Cordless drill for building tin

[Larry]

I'm ready to put tin on a small 200 square foot building.  Need a new cordless drill to drive the screws.  Want the lightest one that will do the job.  What do you recommend?  I may pre-drill some of the panels but I will use a corded drill for that part.

I have three quality cordless drills but the batteries are near the end of there life and they are older models.  Still work fine, but I'm sure the batteries won't last driving lots of screws.

[mike_belben]

Milwaukee fuel is pretty much top dog these days.  No need to predrill. The screws will shoot right thru. 

[Southside]

Absolutely agree.  If you can only get one, get the 1/4" driver instead of the drill, it is a mini impact driver and works awesome.  I got the combo kit - 1/4" driver and 1/2" drill.  The drill is used as a drill and the driver for setting fence, roofing, framing screws.  The torque and speed exceeds what a drill will do and you don't strip out screws with it.  

[Don P]

But as often as tools seem to leap to their death, I'd start with the old ones up there. I like to layout and predrill groups of sheets on the ground. The lines across the roof are straight and it's easier to put a screw through a hole when stretched out up there, my arms are getting shorter and lower horsepower or something . Somebody just needed a couple of mine more than me, not sure where I got hit, I'm buying budget next week.

[btulloh]

I’m a big fan of the M18 line now, but there’s good to be had in the other brands as well. Lots of people report well on Ryobi stuff now and it’s very reasonably priced. Good reports on the two upper end lines that HF is selling now too.  For the long haul, I still believe in Milwaukee though. If worried about pilferage and dropping stuff off the roof, go with the value brands. Speed is the key for self drilling, so keep that in mind or pre drill. 

I find you do have to be careful with the impact drivers or you can strip out by over torquing. Excellent tool for roofing if you just get the feel tuned in.  

The good thing is these days there are a lot of workable choices. 

Good luck with the roof and post some pictures to keep us all happy.  

[ljohnsaw]

If you want a good drill/driver, get a 20v DeWalt set.  With the default/suppied 1.5 or 2 ahr batteries, they are pretty light.  The impact is lighter than the drill.  Do your intended screws have a self-drilling point?  Then you wouldn't have to pre-drill.

[btulloh]

Good point about the smaller batteries. The 1/4” impact drivers work well on roofing screws and run a pretty long time on a 2ah battery. They’re light and easy to handle on the roof. A couple 2ah batteries would keep you working. 

[Larry]

The only reason I've ever pre drilled is for appearance...keep the lines perfect across the panels, just so it looks nice.

What brand of 1/4" impact driver btulloh?

[Dave Shepard]

My M18 Fuel 1/4" driver has a metal screw setting feature. Starts slow for drilling, then speeds up, and shuts off after it starts to impact. I'd show you my M18 collection, but it might be grounds for some sort of intervention. As it is, every time I buy anything Milwaukee,  I have to send a text to a friend that starts with "Hi, my name is Dave...."

[btulloh]

The only reason I've ever pre drilled is for appearance...keep the lines perfect across the panels, just so it looks nice.

What brand of 1/4" impact driver btulloh?

I’d say any brand that suits you, especially if you want to stay with the same battery brand. (I think having all the tools and batteries work together makes life much simpler.)
The Milwaukee screw setter setting is really a good feature. I’m not aware of that being available on another brand although I bet it will be in the future. 

[btulloh]

My M18 Fuel 1/4" driver has a metal screw setting feature. Starts slow for drilling, then speeds up, and shuts off after it starts to impact. I'd show you my M18 collection, but it might be grounds for some sort of intervention. As it is, every time I buy anything Milwaukee,  I have to send a text to a friend that starts with "Hi, my name is Dave...."

I think Dave put a picture of just his battery and charger collection recently. It’s obvious just from that picture that he needs an intervention. Or a subsidy. 

[Southside]

How do you get into that mode on the impact? 

[Sedgehammer]

But as often as tools seem to leap to their death, I'd start with the old ones up there. I like to layout and predrill groups of sheets on the ground. The lines across the roof are straight and it's easier to put a screw through a hole when stretched out up there, my arms are getting shorter and lower horsepower or something . Somebody just needed a couple of mine more than me, not sure where I got hit, I'm buying budget next week.

I do this exact same thing. Too often I've had a screw go sideways on me and that's not preferred. 

[Corley5]

Milwaukee's M12 lineup is good.  Much lighter than the M18 and powerful.  We've driven a lot of GRK framing screws with them.  They do just as well for that job as the 18 and they're a lot lighter.

[mike_belben]

For roofing tin id just use the m12 screwdriver with a good magnet bit.  I dont want to hear any impacting on a metal roof.  


I use my m18 screwdriver for 4" torx bit deck screws in 1st gear. It is faster and much quieter than the m18 impact driver.  

[Don P]

There are also some really nice roofing screws that have a mushroom type washer around the neoprene gasket that helps prevent overdriving.
They got a Kobalt drill and Makita impact. I've been fairly impressed with most of the Kobalt cordless stuff but not the drills, that one was a week old, the first the chuck siezed, (a friend says if it isn't a Jacobs it isn't a chuck), the second something in its brain fried. The impacts both 1/4 and 1/2 have been flawless and strong and the batteries are cheap. Not sure which way to jump this time, I wish batteries were standardized.

[47sawdust]

Larry,
I've got all M18 tools.For roof work I would like to own the M12, just that much nicer to use on the roof.
I used to pre-drill for appearance sake but now I measure and mark with a sharpie as I go along.

[Dave Shepard]

How do you get into that mode on the impact?

