EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: Vgkid on May 15, 2018, 09:58:27 pm
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I figured there would be a few of the members here who do woodworking , and or construction. So what do you recommend for torx bits for a drill/impact driver.
Recommendations welcome , currently I'm using some older dewault bits(they seem to hold up well) . When my late father built our fence he used square drive(Robertson) bits.
Backstory:
Fixing / building a fence
Edit price_ below 8 for 2 , though if there are multi-packs , I will spend more.
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These days many boxes of outdoors wood screw include a matching driver bit in the box. I just use the bit that comes with the screws and have yet to wear out the bit.
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Wow, Tom45, you've had better luck than me. I find the Torx bits included in the box to be barely made of metal, but more like a Playdough and Chinesium alloy.
I'm a fan of Wera tools in general. The Wera T25 bits are ~$1.25-1.50ea in boxes of 10 or 20 and I find them well made and fairly durable. When using them, it's important to really set the bit into the screw, especially if you're in a dirty environment (fence projects attract mud) or if you're using an impact driver.
Chadstoolbox has good pricing but perhaps the single worst website on the planet in terms of frustrations trying to find things. I've gotten to the point of finding the part number on some other site and then searching Chads and KCTool (who also wins no web design prizes) to purchase.
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Even with the cheap brittle bits that come in a box of screws, the biggest factor in working life for me has been the head shape, ie I no longer touch philips head screws with a 10ft pole. Once the bits slips, it chews the head at an increasing rate. It requires you to use a lot of thrust force to hold the bit on the screw. If you've ever had to do a couple of hundred screws, you know it takes a toll on the arms and wrists.
Torx is good, but my favourite is a sqaure head. Never chewed up a square head and there's no thrust force required. Even with cheap torx bits Ive never had an issue.
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I agree with John to avoid phillips head screws.
My brother is a wood worker and he once told me he used square drive screws because they were better quality screws. ie, choose the screws first and then the choice of bit is determined for you.
I use a DeWalt battery powered impact driver and don't have problems with the supplied bits. That's usually with screws no longer than 3 or 4 inches and screwing into soft woods. Perhaps hardwood would be different. Or maybe the threads on some screws aren't as well made and require more effort to penetrate.
Tom
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I have bought a couple of these and they have held up well.
Lots of other bits and fasteners from this seller.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TORX-Driver-Bit-Set-2-inch-T10-T15-T20-T25-T30-T40-Quick-Change-Shank/161167311852?hash=item25865203ec:g:jesAAOSwqrtWnqPk (https://www.ebay.com/itm/TORX-Driver-Bit-Set-2-inch-T10-T15-T20-T25-T30-T40-Quick-Change-Shank/161167311852?hash=item25865203ec:g:jesAAOSwqrtWnqPk)
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Looking into e-pay , the Wiha's aren't to badly priced. Will look into the others as well.
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Looking into e-pay , the Wiha's aren't to badly priced. Will look into the others as well.
+1 on Wiha. Expensive, but they seem to last forever without losing their sharp splines.
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Wiha and Wera bits are generally good quality. With Torx bits it is important to use the right size: while one can drive a TX25 screw with a TX20 bit it would not last long.
For woodworking and with a good tool the Torx bits usually last very long, except some of the TX20s with screw that are just too large for them (e.g. 6 x 80). Some of the screw manufacturers tried to reduce the number of sizes and eliminated the TX15 and Tx25 size - however the somehow screwed up on that :-DD.
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wera t25, 3.78 USD: https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05072409001-Screwdriver-Socket-Bits/dp/B001553T5M/ (https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05072409001-Screwdriver-Socket-Bits/dp/B001553T5M/)
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I replaced all my woodscrews and few metal bolts with Torx.
Although I have quite expensive Bosch bits (with the hardened steel golden tip)I also have standard grade bits for €1,25 at the hardware store.
To be honest there is little difference, both don't wear out that much with normal use and I only have to replace them since I loose them sometimes :)
If you do very heavy woodwork with lots if force and the hammering type of screwdriver it might be a different story however;
The pro builders I talked to just say, I rather buy a box of bits for €1 a piece and replace the bits every week then buy an expensive bit to use for weeks. Why? Because if the expensive bit wears out or gets lost I don't have a replacement, while with the cheap bits I have an entire box.
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Chads and KCTool (who also wins no web design prizes)
Haha - I agree about KC tools website, but I have been happy with their service when buying Wiha tools.
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I have been using a "impact rated" set of bits from Irwin for some time with my Dewalt impact.
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wera t25, 3.78 USD: https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05072409001-Screwdriver-Socket-Bits/dp/B001553T5M/ (https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05072409001-Screwdriver-Socket-Bits/dp/B001553T5M/)
That was a smoking deal and I bought 10 boxes of the bits in different sizes while they were priced like that. (Amazon seems to have corrected the pricing to more normal pricing now.)
Thanks!! :-+ :clap:
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For framing I use 95% TX25.
The most common screw is 80x5 followed by 90x5 in boxes of 200 to 1000, whatever is available at that time in reputable supplier. Do not cheap out on screws for framing!
I usually use some Wera, but the best bang for buck where I live are Metabo with their boxes of 20 for 12€.
If you use them with some care, a bit will last over 10000 full drives! Far far longer than any other bit tech that is commonly available here.
