screw gun bit recommendation

MR. X
Profile picture for user MR. X
Posts
6917
Joined
6/24/2010
Location
North Tonawanda, NY US
MR. X
Edited Date/Time 7/11/2018 7:23pm
What kind of screw gun bits don't blow apart . I can't find any that don't rip apart while driving 3-4 inch long screws in pine . I'm using them in a 18 volt dewalt screw gun.
|
colintrax
Profile picture for user colintrax
Posts
4704
Joined
8/25/2015
Location
Taylorsville, GA US
Fantasy
2342nd
colintrax 7/9/2018 8:15pm
7/9/2018 8:15pm
I've had good luck with Dewalt brand bits. What have been using?
1
MR. X
Profile picture for user MR. X
Posts
6917
Joined
6/24/2010
Location
North Tonawanda, NY US
MR. X 7/9/2018 8:29pm
7/9/2018 8:29pm

My neighbor gave me this play set for the kid , I had to redo the cross piece for the swings to attach . I think I've been using the ones from Valu ,so probably Stanley or some shit . I read a review that said the Bosch one and the dewalt ones were the ones to get . Still got a camo tarp for the top , a rock wall to climb in and looking for a slide . It's weird the shit you end up working on when you have kids.
newmann
Profile picture for user newmann
Posts
24444
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
newmann 7/10/2018 4:02am
7/10/2018 4:02am
You are using the torx drive screws, right?
3

The Shop

See All »
MR. X
Profile picture for user MR. X
Posts
6917
Joined
6/24/2010
Location
North Tonawanda, NY US
MR. X 7/10/2018 4:16am
7/10/2018 4:16am
newmann wrote:
You are using the torx drive screws, right?
Negative ,I've been told that a few times though . My cheap ass just wants to keep using all the Phillips head screws I already have.
HD1200
Profile picture for user HD1200
Posts
1037
Joined
5/11/2008
Location
Greenville, GA US
HD1200 7/10/2018 4:39am
7/10/2018 4:39am Edited Date/Time 7/10/2018 4:40am
Yeah, torx head screws are the way to go, impact drill and torx bits.
1
newmann
Profile picture for user newmann
Posts
24444
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
newmann 7/10/2018 6:28am
7/10/2018 6:28am
newmann wrote:
You are using the torx drive screws, right?
MR. X wrote:
Negative ,I've been told that a few times though . My cheap ass just wants to keep using all the Phillips head screws I already have.
Well, keep enjoying your rounded out screw heads.



Tongue
1
ns503
Profile picture for user ns503
Posts
3990
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
NS Toolies CA
ns503 7/10/2018 6:32am
7/10/2018 6:32am Edited Date/Time 7/10/2018 6:32am
Robertson screws and bits work good also.

