# Staples in small spaces



## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

I am curious as to how other electricians staple down romex and cable in small spaces or between two studs where there is little space to swing the hammer. 

I have used rods to hit the staples with some success (hammer hits rod, rod hits staple), I have tried a romex staple gun - not so great to really get the staple imbedded.

I have seen these battery powered hammers on TV, but these are usually cheap brands or some "mail order" type device. 

Any tricks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## jswain (Jan 24, 2015)

Depending on space, sometimes I'll use the claw end of my hammer. Straighter clawed hammer work best for this. Or if it's super tight I'll put my linesmen pliers on the staple, and then hit the pliers right below the grip.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

jswain said:


> Depending on space, sometimes I'll use the claw end of my hammer. Straighter clawed hammer work best for this. Or if it's super tight I'll put my linesmen pliers on the staple, and then hit the pliers right below the grip.


I have tried both of these techniques. I found that the pliers works better.


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## jswain (Jan 24, 2015)

I'm sure you've tried this as well, turning the hammer side ways and using very short strong taps works pretty well.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

jswain said:


> I'm sure you've tried this as well, turning the hammer side ways and using very short strong taps works pretty well.


Yes, tried that too


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Palm nailer. There's a good chance that whoever makes your battery powered tools makes one.


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

Simple solution. Drill two 1/4" holes into the adjacent stud that has more working room. Drill them side by side about 1/2" apart and run a plastic zip tie through the stud and around the wire.


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## jswain (Jan 24, 2015)

Thing with Palm nailers and staple guns is, if there's enough room for one of those to fit in the space, there's enough room to just use your hammer.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

hdavis said:


> Palm nailer. There's a good chance that whoever makes your battery powered tools makes one.


thanks for the suggestion. I just realized that I have one of those small battery powered nailers, which I had bought for the purpose of hammering not just nails, but the staples. But it doesn't work for staples because the design is for the nail to fit inside the head of the nailer. If there was a piece that fit into the nailer and whacked the surface of the staple that would work. 

The other part of this problem is that it would be best if the nailer hit the entire surface of the staple. The problem is that the nailer is fast and if you can only hit one edge of the staple at one time, it will just bend the staple too much on that one side....if that makes any sense.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

tedanderson said:


> Simple solution. Drill two 1/4" holes into the adjacent stud that has more working room. Drill them side by side about 1/2" apart and run a plastic zip tie through the stud and around the wire.


this would work and be to code if it were in a basement or attic or someplace no one would look at it. In my latest situation, it was on part of an outdoor trellis that is kinda hidden, but can still be seen.


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

Would a 3/8 one-hole strap work for your situation? I suppose you could use a drill and screw it in diagonally.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

I use my catspaw. In a really tight space I can get the staple halfway set just with leverage, then whack its shank with my hammer to drive it the rest of the way.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

Tinstaafl said:


> I use my catspaw. In a really tight space I can get the staple halfway set just with leverage, then whack its shank with my hammer to drive it the rest of the way.


Thanks. I can do that. Hopefully without having to do too many staples. I can probably use another small block of wood to take up any space that I need to narrow down to get the right leverage.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

tedanderson said:


> Would a 3/8 one-hole strap work for your situation? I suppose you could use a drill and screw it in diagonally.


Thanks. I wish I had thought of that. I got plenty of straps for MC on up.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Don't run wire in tight spaces, problem solved.


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## w00dpecker (Jan 22, 2015)

we're allowed to use these in my area, put an extension on your driver and shoot a screw in it

http://www.delcity.net/store/Nylon-...=38094426869&gclid=CMyngMjL0MMCFQaOaQodFRoAzA


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

I have used Channellock pliers to press fasteners into wood in narrow spaces.


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## S.Negron (Jan 3, 2015)

Turn linesmans sideways and give a few wacks, works for me.


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## TxElectrician (May 21, 2008)

Arlington cs14 or similar


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## Eaglei (Aug 1, 2012)

Try a "'C'' clamp  works pretty good . I ground a slot on the face of the C clamp so it wouldn't slip off .


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