Edit: KStools bits are also very good, but harder to find.
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wera t25, 3.78 USD: https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05072409001-Screwdriver-Socket-Bits/dp/B001553T5M/ (https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05072409001-Screwdriver-Socket-Bits/dp/B001553T5M/)
That was a smoking deal and I bought 10 boxes of the bits in different sizes while they were priced like that. (Amazon seems to have corrected the pricing to more normal pricing now.)
Thanks!! :-+ :clap:
We aim to please. 8)
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Just did a deck a while back...
I went through 5000 screws with one of the drivers that came in the box.
My wife did a few boards and went through 4 drivers in ~40 screws.
It's all about technique! If you hold the driver perfectly aligned with the screw, then your chance of slipping and damage are vastly reduced.
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Just did a deck a while back...
I went through 5000 screws with one of the drivers that came in the box.
My wife did a few boards and went through 4 drivers in ~40 screws.
It's all about technique! If you hold the driver perfectly aligned with the screw, then your chance of slipping and damage are vastly reduced.
With Phillips head I could understand this, inproper insertion, too less downforce on the screw and too high rpms on your tool, but with Torx you must be really two left handed to ruin a bit per 10 screws.
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.... but with Torx you must be really two left handed to ruin a bit per 10 screws.
will pass this on! ;D
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.... but with Torx you must be really two left handed to ruin a bit per 10 screws.
will pass this on! ;D
I'm left handed and object to that statement ;)
I've just worked my way through 2 boxes of 200 Torx head woodscrews using a Makita drill/driver and the Torx bit that is supplied with the screws, I've got one Torx bit still in the packaging as the first one is still in great condition.
I'd suggest the person who managed to damage the Torx bit is actually a chimp. :-DD
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Sorry I think the expression is having two left hands, not being two left handed.
but to be fully politically correct I will restate it:
"but with Torx you must really have two left hands if you are right handed and have two right hands if you are left handed to ruin a bit per 10 screws." :)
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Sorry I think the expression is having two left hands, not being two left handed.
but to be fully politically correct I will restate it:
"but with Torx you must really have two left hands if you are right handed and have two right hands if you are left handed to ruin a bit per 10 screws." :)
I might just be yanking your chain a little ;)
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I know ;) , just a response to show how silly the PC stuff can get lately :).
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I know ;) , just a response to show how silly the PC stuff can get lately :).
I had manly man work with me on a renovation with 20+ years of construction experience that would have given his wife a fighting chance...
His problem was lifting the drill with the finger still on the pixies. Nobody had told him, and he had not worked it out himself. In 20 years.
He also had a drill that was « a bit slow » and used batteries faster than a troll can eat Oreos, upon inspection, he was using in fast gear on slow high torque stuff. The epoxy had charred off the rotor end and it looked like some of the commutators were welded together!
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My favorites are Wera: http://products.wera.de/en/bits_holders_adaptors_the_range_of_wera_bits.html (http://products.wera.de/en/bits_holders_adaptors_the_range_of_wera_bits.html)
Only problem is that im also very good what comes to loosing bits all over my yard.
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Only problem is that im also very good what comes to loosing bits all over my yard.
Blame the bitholders, or they have a loosy fit and bits keep missing, or the fit is so tight you almost need to wear gloves to get the bit out.
I prefer the first option , that is why I loose bits in my garage behind or under all kind of stuff. Last year I tore down a cabinet and found a lot of bits under it, all rusted unfortunately.
Hey that is why I recommend the cheaper boxed versions, you get 5, 10 or even 25 spares to last you till the end of the year :D
Before someone claims I am sloppy, my drills in a 60 piece drill set are after 5 years still complete, and for my precision screwdrivers like the Wiha's also all complete.
It really are the bitholders and probably the cheapness of the bits that make them disappear.
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Only problem is that im also very good what comes to loosing bits all over my yard.
Blame the bitholders, or they have a loosy fit and bits keep missing, or the fit is so tight you almost need to wear gloves to get the bit out.
I prefer the first option , that is why I loose bits in my garage behind or under all kind of stuff. Last year I tore down a cabinet and found a lot of bits under it, all rusted unfortunately.
Hey that is why I recommend the cheaper boxed versions, you get 5, 10 or even 25 spares to last you till the end of the year :D
Before someone claims I am sloppy, my drills in a 60 piece drill set are after 5 years still complete, and for my precision screwdrivers like the Wiha's also all complete.
It really are the bitholders and probably the cheapness of the bits that make them disappear.
(https://www.clasohlson.com/medias/sys_master/9174702489630.jpg)
Haven't lost a bit yet despite twisting screws around them and abusing the poor thing with an impact driver.
(it's a Bosch holder, sorry, couldn't find an image with the label)
E: There we are:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71fZQGSpZ7L._SY450_.jpg)
Don't leave home without it. Other sets available. Price may induce tears.
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Hey that is why I recommend the cheaper boxed versions, you get 5, 10 or even 25 spares to last you till the end of the year :D
Yep, i also normally buy cheaper one. 25 pieces of T20, T25 and T30 and they last for summer
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Thanks for the replies , I will keep using my dewault ones , until they get lost. :scared: :palm:
I usually use a drill , anyone used them in a cordless impact?