Barndominium/Shop or "real" House?

[ETD66SS]

I think you'd be fine. I get mine into spaces much tighter than that.

Like I said, it's an option if your T50's aren't working out. But if you're happy with the T50's and aren't looking for an excuse to buy another tool, then stick with what you've got!

One big advantage of the pneumatics is hand fatigue. I've squeezed off a lot of T50 staples, and I usually start to get blisters in the webbing between thumb and index finger, after awhile. The pneumatic stapler is a light single-trigger pull.

This is the stapler I am currently using: 2447-20 So no real fatigue from using that.

When I bought it I was debating between that and the 1/4" crown version, which is twice the price...

 

[WinterDeere]

That looks nice! All of my T50 and #60x staplers are hand-powered, and they work great for smaller jobs, but get old fast on larger jobs. I also have a hammer stapler, but they're usually more trouble than they're worth.

But I have two 18-gauge pneumatic staplers that I use a lot for things like building crates and fixtures. I use them whenever possible, but mine are compressor-driven, so best for in the shop or places where I can easily haul a pancake compressor.

 

[gsganzer]

I have that same Milwaukee 12V stapler. It works really well.

 

[ETD66SS]

The stainless staples don't fold over as easy, but they also are not driven in 100%.

I guess I need to stick to the 3/8" long chisel point staples. Wish I could find some of 1/2" long with chisel points...

 

[ETD66SS]

Almost done with the first two loops for the upper workshop radiant.

Fighting with this pex in sub 30 deg F temps is the worst part.

I'm not stapling the plates in until I have all the loops roughly placed to ensure I have no kinks. I want to have continuous runs with no couplings spliced in to fix kinks etc. I already had to pull out about 40ft of pex and 10 plates becuase a kink occured. Live and learn...

 

[lman]

That's interesting. I have been using my cellphone in my building no problem so far. My structure has 8x8 posts and will have 7-1/4" of insulation on the exterior walls. So I'm hoping even with my less efficient radiant sub-floor solution, I'll still be better off than most traditional forms of heating. (Most homes here are forced hot air).

I also have radiant in the concrete floor below the second story, I expect to keep the garage & workshop at around 50-55F, which will help with heating the living space above.

You must be close to a cell tower if you have steel roofing and walls. I had to run internet to my barn so I could use wifi calling inside.

 

[ETD66SS]

You must be close to a cell tower if you have steel roofing and walls. I had to run internet to my barn so I could use wifi calling inside.

Fortunately the nearest cell tower is in the middle of a farm field the property next to mine and I get great service.

Unfortunately the nearest cell tower is in the middle of a farm field the property next to mine and I have to look at it.

The tower is about 850ft from my building.

 

[LouNY]

Fortunately the nearest cell tower is in the middle of a farm field the property next to mine and I get great service.

Unfortunately the nearest cell tower is in the middle of a farm field the property next to mine and I have to look at it.

The tower is about 850ft from my building.

Could be a lot worse, at least you are getting good service. Depending on the leaves on the trees I can 3-5 of the 5 behind me.

 

[WinterDeere]

You must be close to a cell tower if you have steel roofing and walls. I had to run internet to my barn so I could use wifi calling inside.

I'm miles from the closest cell tower, and have no issue getting service inside my barn with a steel roof. It comes thru the walls (cedar clapboard) just fine.

But the walls of my house are stone, 20" - 22" thick, and it also has a steel roof. Cell service inside the house is highly dependent on how close you stand to a window.

 

[ETD66SS]

Still plugging away at the radiant tubing install.

Had to get creative with electrical conduit to help me pull the pex due to working alone.

One day in the shop it was 9 DEG F, so the pex was not behaving very well.

Working around the existing electrical and plumbing has not been the most fun either.

 

[EddieWalker]

I won't leave the house if the temps are in the 30's. No way am I doing anything if it was 9 degrees outside!!!!

 

[pmsmechanic]

I won't leave the house if the temps are in the 30's. No way am I doing anything if it was 9 degrees outside!!!!

Up here we'd be inside for 7 months of the year.

 

[gsganzer]

I heard a story of someone that was reflooring a place with square vinyl tile in the winter. The place was unoccupied, and the heat was turned way down, so the tile was really cold and hard to work with. He got the idea of warming the tile up in the oven, making it much easier to work with it.

You can guess what happened when all the tile cooled. A small gap opened up between all the squares.

 

[WinterDeere]

I won't leave the house if the temps are in the 30's. No way am I doing anything if it was 9 degrees outside!!!!

I love working outside down to single-digits Fahrenheit, as long as there’s no wind. I have more trouble at the other end of the spectrum, feeling motivated to do any work outside when it’s above 85F or 90F. Our summers here come with crippling humidity, so it’s not a “pleasant” 90F here, if there even were such a thing.

But to a Texan, a day in summer with a high of 85F is a “cold front”.

 

[EddieWalker]

We were in the low 70's this afternoon. Woke up and the temps were in the 50's, so I waiting until it warmed up into the 60's before I went outside and got to work. Seems like there isn't anything that has to be done so badly that it can't wait until the temps are decent.

 

[WinterDeere]

My day was much the same, I don’t think I was outside and working until after 10am. But the numbers were all shifted down about 40 degrees from yours, and this was our warmest weekend of the last several.

 

[ETD66SS]

I won't leave the house if the temps are in the 30's. No way am I doing anything if it was 9 degrees outside!!!!

To freak you out even more I was not wearing gloves. Too hard to use gloves for this kind of work.

I did have to break down and wear a winter hat though.

I also used one of those oil radiator space heaters to heat up the transfer plates a bit before stapling. It helped heat up my hands as well as expand the plates a bit before stapling.

The thermal expansion of a 4ft long piece of alum from 9 deg to about 85 deg is around .05" total. I don't think any staples would pop out once the heat is used but pre heating them should help with the movement not all going in one direction against the staples.

 

[WM75Guy]

I feel for you working in that temp. I am with Eddie, I would be somewhere warm. Only problem with our weather yesterday was temp was in the 70s but the wind was at 20-30 mph, gusting to 50 mph. Cold front came through overnight. It's 7 AM now with a temp of 65° F. Supposed to stay in the low 60s all day with 5 mph breeze. I will get outside today and get some work done.

 

[ETD66SS]

I feel for you working in that temp. I am with Eddie, I would be somewhere warm. Only problem with our weather yesterday was temp was in the 70s but the wind was at 20-30 mph, gusting to 50 mph. Cold front came through overnight. It's 7 AM now with a temp of 65° F. Supposed to stay in the low 60s all day with 5 mph breeze. I will get outside today and get some work done.

There was a stretch this summer for about a week working on my shop it was in the mid 90's and very humid.

I can work in both conditions, 9 Deg or 95 Deg, but for me the best is about 65 Deg.

 

[Carl_NH]

I don't care to work outside when it's below 20 or above 85 deg and humid, and agree 60-70 is perfect.

Was in the barn yesterday 35* restringing a recoil pull starter spring with bare hands when it decided it didnt want to be coiled up - sprung all over, started over with work gloves and got it in place, then retired to the house and made a fire. Have a propane heater in the barn I use when its below 30 - gets it to 45 or so in an hour.