Drywall screw gun

[theoldwizard1]

For DIY Home Improvement.

I'm partial to DeWalt, but have some questions. Single speed or variable speed ? Corded or battery (I have 2 DeWalt 18V battery packs) ?

Are other brands better ?



How about a dimple adapter for VSR drill with adjustable torque like

 

[hblock72]

I had a dimple adapter similar to what you have pictured and I also have the dewalt variable speed cordless drywall gun. The drill adapter is ok for minor jobs/repair work, but if you're really going to be hanging sheets of drywall the gun is the way to go. The gun can also be used for deck screws and sheet metal nutsets which is handy. I've been using mine this week while replacing the decking on my back porch. It's been a real time saver.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have an DeWalt impact driver which is great for shooting screws into wood. I had to shoot a bunch of 4" screws the other day and it worked like a champ !

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Tricky question...
I bought the high end Milwaukee at the advice of others saying its the only way to hang lots of Sheetrock, the tool itself is a wonderful tool, works as advertised, but I almost regret wasting the money on it. I literally shot 15 screws in with it, put it away and took out my cordless drill to shoot the rest of the drywall screws. Put 1500 sq/ft of cieling in with my cordless drill and my FIL was using my 1/4" impact..he didnt care for the drywall gun either.

 

[bcradio]

I have a Dewalt screwgun for drywall and a Senco autofeed screwgun. I like both of them and use them a good deal when hanging drywall, but if you have an 18v impact driver, then that would work fine too.

Do not get cordless though unless you'll be using it daily. Why mess with batteries that will need replacing every few years anyway?

 

[steelespeed]

I have hung drywall professionally and in my opinion a dedicated screw gun is the way to go IF you plan on hanging lots of board or as another poster mentioned, if you plan on doing some decking. Corded is fine, battery powered is convenient. I always used DeWalt, but I am considering picking up a Makita.

If you're just doing some repairs or running in a few screws, I don't think they are worth the cash or the space they take up. The dimple adapter on your hand drill would work like a charm for the occasional use. Just remember that the dimple adapter is not a replacement for a screw gun's clutch and you'll need to back off the power BEFORE you contact the work surface. Even with your drill set on the lowest torque number it will tear right through the sheetrock.

Remember, hand drill with torque control does not equal screw gun with depth clutch.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you're just doing some repairs or running in a few screws, I don't think they are worth the cash or the space they take up. The dimple adapter on your hand drill would work like a charm for the occasional use.

Probably gone to hang about 20 sheets in the next couple of months.

Just remember that the dimple adapter is not a replacement for a screw gun's clutch and you'll need to back off the power BEFORE you contact the work surface. Even with your drill set on the lowest torque number it will tear right through the sheetrock.

Remember, hand drill with torque control does not equal screw gun with depth clutch.

That is the kind of info I am looking for ! Thanks !!

 

[RCStocker]

SENCO

All others need not apply

Dewalt is over priced and I would not own one of thier tools. I don't like them The quality is not there.

 

[zkling]

Dewalt and Bosch are good brands. Senco as RC mentioned, but most of the ones you see are self feeding. Not sure if that is a feature you want or not.

I would prefer corded due to the reasons mentioned above.

If you are looking to purchase one, look on Craigslist. Usually they are in the $20-30 range for a good one.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you are looking to purchase one, look on Craigslist. Usually they are in the $20-30 range for a good one.

Found a "new" one for $60.

 

[SlowAl]

Lowes still has the Senco autofeed for 80 bucks. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[rick carpenter]

I've got a corded Senco autofeeding screwgun, I try not to get corded if I'm gonna be up and down a ladder but corded was the only way I wanted to go for this. I like it... but it's finicky. You have to use the correct feed technique and speed, and keep your hand and arm directly in line with the screw. Once you have that down it's easy, but if/when you get tired and get a little sloppy, you'll spin the bit and ruin the screw and start to ruin the bit too. Definitely get one if you're going to do a lot of drywall, but if you're only going to do a little or not often, then a Bosch 18v impact driver will last all day til mid afternoon on one slimpack battery.

 

[cheechi]

The dimple adapter on your hand drill would work like a charm for the occasional use. Just remember that the dimple adapter is not a replacement for a screw gun's clutch and you'll need to back off the power BEFORE you contact the work surface. Even with your drill set on the lowest torque number it will tear right through the sheetrock.

Remember, hand drill with torque control does not equal screw gun with depth clutch.

18v impact driver is too much for one of these. My M12 impact driver is almost too much too. Any drill on close to the lowest setting is better than an impact for drywall unless you want to do a lot of mudding.

Bosch makes a coallated screwgun similar to the Senco (great) & Ridgid (haven't tried).

