# Hanging DW with impact drivers



## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

sandshooter said:


> does it have a lock to keep it turned on like a corded gun?


Yes they do


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## sandshooter (Dec 30, 2012)

i ran around the 5th floor today and did 50 patches with an impact driver with a dimple tip and a cordless drywall router. for this application my settup worked fine.


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## tyb525 (Feb 26, 2013)

I've used them with a drywall stop, but I can't decide if I like them better than a regular cordless or not. It seems like they get driven too deep. If I try to let off before they go too deep, they aren't deep enough. I usually have to hand-set about half the screws afterwards.

A cordless drill seems to spin out before they are fully set.

I still think the noise from a drywall gun is a lot worse than an impact.


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## tyb525 (Feb 26, 2013)

Who knew a drywall nail gun actually existed?

http://www.nailgundepot.com/Senco-SCN40DW-Drywall-Coil-Nailer-112-to-158-Details.html


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## MJconstruction (Jun 17, 2013)

hammer7896 said:


> I have a Makita cordless drywall gun and it works good


Do you use the pistol grip or the auto feed? I have the LXT set and was thinking about one.


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## hammer7896 (Feb 28, 2010)

MJconstruction said:


> Do you use the pistol grip or the auto feed? I have the LXT set and was thinking about one.


I have the pistol grip.


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## intjonmiller (Jan 8, 2014)

My father, who taught me drywall (3rd generation now) was going on about his new screw gun and how I should use it on my next job. (I am only recently actually doing drywall for a living, as my employer heard that I know drywall just as we got a job that involves it. Previously I had only helped him on jobs.) I asked what is so great about screw guns, as I know most guys prefer them but I haven't used them enough to get it. He said it's just way faster than a drill. I said my impact driver spins twice as fast as my fastest drill. He also said it sets the depth so you don't break the paper or leave raised heads. I picked up my driver with dimpler attached and said, "like this?" 

He didn't believe mine could be nearly as good as his, so he asked if I wanted to race. I grabbed a scrap piece of rock out of the garage and a handful of screws. We each drove half a dozen or so at the same time. Admittedly his DeWalt is slightly faster, but the difference is almost negligible. I have to swap batteries but he has to drag a cord. 

And while I only broke the paper once (and I wasn't even trying to be careful, just show how fast it is) he did three times (obviously under the same conditions). 

Bottom line for me is that they are both perfectly viable solutions. If it were an auto feed screw gun there would be no comparison. But my lightweight, cordless driver is great, and I won't hesitate to use it, especially overhead. But since he insists, I'll happily put some of the wear and tear on his gun.


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## iDAHOchris (Feb 11, 2012)

Impacts are good for small amount of hanging if the person know what there doing otherwise its a corded drywall screwgun. No impact can keep up with a PRO on a gun. Half of the jobs I do are on steel studs and the impacts just dont cut it. Great for framing though


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## Paulie (Feb 11, 2009)

hammer7896 said:


> I have a Makita cordless drywall gun and it works good




Never seen or heard of using a impact for hanging. Maybe if that's the only thing you had around but just don't see the advantage.

However I do run one of these especially for the lids where cords suck.


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## ubcguy89 (Mar 23, 2013)

iDAHOchris said:


> Impacts are good for small amount of hanging if the person know what there doing otherwise its a corded drywall screwgun. No impact can keep up with a PRO on a gun. Half of the jobs I do are on steel studs and the impacts just dont cut it. Great for framing though


X2 I hang thousands of sheets a year almost exclusively on steel studs. I can imagine getting the kind if production out I get out of screw guns out of an impact. Like you said great for framing!


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## Mountain Man (Jun 3, 2013)

We just finished a big commercial job at a mine and the MSHA safety rules were ridicules!! You are not allowed to use any tools that have a trigger lock. So that excluded all of our screw guns and drills for mixing mud. I used an impact driver for most of the top out work and it worked ok. In the end we bought two hilti cordless screw guns and they worked 10X better IMO. They were very pricey but in the end whatever it takes to get the job done. All in all I could smoke somebody if I'm using a screw gun and they're using an impact JS!!


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## mike d. (Dec 2, 2009)

I dont think people use them for speed, but convenience:thumbsup:.


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## Mountain Man (Jun 3, 2013)

I don't know what kind of work they're doing but in production drywall speed=$


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## intjonmiller (Jan 8, 2014)

Mountain Man said:


> I don't know what kind of work they're doing but in production drywall speed=$


Absolutely. But not everyone is doing drywall full-time. Some of us have to make our tool selections based on what will be most beneficial for multiple types of jobs. If I were doing drywall full-time I would buy a Bazooka or similar system. But I'm not, so I make do with "lesser" tools that get the work I'm doing done without tying up my entire tool investment capital in drywall finishing tools.


