Collated Screwdriver, Any Tips?

[vitalchip]

I've bought a Makita collated screwdriver, does anyone have any tips? so far I've tried about 100 screws and about 1/3rd of them haven't gone the distance..

To be fair, it's getting better ( well, I am.. )

It seems that you need to put quite a lot of pressure on the nose and hold it all the way, otherwise the screwhead gets torn to pieces in seconds.

I've started with another strip and I'm about the 90% success rate now, so I guess it's just a matter of practice but any comments would be welcome.

Thanks.

 

[seaangler]

make sure that the driver is set for the correct length of screw , check that the screwdiver bit is ok plus check that the right bit is fitted (the length and width of the bit is critical)

 

[Symptoms]

chip - we use this type of tackle for fixing ply subfloors. The best tip, assumming all adjustments to the tool are OK, as per seaangler's post, is to be 'firm' in your action, have the tool running before you apply pressure (infact, keep it running between each stab), and press on until the screw is driven fully home. Also use the correct screws for the application ... don't use drywall screws for timber.

 

[vitalchip]

I'll double check the bit is the correct one, seems most likely as the feed seems fine.

Thanks for replies.

 

[vitalchip]

Just thought I'd post the conclusion to this one - I was using the wrong bit for the screws. Doh.

Didn't occur to me that the stainless steel screws would be pozi drive and the machine came with a phillips bit. Anyway, bought a couple of pozi bits, they arrived today and it's working like a charm.