Phillips, yuck. Wink

1
borg
Profile picture for user borg
Posts
5748
Joined
12/7/2009
Location
Long Beach, CA US
borg 7/10/2018 7:02am
7/10/2018 7:02am
Just looking at the picture, that wood looks like kiln dried spruce. Could be pine but you will have trouble running a 3" drywall screw through 2- 2x4"s unless you drill clearance through the first one. If you don't the bit will break or the screw will strip out like newmann said.
1
1
Jordan Dogtown
Profile picture for user Jordan Dogtown
Posts
71
Joined
3/17/2017
Location
Mount Sterling, KY US
Fantasy
932nd
Jordan Dogtown 7/10/2018 7:16am
7/10/2018 7:16am
borg wrote:
Just looking at the picture, that wood looks like kiln dried spruce. Could be pine but you will have trouble running a 3" drywall screw through...
Just looking at the picture, that wood looks like kiln dried spruce. Could be pine but you will have trouble running a 3" drywall screw through 2- 2x4"s unless you drill clearance through the first one. If you don't the bit will break or the screw will strip out like newmann said.
X2 - It adds a step, but I predrill anything that's going to be outside or close to the edge of a board. Less stress on the driver/bit/screw and it will allow the wood to expand and contract without splitting. Use a drill bit just a hair smaller than the screw's shaft and it will still be plenty tight
2
DoctorJD
Profile picture for user DoctorJD
Posts
2922
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Somewhere in..., GA US
DoctorJD 7/10/2018 7:16am
7/10/2018 7:16am
Get the impact-rated torx bits, and get yourself some ceramic coated T25 torx screws. Also, if you don't have a impact wrench, I highly recommend it. You can get a 20v for about $100 most of the time (with one battery).
1
MR. X
Profile picture for user MR. X
Posts
6917
Joined
6/24/2010
Location
North Tonawanda, NY US
MR. X 7/10/2018 7:23am
7/10/2018 7:23am
borg wrote:
Just looking at the picture, that wood looks like kiln dried spruce. Could be pine but you will have trouble running a 3" drywall screw through...
Just looking at the picture, that wood looks like kiln dried spruce. Could be pine but you will have trouble running a 3" drywall screw through 2- 2x4"s unless you drill clearance through the first one. If you don't the bit will break or the screw will strip out like newmann said.
Those boards I'm not 100 percent certain on the type . The stuff in my garage I was screwing into was so frigging hard ,that's the job that broke a shit ton of screws and bits . The garage was built in the 50s ,my brother called it yellow pine or something ,he said he's seen that wood on jobs before and it's always rock hard.
borg
Profile picture for user borg
Posts
5748
Joined
12/7/2009
Location
Long Beach, CA US
borg 7/10/2018 7:51am
7/10/2018 7:51am
borg wrote:
Just looking at the picture, that wood looks like kiln dried spruce. Could be pine but you will have trouble running a 3" drywall screw through...
Just looking at the picture, that wood looks like kiln dried spruce. Could be pine but you will have trouble running a 3" drywall screw through 2- 2x4"s unless you drill clearance through the first one. If you don't the bit will break or the screw will strip out like newmann said.
MR. X wrote:
Those boards I'm not 100 percent certain on the type . The stuff in my garage I was screwing into was so frigging hard ,that's the...
Those boards I'm not 100 percent certain on the type . The stuff in my garage I was screwing into was so frigging hard ,that's the job that broke a shit ton of screws and bits . The garage was built in the 50s ,my brother called it yellow pine or something ,he said he's seen that wood on jobs before and it's always rock hard.
Oh shit yeah. Anything that old would be pretty hard by now. You really do have pre drill almost no matter what kind of screw or bit. I work with maple and cherry. You have to pre drill for even tiny little #4 wood screws or the heads will strip.
1
ToolMaker
Profile picture for user ToolMaker
Posts
6097
Joined
11/19/2011
Location
Escondido, CA US
Fantasy
762nd
ToolMaker 7/10/2018 3:40pm
7/10/2018 3:40pm
DoctorJD wrote:
Get the impact-rated torx bits, and get yourself some ceramic coated T25 torx screws. Also, if you don't have a impact wrench, I highly recommend it...
Get the impact-rated torx bits, and get yourself some ceramic coated T25 torx screws. Also, if you don't have a impact wrench, I highly recommend it. You can get a 20v for about $100 most of the time (with one battery).
What this guy said. I've had pretty good luck with the Milwaukee brand made for the impact driver.
Night and day difference when you use the impact vs drill driver.
1
TXDirt
Profile picture for user TXDirt
Posts
7399
Joined
7/29/2015
Location
Plano, TX US
TXDirt 7/10/2018 3:55pm
7/10/2018 3:55pm
Definitely need to pre-drill your holes in hard/dry woods. The screw is not tough enough to do that. So you will end up with a lot of stripped or broken off screws and bits.
1
MR. X
Profile picture for user MR. X
Posts
6917
Joined
6/24/2010
Location
North Tonawanda, NY US
MR. X 7/10/2018 5:59pm
7/10/2018 5:59pm
ToolMaker wrote:
What this guy said. I've had pretty good luck with the Milwaukee brand made for the impact driver. Night and day difference when you use the...
What this guy said. I've had pretty good luck with the Milwaukee brand made for the impact driver.
Night and day difference when you use the impact vs drill driver.
I'm using the 18 volt dewalt impact driver , it's a bit on the heavy side but its fine for home work.

Pit Row

See All »
Electro21
Profile picture for user Electro21
Posts
1975
Joined
6/11/2008
Location
Dumfries, VA US
Fantasy
75th
Electro21 7/10/2018 11:28pm
7/10/2018 11:28pm
I love my Porter Cable driver. All of the big brands are good. Just get a complete set so your tools use the same batteries.
1
Foghorn
Profile picture for user Foghorn
Posts
927
Joined
1/26/2013
Location
CA
Foghorn 7/11/2018 8:04am
7/11/2018 8:04am
Robertson or Torx head screws and drivers. Philips heads suck.
1
FlickitFlat
Profile picture for user FlickitFlat
Posts
3018
Joined
8/15/2006
Location
,, WV US
Fantasy
662nd
FlickitFlat 7/11/2018 12:42pm
7/11/2018 12:42pm
I'll let my trophies speak for themselves. What do you want to know? lol



OK, so I've spent years in the shop making 20 chairs a day, 100 screws per chair. I've done a lot of screwing around. My favorite screw gun is a Milwaukee. They are the fastest, lightest,slimmest, most durable. At least they were. I don't know about now they manufacture from China.
It all depends on what the screw is made out of, stainless, dacrotized, galvanized, length and number size. I find square head to be the best, especially on a stainless steel screw.
As far as the tip of the gun, there is no "greatest tip ever" available on the market. Some of the best things you can do is just modify your own. For most people shorter is better. One trick is to take the shit off the gun that comes with it like the depth stop and toss it, but also pull the factory tip out of it and buy a 1/4 or a hex bolt driver at the hardware store. You can find one that will snap right into your screw gun and it will only stick out the end about a 1/2" You can then insert your tip directly into that. If you were doing a big project, like a whole deck or something like that, magnetic holding is not going to work for long. Don't be afraid to take some duck tape, put it in strips and use it to secure the bit. I have often taken a piece of tape, put on the bit itself and jammed it into the concrete to wedge it in. It works.
1
TrailDigger 7/11/2018 4:14pm
7/11/2018 4:14pm
FlickitFlat wrote:
I'll let my trophies speak for themselves. What do you want to know? lol [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/07/11/274011/s1200_screw_champ.jpg[/img] OK, so I've spent years in the shop making 20 chairs...
I'll let my trophies speak for themselves. What do you want to know? lol



OK, so I've spent years in the shop making 20 chairs a day, 100 screws per chair. I've done a lot of screwing around. My favorite screw gun is a Milwaukee. They are the fastest, lightest,slimmest, most durable. At least they were. I don't know about now they manufacture from China.
It all depends on what the screw is made out of, stainless, dacrotized, galvanized, length and number size. I find square head to be the best, especially on a stainless steel screw.
As far as the tip of the gun, there is no "greatest tip ever" available on the market. Some of the best things you can do is just modify your own. For most people shorter is better. One trick is to take the shit off the gun that comes with it like the depth stop and toss it, but also pull the factory tip out of it and buy a 1/4 or a hex bolt driver at the hardware store. You can find one that will snap right into your screw gun and it will only stick out the end about a 1/2" You can then insert your tip directly into that. If you were doing a big project, like a whole deck or something like that, magnetic holding is not going to work for long. Don't be afraid to take some duck tape, put it in strips and use it to secure the bit. I have often taken a piece of tape, put on the bit itself and jammed it into the concrete to wedge it in. It works.
Milwaukee seems to be the same quality as the older tools, and getting thinner and lighter with more power. Can’t beat the warranty either imo. They’ve replaced two of my drills no questions asked after one was fried from a chinese battery and the other one had the chuck come out of alignment and it would get stuck to the point where I have to use channellocks to open it. Still use it and have the new one in the box still.

@OP Buy a torx bit and 3” screws and you won’t regret it. Using a Phillips bit and drywall screws are fine for small projects, but I wouldn’t use them on anything structural. Get a pail of deck screws in the length you need and get peace of mind knowing they’re meant for the job. Most come with the appropriate bit for it aswell.
1
woodsrider427
Profile picture for user woodsrider427
Posts
127
Joined
12/11/2014
Location
Wake Forest, NC US
woodsrider427 7/11/2018 5:50pm
7/11/2018 5:50pm Edited Date/Time 7/11/2018 5:51pm
We use these screws and a bit comes in each box:
http://www.spax.us/
Home Depot carries them but I am not sure if they have all the products. We only use the cabinet ones, they work great.
1
SEEMEFIRST
Profile picture for user SEEMEFIRST
Posts
10975
Joined
8/21/2006
Location
Arlington, TX US
SEEMEFIRST 7/11/2018 6:52pm
7/11/2018 6:52pm
Milwaukee is not cheaping out, a bit more expensive, but that's a tool that hasn't let me down.
Makita is solid as well.

Get an impact driver, drill motors will wear you and everything out.

For sure torx screws work light years better than Phillips. Phillips is fine for drywall, but trying to do work, they are weak.
FlickitFlat
Profile picture for user FlickitFlat
Posts
3018
Joined
8/15/2006
Location
,, WV US
Fantasy
662nd
FlickitFlat 7/11/2018 7:23pm
7/11/2018 7:23pm
Page 86 in this catalog is what I was talking about, the standard duty driving bits. They are the shit if you put them straight in the screw gun. This is a good supplier of screws as well. Sometimes they have delays, sometimes they are right on it. It kind of sucks if you are a manufacture but their products are quality. I've bought literally tons of stuff from them. About a pallet a week for quit a few years. Check them out. I didn't look at the prices but I'm sure you could buy a 50lb box for what you could buy 5lb at Lowes. Better quality also.
http://www.applefasteners.com/

Post a reply to: screw gun bit recommendation