 

[rick carpenter]

I forgot to carry my Senco gun with me when I was in Mississippi sheetrocking for a week after that big storm, so I used my 18v impact driver just fine. Either one works well but they both require the right touch.

 

[Monte]

 

[steelespeed]

18v impact driver is too much for one of these. My M12 impact driver is almost too much too. Any drill on close to the lowest setting is better than an impact for drywall unless you want to do a lot of mudding.

I agree, that's why I said drill and not impact driver. Just about every cordless drill I have seen these days all have a "torque" setting. Impact drivers have their place, this isn't one of them. Even using a dimple adapter on a drill will end up seeing most users doing a lot of fill with the mud pan and knife.

The auto-feed guns are neat, but too finicky for the casual user.

Not a huge fan of any one brand of power tool as I am pretty sure they are all made in the same factory in China, but the DeWalt screw guns the crew used that I was on never missed a beat. They were used, abused, dropped, and covered in dust every day on the job sites. The only thing we ever had to do was the occasional cord replacement.

 

[cheechi]

I was agreeing with you.

In my experience with the Senco corded gun, if you use it like you would use a nailer on bump fire, it works very nearly perfect. I think the guys who can't get it to work right are using it more like a drill, but when they push it up against the wall before spinning it they're engaging the depth adjustment so they don't set the screw right.

 

[signcrafter]

First, those dimple adapters are useless, just use your regular drill/driver and get a feel for it.

As for drywall guns they take getting used to. They are amazing once you get the hang of how to hold it, how to "load" it, and how to push the screw into the drywall. Until you get the hang of it you are going to be very frustrated, like one poster that said he drove 15 screws and gave up. When using one you don't use it like a normal drill/driver. You hold it differently in one hand and the other hand is full of screws and you have to learn to "flip" the screws so you can keep feeding the drill. When using the drill you squeeze the trigger and keep it running until you are done screwing, just keep sticking screws on the tip and pushing them in. If you can get the hang of this the drywall gun will make life easy for you, if you struggle with it you will be cursing and throwing the drywall gun across the room! It really isn't too bad to get the hang of it but some guys that have trouble just give up. Practice on some scrap drywall and studs before working on you good stuff.

 

[IHI]

I have 2 makita's and 2 dewalts we used in the feild....back in the old days. Once the autofeeders hit the market, they have never seen the light of day. Long are the days of stabbing the ends of my fingers with screw tips in my pouche grabbing screws to feed the standard drywall gun. Production wise, Get the best drywall hanger with a standard drywall gun and i will get my worst employee and at worst my slow guy with our autofeed will be *** for tat/screw for screw with the seasoned vet...now put that same autofeed in the hands of a competent person, the old school drywall gun does'nt stand a chance.

"but the screws are more expensive for the autofeeders"...yep, and I recoup that job on every job we hung rock since the time saved meant less money vested in project and more than offset upgraded screw on a plastic strip price.

Also have the senco autofeed subfloor gun....day I bought it was used it on a PT deck, the autofeed gun sank the 2 1/2" screws at a rate of 6:1 vs the typical 18V cordless drill and 3:1 over the 18v impact driver....best part, less operator fatigue since your stand and use body weight to push gun down vs being stooped over/bent over, sitting on the deck.

 

[ekeller]

My advice, just hire the drywall out! I started doing my new house, realized what a pain it was, and hired the rest. They charged me .17 a square foot to hang it, thats just over $8 bucks for a 4x12 sheet. That fire rock is heavy esp when doing valuted ceilings.

 

[68rustang]

First, those dimple adapters are useless, just use your regular drill/driver and get a feel for it.

I have to disagree. I used to just use a drill and got pretty good at hitting the right depth without tearing the paper. The dimple adapter is much faster and easier as long as you are driving straight in. Even the slightest angle will cause it to hop off the screw before it is sunk.

 

[steelespeed]

I was agreeing with you.

Sorry Cheechi, didn't mean to sound like I was firing back at you. I just run into a lot of people who seem to think that a drill and an impact driver are the same thing. I don't think it helps that the home improvement stores sell a lot of these tools in one big pile!

 

[cheechi]

No worries. Just hopeful that the info in this thread is helpful to those who read it later on.

 

[theoldwizard1]

First, those dimple adapters are useless, just use your regular drill/driver and get a feel for it.

A late follow up. We used a DeWalt drill with a Phillips bit and a DeWalt hex impact driver with a Phillips bit. You can go super fast, but you do get the feel for it and it moves along pretty well !

The whole job went pretty fast although we never worked more than 4 hours at a time. The real advantage was, we had 1 "experience" DIY drywall guy on the team. Overall, I think it came out better than some of the professional jobs I have seen.