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## intjonmiller (Jan 8, 2014)

Mountain Man said:


> We just finished a big commercial job at a mine and the MSHA safety rules were ridicules!! You are not allowed to use any tools that have a trigger lock. So that excluded all of our screw guns and drills for mixing mud.


Was this inside the mine? Or like a surface level office? I'm trying to picture a drywall project at a mine that would necessitate such rules.


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## D.E.P.S. (Aug 3, 2013)

I tried the dimpler on my 20 volt impact today. It's a little too fast for me. But I can see people using it now that I have tried it.


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## Mountain Man (Jun 3, 2013)

intjonmiller said:


> Was this inside the mine? Or like a surface level office? I'm trying to picture a drywall project at a mine that would necessitate such rules.


It was a "cool off" building outside the mine. Warehouse, offices, shower and locker rooms. But because it's on the mine grounds it's under MSHA regulations which are stricter than OSHA rules. Lots of BS and red tape buts it's finally done!!


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## intjonmiller (Jan 8, 2014)

Interesting. My father grew up doing drywall, but much of his professional career was in the explosives industry (designing explosive delivery systems and such) so he went to mining and massive construction projects (mountain islands turned into airports and such) around the world. I had to ask because I thought it was interesting because those two fields aren't often mentioned together. In fact this is the first time I can recall it ever happening.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

We have a big salt mine close to here, I know a few guys that have worked it, msha doesn't mess around


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## ubcguy89 (Mar 23, 2013)

intjonmiller said:


> Absolutely. But not everyone is doing drywall full-time. Some of us have to make our tool selections based on what will be most beneficial for multiple types of jobs. If I were doing drywall full-time I would buy a Bazooka or similar system. But I'm not, so I make do with "lesser" tools that get the work I'm doing done without tying up my entire tool investment capital in drywall finishing tools.


Yes but in this case we are talking about a screw gun which is like 130.00 not a bazooka that can run you 2,000


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## TAHomeRepairs (Jun 18, 2012)

ubcguy89 said:


> Yes but in this case we are talking about a screw gun which is like 130.00 not a bazooka that can run you 2,000


i think I paid about $60 for my dewalt. It doesn't come out often, but anything more than a couple of boards , it does. Otherwise I use my impact. Works okay, every once in awhile I overdrive and add an extra screw.


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## intjonmiller (Jan 8, 2014)

True. My current assignment is repairing/replacing drywall around doors and windows that have been replaced in a massive condo renovation project. 108 units, with 1 to 8 doors and windows per unit (each homeowner could choose what they wanted replaced, while the entire exterior of all of the buildings are being renovated). I'm installing strips of 1" to 4" wide, 12" to 82" long. And I often have to rip sheathing or furring strips to correct for the idiots doing the doors who can't figure out how to make the jambs flush with the drywall, or the new studs recessed by the width of the drywall (5/8 everywhere, in this case). I even made them a template they could just press against the wall. If everything touches it's right. Gaps anywhere and they did it wrong. Still can't get it right. 

Anyway, if I were regularly hanging full boards I would, without a doubt, invest in a screw gun. But I'm packing up my tools and moving to a new spot every couple hours, so I keep it all as light and compact as possible. And since I spend about 3x as much time cutting strips as I do actually screwing them in I'm good with my impact. When the assignment changes I'll reconsider.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

But why not just use a cordless drill?


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## intjonmiller (Jan 8, 2014)

Because my impact driver spins twice as fast, doesn't strip out screws, and at least among the ones I own it is probably 2/3 the size & weight of my drills. And I like the ergonomics better. I'm thinking about switching to the Milwaukee M12 system, though, because it's even smaller and lighter but still PLENTY of power. And then I would still favor the impact driver over the drill.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

ubcguy89 said:


> Yes but in this case we are talking about a screw gun which is like 130.00 not a bazooka that can run you 2,000


I think I got mine on sale and picked up 2 at $99 each. It was my first larger remodeling project and I wasn't going to jack around with impacts all day when a Senco feeding screws was much more productive.

That job got me 2 new tools and the knowledge that I never wanted to hang 100 sheets of drywall again. From then on out no more than a average bathroom of drywall is all that I want to do. I'll let the guys who do it all day long do it.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

IMHO, dimpler works OK in corded drills and cordless impacts - cordless drills don't spin fast enough.

I hang multiple rooms and do a lot of repair. I prefer to use corded drywall drivers whenever practical. I have a few of these, they're worth it for what I do. For tight spaces I can't get anything else into, I'll use the impact driver with a dimpler. 

