that have a clutch, tho' I seem to recall hearing somebody was coming out with one. However, with some use, you get the hang of backing off as/when needed. I often drive screws way smaller than #8 with one of my cordless impact drivers. It just takes some practice. I drive pretty much everything except drywall screws (when hanging drywall, that is) with the impact drivers. The only thing I almost never drive with an impact driver is Kreg screws -- I used a clutched drill for those. Since you can't see 'em as they go in, you don't know when to stop.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
Panasonic EY7202GQW, 3 speeds, electronic clutch. $254-ishforestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
There ya go! I THOUGHT I heard there was a clutched one coming out.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
If your driver uses 12V you can adapt it to use an external battery.
I soldered on a coaxial socket to the terminals of a UPS battery (cost is below $20. I ripped out the batteries from their case, drilled the case so that I could pass a 2-core wire into it and soldered the wire to the contacts in the driver. A coax plug at the other end of the wire plugs into the battery socket.
You then need to sort out the charging. Either attach a wire to your existing charger or build one. You need at least 500mA. Do not try to operate the driver directly from the charger, you'll burn out the charger.
With this setup you are not tethered to a mains socket and the battery stores a lot of charge.
The attached pics show a Chinese cheapo drill modified in this way.
dave, i was thinking something similar.....what about using an ac to dc transformer with the proper output for continuous use? just plug it in, attach to battery contacts in drill and away you go. unfortunately, i'm not enuf of an electrician to try it. squeak
What you say is feasible but you will need a chunky and expensive transformer and you will be tethered to a power outlet. The UPS battery gives you more freedom.I don't know whether the ripple current from the power supply will affect the tool's performance and heating up.Note that these batteries are Lead/Acid and nowhere as temperamental as the little thingies that are squeezed into the tools.Be aware that building a power supply is easy if you have basic soldering skills. Mains Wire - Transformer - Rectifier - Capacitor - Wire - Plug.
When the battery impact drivers started to get a lot of attention, I contacted design engineers at Milwaukee and Black & Decker. Both said the corded, extra heavy duty screwguns - not drivers - will outperform any battery machine, regardless of the battery type. The corded machines are lighter and give the operator great control in running screws up thru a 3/8 lag.
Both engineers said they personnaly prefer corded machines across the board, but the market has gone wild over battery machines. They have their place, but dollar for dollar, a corded machine outperforms a battery machine hands down.
I own 3 corded screwguns - all vintage 70's/80's machines off ebay or junk shops - all three have triple gear reduction, positive clutch and run at 1000 rpm. They are real workers - smooth delivery of screws with great control thanks to the clutch.
Milwaukee still makes one - the model 6580-20 and DeWalt has model DW 269 based on a proven design from the former B&D commercial line. And check out Sioux - they have some great machines. Just watch the rpm - anything above 1500 and you don't have the control and ability to run large screws.
And don't confuse a corded impact driver with a screwgun. The impact driver usually has a 3/8 or 1/2 drive socket - great for mounting tires, but not running screws.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled