auto feed / drywall gun

[oz0707]

Looking for an autofeed gun. Mainly boards onto timber but also occasionally MF. I would also like to screw some OSB up with it. I'm not a massive user of this. Carpenter by trade but maybe 4 weeks use a year i'd guess. I have Mak and Dewalt battery so choice is with either of them.

Not sure whether to opt for the seperate drill and auto feed units or the makita all in one. Whats the advantage you can use the seperate guns for wafer heads etc too?

Also a big question RPM?! Is 4000 too fast for timber or ok? The better range of Makita seperate drywall guns are 2500 but the 'all in one makita' https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/makita ... -body-only is 4000RPM and advertised as being suitable for decking. This unit only does the longer screws 45 - 75mm.

I fancy the dewalt cordless option as the price is reasonable, I have the batteries and it's brushless. The 4000 RPM worries me though if no good for timber coarse thread screws
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Dew ... -Bare-Unit
Then get the auto feed attachment

Thanks for any help

[Job and Knock]

Looking for an autofeed gun. Mainly boards onto timber but also occasionally MF. I would also like to screw some OSB up with it.

Not sure whether to opt for the seperate drill and auto feed units or the makita all in one. Whats the advantage you can use the seperate guns for wafer heads etc too?

I'll start by "fessing up" - I've never owned the deWalt gun. On the other hand I do own the Makita DFR550 collated screw gun, I also own the Makita DFS452 drywall gun (and its' collated screwdriver accessory) and I've had quite a bit of experience with various Makita corded collated screwdrivers, including the latest 6844 and 6845 models.

As you probably suspect a separate gun and collated fastening accessory nosepiece combination is a considerably more flexible approach than a purpose made collated screwdriver. The combination allows you to use either collated or loose drywall screws as well as to use specialist fasteners such as the wafer head screws you mention. Collated guns can only drive collated screws and it's also worth mentioning that attempting reverse driving (unscrewing) with a collated gun (or even the accessory on a normal gun) is an exercise in frustration and futility.

I've had the one piece Makita guns (a DFR550) a few years now and I have to say that they're sometimes a bit on the physically big side for working in confined spaces. They also take some time to learn how to get the best out of them; they have their own "rythym" and don't respond well to being used too quickly, or jerkily, as they are prone to jamming unless you adopt the right technique. In the wrong hands I've found guns coming back to me time and again in non-working state (often just jams). That is especially the case in inexperienced hands.

These days I think that a better choice in Makita's range is the DFS452 "push activated" brushless drywall screw gun combined with the relatively new 199146-8 collated screw feed attachment. This is Makita's equivalent to the deWalt kit. The DFS452 can be set into "push" mode to drive single screws by simply inserting a loose screw in the chuck (it's held magnetically on the bit end), offering the screw into position, they giving the gun a slight push at which point the motor spins and the screw is sunk. The nose has a screw depth adjuster on it which allows screws to be left proud, flushed or sunk under as required (all drywall guns are what is called depth sensing). That nose is held on the gun and can be pulled off, the bit holder/bit removed, the extended screwdriver bit for the collated nose inserted and the collated nose pushed onto the front of the gun to convert from manual to collated mode. Including threading through a strip of collated screws it takes a couple of minutes.



I've already made my decision, but it was influenced by the fact that I already had the DFS452 as a "one shot" screwdriver and knew it to be a good reliable piece of kit. The batteries were immaterial, really, as like you I have both Mak and DW batteries

Also a big question RPM?! Is 4000 too fast for timber or ok?

It's OK. Used the DFS452 in collated and non-collated modes to drive screws into both MF and timber framing. Just make sure you have the right type of collated screws with a collated gun - coarse thread for timber, fine thread for MF. In fact if you want to use the DFS452 with a standard nose and loose drywall screws to fix thin plywood over flooring down prior to screeding and laying vinyl the 4000rpm makes it far easier to ensure that you sink the screw heads under (without counter sinking) than it is with the average 2500rpm impact driver. I reckon the higher speed is a bonus in that instance.

Worth bearing in mind that all of these collated guns and collated attachments require specialist long bits which are particular to the model and manufacturer and that they can sometimes be a royal PIA to locate in a hurry - so if you go collated make sure that you have a couple of spare driver bits to be on the safe side. The DFS452, on the other hand, uses a bit holder and standard 25mm hex bits

Only material I can't say about is your OSB, though, as I rarely deal with the stuff and I've yet to take a drywall gun to it.

[oz0707]

Thanks for really detailed reply j&k
Nice to hear from someone with experience of the kit.
The mak auto feed cartridge seems pretty scarce at the moment. You can get it but a lot are out of stock. Wonder if that's because it's new? I'll have to keep my eye on model number make sure to order right one if I go mak.
I've also heard good things about dewalt so in a bit of a pickle still might toss a coin!

[fin]

ive had the dewalt gun for a few years now. works well.

[Job and Knock]

I've also heard good things about dewalt so in a bit of a pickle still might toss a coin!

Yes. I've seen a number of our dry liners using the DW gun - to date only seen one using the Mak gun (TBH they are a fairly recent introduction here). I've not used mine with the collated nose that much, so I can't really comment on reliability, etc at this stage. As a single screw driver, however, it's been pretty good, having been used on all sorts of stuff including other than drywalling, e.g screwing 6mm hardwood ply over flooring.

I do have have to say that the DW DC620/DC6201 combo is far easier to find, both as components and as a kit, than the equivalent Makita. It's also been around in the UK a bit longer (Makita introduced theirs in Japan then NZ last year) which means that you should be able to get more feedback about it (see videos below). The DW having stainless steel screw guides probably means that the feed mechanism will last longer than the Mak which has plastic guides. One the minus side the Makita has a push feed where the gun doesn't run until you push it, which means that your batteries should last a bit longer than the DW where to get the same operation speed you'll probably end up having to lock the trigger on (could Fin or StevieJoiner confirm this, please?). Certainly seems like a good gun, though.







This video, albeit a bit breathless and sales BS-ey, shows what I mean by "push drive" from about 0:42

[oz0707]

Got this reply from makita today asking what the difference is between the two guns and what one rpm is for compared to the other. Pretty p*ss poor reply. Think I'm going dewalt just because the auto loader seems to have better feedback

The DFS452 has 4000 RPM with electronic brake and the DFS250 has an RPM of 2500, these would be the only differences.

 

Our auto feed attachment (199146-8) is the first of its kind from ourselves that was made available in the UK, this released around the end of June this year.

 

Kind regards

 

Ashley

[fin]

i find the dewalt gun absolutely fine for my needs although i dont mega often board ceilings. but when i do its absolutely worth its weight in gold coz its a pain in the ass using loose screws. ive owned it for about 4 or 5 years now at a guess and its been spot on. had to replace the driver bits a few times but thats standard stuff. all in all a very good tool

[fin]

i dont lock the trigger on i jus either keep it held in or pull the trigger each time i need to.