Replies

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Feb 08, 2009 05:26am | #1

   At least 406 of us have an impact driver, I being one of those. http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=44881.1

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
   (soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   webby | Feb 08, 2009 06:13am | #2

   I have two.;^)

   Excellent for driving screws.Webby 

    

1. 
   Tinkerer3 | Feb 08, 2009 07:27am | #3

   Do you us corded or uncorded?

1. 
   webby | Feb 10, 2009 04:38pm | #18

   cordless, I have a makita and a dewalt. They have the typical 1/4 inch hex insert chuck.

   Most people know this by now but you can usually by a special three jaw chuck for your particular model that will allow you to use a standard bit however it is probably not the best for really fine work. Webby 

    

2. 
   forestgirl | Feb 08, 2009 07:59am | #4

   I'm one of the 406, and I'm addicted too.  Haven't used it much for shop woodworking, got it for building a deck, but I can definitely see it factoring in some future projects.  Mine's cordless, Makita 18V.  It's a dream.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   cicero | Feb 08, 2009 08:45am | #5

   I have a Ryobo 18 volter,quite good.

   Your Makita or a Milwaukee 18volt would be $1000 here in NZ.

   I believe they do one that stops on reaching the surface.

   I was putting some cleats on 3 outdoor tables,just the job for that.

1. 
   forestgirl | Feb 08, 2009 09:18am | #6

   "I believe they do one that stops on reaching the surface"  That would be nice!  Darn little things are very powerful.  Seems like I heard/saw of one brand that comes with a clutch, but it's over $300.  We paid less than that for a refurbished drill + impact driver set.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

3. 
   Lataxe | Feb 08, 2009 08:27pm | #7

   Cis,

   Note the last paragraph in this post:

   http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=45344.1

   I yam most impressed with the ability of the impact driver to deal with all those brass screws and never snap or cam-out one.  I've always used an ordinary drill/driver in the past and usually snapped 5% or so and mangled the slots of a good 25%.

   The impact driver was also used to remove and replace 54 X twenty year-old brass screws from the original garden bench I used as the template for the new bench.  I started trying to remove those screws with an ordinary driver and immediately got cam-out and a mangled slot, as the screws were well bedded into the oak after twenty years outdoors.  The impact driver, by contrast, just pops them out no worries. (And back in again).

   The brand I have is a 10.8 volt Li-on Makita - small, light, plenty of power and has a standard hex-bit snap-lock jaw.  A marvellous wee thing I have no hesitation in recommending.

   Lataxe

1. 
   cicero | Feb 08, 2009 10:08pm | #8

   Late,

    

   I like your bench and it seems the driver was just the job.

   I don't quite understand why they are not more ubquitous in this  neck of the woods.

   When in England last year,the local joiner didn't have one.

   Cic.

2. 
   cicero | Feb 08, 2009 10:09pm | #9

   Late,

    

   I wonder if our old chum Mel has one?

   Cic.

1. 
   davcefai | Feb 08, 2009 10:17pm | #10

   It seems like impact drivers are a good thing. Could somebody please enlighten me:1. Can they be used as drills?
   2. Are they for heavy duty work or can one drive, say, 3/4" screws in furniture making?Thanks.

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Feb 08, 2009 10:49pm | #11

   "1. Can they be used as drills?"Yes, but for most uses, drills work best for making holes, IDs work best for fastening. Edit: Note that most IDs don't come with a standard chuck -- just a hex head for standard bits. You can get accessory chucks, tho'. So if you wanna drill, you need hex drill bits or the aux. chuck.2. Are they for heavy duty work or can one drive, say, 3/4" screws in furniture making?They excell at driving large screws deep and fast. They can be used for smaller stuff, but there is a bit of a learning curve so -- the tendency is to overdrive since they just keep on goin' as long as the trigger is pulled.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

   Edited 2/8/2009 2:51 pm ET by MikeHennessy

1. 
   davcefai | Feb 09, 2009 01:15am | #12

   Thanks for the info. I haven't come across any in my neck of the woods yet.

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Feb 09, 2009 05:10am | #13

   Most impact drivers have 1/4" quick change collets, which means that you need drill bits with quick change shanks. Makita offers a chuck with a 1/4" quick change shank so that you can use standard bits in the impact driver. I believe you can buy this as an aftermarked accessory too. I don't see too much of a benefit using an impact driver for drilling small holes, but for large bits, the driver will not torque your wrist like a drill will. It does seem to be a little slower, however.I use mine for driving everything from 6", 1/2" lag bolts to the smallest of screws.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

3. 
   eric314 | Feb 09, 2009 07:45am | #14

   1. Can they be used as drills?
   I bought mine after reading an article in FWW claiming that they can be used as drills. IMHO it is not the case. It is difficult to find good quality drill bits with hex shank. So I got an after-market chuck from Makita, the fit in the impact hex head is sloppy so the bits moves all over the place. The balance of the driver is affected since the chuck adds weight to the front of the tool. Last but not least, if you try to apply pressure, the driver switches to impact mode, which is much too slow for proper drilling.

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Feb 09, 2009 09:26am | #15

   Eric,Bottom line: they can. However, as you point out, they are less than ideal. I prefer to use my impact driver with my 1-1/4" 3-flute Speedbor bits though. I tried with my drill and thought I broke my wrist. Then there was the time installing a lock set with a 9-amp DeWalt. The hole saw caught, and the drill flew over the railing into the yard. Yes, it was okay. That was the first and last time that happened.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
   (soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com) - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

   Edited 2/9/2009 1:26 am by flairwoodworks

2. 
   eric314 | Feb 10, 2009 07:07am | #16

   Chris,Thanks for the info about the 3-flute Speedbor bits. I will try them.
   What brand do you get, or does it matter?I agree that a great benefit of the impact driver is that no torque is tranferred to your hand.Cheers,
   Eric

3. 
   flairwoodworks | Feb 10, 2009 07:45am | #17

   Eric,Speedbor is an Irwin brand. As far as I know, they are the only ones who make three-flute bits. By the way, they make nice clean entries. These are what I use http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jhtml/detail.jhtml;jsessionid=YTYA4OC2LQSOECQIUBSCF3QKBCQHQJCK?prodId=IrwinProd160003&search=falseChris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

4. 
   WillGeorge | Feb 11, 2009 02:33am | #19

   that is the impact driver,I am addicted...

   You bet!

   If you really want some great tools to get addicted with get some compressed air driven tools!

1. 
   cicero | Feb 11, 2009 03:09am | #20

   I have a stapler but wished it was a bradder, and of course the air blower is great.

1. 
   WillGeorge | Feb 11, 2009 05:19am | #21

   I bought a small pancake? type for a brad nailer. It is junk and works great!