Rant: Everyone loves those big automatic taper tools but I say they're overrated

I used a Banjo Taper for 3 years straight on a big commercial job downtown, and yeah it lays mud fast, but my finishing time went UP 20% because of all the cleanup and shimming. Switched back to a hand box and knife last fall and my partner noticed the difference in our daily sheet count immediately. Am I the only one who thinks these gadgets just create More problems for the guys who have to fix the tape later?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnson.daniel12d ago

Holding back a bit here but gotta say the Banjo saved my back on a high rise last year. Hand taping 12 foot butt joints all day left my wrist shot and I was dragging by lunch. With the auto taper I was laying down 70 feet of tape in like 4 minutes and the mud was thin enough I barely had to sand. Cleanup is just a bucket of water and a rag, not that bad. Maybe your mud was too thick or you weren't using the right shims? I run a 10 dollar plastic T handle and it never gives me grief.

adam_lewis12d ago

Man, I feel you on the wrist pain. That repetitive motion day after day is brutal. @johnson.daniel is right about the mud consistency too, I've had way better luck with a thinner mix and a decent T handle.

troyreed12d ago

Honestly, I switched to a roller style handle and that helped a ton with my wrist issues. Plus keeping the mud really runny made a world of difference for me.