Mine is the First gen Fuel. Model 2753. Three power levels plus self tapping screw mode.


 

[Sedgehammer]

The bauer line at harbor cheap freight is the same company that makes milwaukee or if not the same, they build them what appears to be the same. 

[hedgerow]

Have buddy that really loves the M18 line up. I have been running 18 volt Dewalt for 15 plus years and the last set of tools is from 2011 and all the batteries are still going. Have put a ton of steel on buildings with the 1/4 driver. 

[mudfarmer]

If you have a helper give them a drill driver with the clutch turned wayyyy down and you use the impact. Yes there is a story behind this 

[gspren]

I think this constantly upping the voltage on hand tools is/was more for advertising than actual performance, I put in lots of roofing screws with a 9.6V Makita. Since Milwaukee seems to be staying with the 18V lineup I wouldn't mind moving in that direction.

[Tacotodd]

I got the M18 drill kit as a B-day present from the wife; tell ME she isn’t sweet and we will step outside. I also picked out an M18 grease gun because I have an oddball project that holds about 8 tubes of grease. (Please don’t ask, I will just agree that if all is correct, you shouldn’t use lubricant like that in this application.) It’ll dump a new tube in about 90 seconds, it sure beats doing it buy hand, and now I don’t have ANY reason for making sure that anything with a fitting isn’t greased!

She might even get the ALWAYS starting M18 chainsaw to ride with her for those strange times that she needs one, she is a rural route postal worker, (rain, sleet, snow or night, the mail MUST go through. And rarely a tree or large branch!). She has expressed interest of a saw of her own, but I’m reluctant because I can’t even get her to listen to me about PPE; or technique!

[SawyerTed]

The M18 tools are quality tools.  I have an M18 drill and impact driver that I received as a gift.

I also have a about 7 or 8 Dewalt 20V Max tools.  I got started with the Dewalt tools and batteries years ago.  It’s hard to switch lines once you get hooked into the batteries which is where the cost is.   Right now Home Depot has a two battery kit with charger for $199 and you get a “free” tool of your choice.  The batteries are 4ah and 6ah and there are 6 or 7 tools to pick from.  

[Southside]

I also picked out an M18 grease gun because I have an oddball project that holds about 8 tubes of grease.

Do you have a "Lock-N-Lube" on the end of that?  Makes it twice the tool it is to begin with.  

[Tacotodd]

Southside, yes!  That alone, does great things for ANY grease gun.

[farmfromkansas]

I finished a  tin shed a few weeks ago.  Used my old 18 volt dewalt drill and a 18 volt impact. Kept one battery on the charger, drilled the holes with the drill and drove all the screws with the impact. It is a loafing shed for cattle, 12' x 20', with a 3' overhang on the south side, which allows a few more cattle to get out of the rain.  Left a vent on the low side about 8", and let the roof overhang the vent by about a foot. It is about venting out the stale air when cattle crowd into a shed in cold weather.  Sometimes a calf can smother in that putrid air.

[maple flats]

I've got friends who have the Milwaukee M18 or the M12. They all like them. The only tool I have of Milwaukee's is my old Sawzall, corded.
Early in my maple tapping days I chose DeWalt, in 18V. I likely have 5-6 tools in that. Then I started getting the 20V, mostly because the batteries can be put on charge from any state of charge, the NiCad batteries need to be run to dead before recharging or their capacity is reduced. Because I at one time had 5 helpers plus myself tapping I own 6 drills and more than 12 batteries. I used to think the 4, 5 and 6AH batteries were best, but then I started using 2 and 3 AH , they are enough lighter to make the tool easier to handle all day. I now own 4 impact drivers (1/4") and a 1/2" impact for removing the lugs on my motor home, if needed. I also have an oscillating saw, a circular saw, a polisher, and a miter saw, all cordless DeWalt. I now buy tool only deals because I have enough batteries, plus, my tapping maples is down so that it is usually just 2 tapping, maybe 4 on an occasional Saturday when my oldest son and his girlfriend come to help. I also recently bought 2 adapters so I can use the 20V batteries to power the 18V tools. I also have a 4 port fast charger, when needed I charge 4 at a time of the 20V.

[BradMarks]

I used a 20V DeWalt with the 5A batteries for metal roofing.  Tools came with 2A but the run time was too short before charging. I can find a 2 pack of 5A for around $100 during "tool sale".  I found that pre drilling was a lot easier than driving straight into the galvy, even using the prescribed washered factory screws. Up on the roof you end up in some odd positions for driving, and it will flat wear out your arms. With a small pilot hole, it was a cinch 

[btulloh]

When those adapters first came out they were limited to the smaller Ah batteries.  Is that still true?  Nice way to upgrade to Lithium batteries when the tools still work fine.  

I don't want to buy any more NiCads, but most of my Dewalt 18V tools are still fine - even though I've had most of them for nearly 20 years of hard duty.  

[Mike W]

Just finished (well just about anyway) this 60 x 64 last month with a Makita 18v impact, they are less then 3 lbs and comes in a kit for under $200.00 (always a sale somewhere going on), charger, two batteries, 1/2" drill and 1/4" impact, batteries charge faster then the impact can kill them.  We also stack and gang drill or punch all our metal before hanging, just easier, cleaner and a whole lot faster.  We are typically really hard on our tools, so at the price of these with the overall performance of them, it works for us pretty well.  We have several other Dewalt, Milwaukee, Porta Cable, Rigid, etc. etc. tools so its not a Ford or Chevy kind of stuck on brand deal, just what fits the niche for us.