Bought a $400 impact driver and stripped every screw in my deck last weekend

I was building a new deck in my backyard in Austin and grabbed the most powerful impact driver at Home Depot without thinking about torque settings. Ended up snapping the heads off 12 deck screws before I realized I had it cranked to max and needed to back way off. Has anyone else found that more power just makes things worse if you don't adjust your technique?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_sanchez3d ago

Man I did something similar with a framing nailer last summer. Bought this big compressor and figured more PSI meant it would shoot nails into concrete. Spent three hours and a whole box of nails before I realized I was just bending every single one against the slab. My neighbor came over and asked if I was trying to build a sculpture or a deck. The worst part is I had the manual sitting right there on the workbench the whole time but I'm too stubborn to read instructions until something breaks. Now I keep a little torque test piece of scrap wood nearby before I touch anything important.

eric_murray263d ago

The torque test piece of scrap wood is honestly the best advice in this whole thread. I started doing that after ruining a set of cabinet hinges by overdriving the screws and splitting the wood. Kept a little 2x4 block nearby ever since. Also dialing back the clutch to like 3 or 4 for deck screws changed my life. That $400 tool is still great, you just gotta respect the trigger finger and let the tool do the work instead of forcing it.