I think my impact driver is one of my most versatile tools, but my recollection is it was in the $240 range.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

TNTSERVICES said:


> That job got me 2 new tools and the knowledge that I never wanted to hang 100 sheets of drywall again


I don't mind hanging as much as I do schlepping 5/8" up tight stairwells and over bannisters. I think next time I do that, I'll hire a couple helpers.


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## D.E.P.S. (Aug 3, 2013)

hdavis said:


> IMHO, dimpler works OK in corded drills and cordless impacts - cordless drills don't spin fast enough.
> 
> I hang multiple rooms and do a lot of repair. I prefer to use corded drywall drivers whenever practical. I have a few of these, they're worth it for what I do. For tight spaces I can't get anything else into, I'll use the impact driver with a dimpler.
> 
> I think my impact driver is one of my most versatile tools, but my recollection is it was in the $240 range.


I have the dewalt 20 driver - impact set. I put the dimpler on my impact the other day out of curiosity. It was a little too fast for my liking, but I could see guys using it......and it definatley would be a *go to *tool for tight spaces.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

Mountain Man said:


> We just finished a big commercial job at a mine and the MSHA safety rules were ridicules!! You are not allowed to use any tools that have a trigger lock. So that excluded all of our screw guns and drills for mixing mud. I used an impact driver for most of the top out work and it worked ok. In the end we bought two hilti cordless screw guns and they worked 10X better IMO. They were very pricey but in the end whatever it takes to get the job done. All in all I could smoke somebody if I'm using a screw gun and they're using an impact JS!!


Could you have used one of these Mountain? http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-1...-pla-_-203164201&skwcid&kwd=&ci_sku=204316201


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## Mountain Man (Jun 3, 2013)

It looks like it, just as long as it doesn't have a trigger lock.


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## ubcguy89 (Mar 23, 2013)

TNTSERVICES said:


> I think I got mine on sale and picked up 2 at $99 each. It was my first larger remodeling project and I wasn't going to jack around with impacts all day when a Senco feeding screws was much more productive.
> 
> That job got me 2 new tools and the knowledge that I never wanted to hang 100 sheets of drywall again. From then on out no more than a average bathroom of drywall is all that I want to do. I'll let the guys who do it all day long do it.


The current job I'm about to wrap up in the next couple months is 3,000 sheets in total.


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## endo_alley (Apr 9, 2013)

I also have Makita cordless 18v drywall gun. It seems to work best either on scaffolding where chords are often getting caught around something. Or as a gun for the cut and carry man to help get a few screws into the sheet before leaving the rest of the screwing for a helper with a chorded gun. And certainly they excel at repairs. The Makita gun works much better than I had expected. The impact drivers are for steel stud framing. Or for an occasional patch. Not great for production hanging.


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## intjonmiller (Jan 8, 2014)

I'm starting to hang my own basement this week. 45 boards, many of which are 12s and 16s. Biggest job I've ever personally hung (I've done a couple others of this size with my father when I was learning). I decided to take the advice of everyone and get a screw gun. I was going to pick up a Ridgid when I decided to stop at a pawn shop on the way. They had a Hilti with (at least on paper) more power than the Ridgid, it's more compact, and it was only $50. And it's in fantastic shape. I've only hung one ceiling 12 so far (doing one board per night after work, then the bulk on Saturday), but I definitely like it.


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## MTEC (Feb 24, 2014)

I have senco screw gun works great. Impact way to slow. But if it is your preference use a dimpler


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## endo_alley (Apr 9, 2013)

Hilti 4500 is a very good screwgun.


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## sandshooter (Dec 30, 2012)

endo_alley said:


> Hilti 4500 is a very good screwgun.


its an excellent screw gun. i had it for 2 yrs. awesome for ceilings, patchwork, and tight spaces. battery have a decent life. unfortunately my stuff got stolen.


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## hammer7896 (Feb 28, 2010)

I found an attachment for the lxt makita impacts that looks like the nose of a drywall gun and it works great


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

hammer7896 said:


> I found an attachment for the lxt makita impacts that looks like the nose of a drywall gun and it works great



Link?


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## hammer7896 (Feb 28, 2010)

I believe the part is listed on the side of this page. http://www.makitatools.com/en-us/Modules/Company/GeneralCatalog/files/mobile/index.html#39

It is on page 39


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## hammer7896 (Feb 28, 2010)

I found a link to the nose piece for the impact. It is from Acme Tools website MAKITA-194633-2 MAKITA-194633-2 List: $32.00 NOW: $26.99


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