Electrical Wire Staplers?
#1
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Electrical Wire Staplers?
I'm running some 14-2 & 14-3 wiring in my home & have a hell of a time manualy nailing in the U-nails (to secure the wire to studs) while holding the wire taught. Is there such a thing as a heavy duty stapler that will do this? (I have a compressor also)
#2
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Wait till your last hit.
Wait till your last hit on the staple before you take the last bit of slack out of the cable.
From your description it sounds like you are trying to pull on the cable the entire time you are also trying to hit the staple
From your description it sounds like you are trying to pull on the cable the entire time you are also trying to hit the staple
#3
Don't use a mechanical method of stapling cables. You can't control the depth, and you will invariably crush the cables. Use the proper wire staples, as sgtgerryf states, starting the staple, then pull the slack. You'll drive yourself crazy as a diyer, trying to make it pretty. After all, you will be covering it up. JUst make sure you are attaching the cables in the middle of the stud. This allows for proper clearance for rock guys not to drive a nail or screw into the cables if they miss the stud.
#4
There are hand powered staplers made to tack NM-B type cable - not worth the money in my opinion.
I'm having trouble visualizing your problem. Place the staple over the wire and use it to position the wire near the middle of the stud, then drive it in till it just contacts the cable. If you can't pull the wire a bit after you've finished driving the staple you've driven it in too far. Can't hold the staple with your fingers? Use a pair of pliers to hold it while you start it.
I prefer to use the staples that are made with 2 small nails and a plastic band that holds the wire. These are made with a built in spacer that prevents you from driving the staple in too far and pinching or shorting the wire. I don't have any trouble driving both nails at once with a standard sized hammer head. These staples are made in sizes that allow 2 or 3 wires under the staple as well.
All the staple needs to do is hold the wire in a general area near the middle of the stud. While the wire should be reasonably straight it shouldn't be stretched taught. The purpose of stapling is to keep the wire away from the fasteners used to apply the wall covering. If you examine the various fasteners used to hold multiple wires on the stud you will find all they do is hold the wire in alignment - the wire can be pushed or pulled freely. If your wire was bent around a lot during installation it is hard to get it to lay reasonably straight and the best solution here is to drive an extra staple or two. Three on a stud is usually plenty but five isn't unreasonable if you're having issues.
I'm having trouble visualizing your problem. Place the staple over the wire and use it to position the wire near the middle of the stud, then drive it in till it just contacts the cable. If you can't pull the wire a bit after you've finished driving the staple you've driven it in too far. Can't hold the staple with your fingers? Use a pair of pliers to hold it while you start it.
I prefer to use the staples that are made with 2 small nails and a plastic band that holds the wire. These are made with a built in spacer that prevents you from driving the staple in too far and pinching or shorting the wire. I don't have any trouble driving both nails at once with a standard sized hammer head. These staples are made in sizes that allow 2 or 3 wires under the staple as well.
All the staple needs to do is hold the wire in a general area near the middle of the stud. While the wire should be reasonably straight it shouldn't be stretched taught. The purpose of stapling is to keep the wire away from the fasteners used to apply the wall covering. If you examine the various fasteners used to hold multiple wires on the stud you will find all they do is hold the wire in alignment - the wire can be pushed or pulled freely. If your wire was bent around a lot during installation it is hard to get it to lay reasonably straight and the best solution here is to drive an extra staple or two. Three on a stud is usually plenty but five isn't unreasonable if you're having issues.