The DeWalt DCN890 battery concrete nailer is a great tool and it becomes even more useful if you add the the Stick E contract trip or probe to the tool. With this probe, you can shoot up the DeWalt series of Stick E clips which include MC straps, EMT straps, rod hangers, ceiling clips, lathing discs and more. Check out the video below and see how simple it is to add the probe. You can find the DeWalt DCN890 tool, pins, clips and more online at ConstructionFastening.Net
The DeWalt 50376 rod hanger is designed for use in P.A.T. (powder actuated tools) like Ramset, Hilti, Simpson and DeWalt. The hanger features a 1/4″-20 rod coupler fastened to a ceiling clips with a 1-1/8″ pin with a .300 head installed. This hanger works well for suspending bridle rings, drop rods, j-hooks and more. After you shoot the hanger to the concrete deck, you have 1/4-20 female threads hanging from overhead. Whatever you have that can be attached with standard 1/4-20 hardware could ultimately be fastened to the hanger. The DeWalt 50376 rod hanger fits most powder actuated tools. Depending on the tool and what you are fastening, you may be able to pre assemble it to the hanger before you attach it. For instance, many tools will accept the hanger with a bridle ring or threaded rod pre attached. It really just depends on the muzzle end of your tool. We have a brief video below and you can find the DeWalt 50376 rod hanger online at ConstructionFastening.Net
What are the two most expensive fasteners in the world? You might have one of them on your shelf right now, the other I know you don’t have. The first most expensive fastener in the world is the wrong one. I still see enough guys using the wrong fastener or at the very least one that is a poor choice for the job. For instance, wedge anchors in hollow wall, lead or zamac anchors overhead and the wrong length Tapcon anchors to name just a few. Usually, they become expensive right away when you try to install and find out they won’t hold and you have to find something that will. Sometimes, they become very expensive down the line if they fail! The expense can range from sending a tech to reattach something to much, much worse. Read up on the Big Dig Ceiling Collapse for some sobering information on what the wrong anchor can cost. Make sure the anchors you install are correct for the application or they be much more expensive than you thought.
The second most expensive fastener in the world I know you don’t have. That’s the fastener you don’t have but you need now. It always amazed how one or two boxes of anchors can bring a multi-million dollar to a screeching halt. I have driven up to sites with five or six techs sitting on boxes of cable waiting for the fasteners to start the install, because they didn’t have the fasteners needed to work! Fasteners are such a small percent of the budget that many times they are often overlooked, or assumptions are made of how the install will be done or who is supplying the fasteners. So now the scramble begins. We ship many packages each week via UPS air to get the fasteners to a site to keep the job going. While it’s not my money being spent on the shipping, it still pains me to see cost to ship an item rival the cost of the product itself. And it can get even more expensive when you find what you need has a lead time or is on a nationwide backorder. Extra shipping, techs not being able to work and unexpected product delays start making the fastener you don’t have very expensive.
The Takeaway. So how do you avoid spending money on the two most expensive fasteners in the world. Know what the right fastener is for the job. Partner with a supplier that knows the application or is at least willing to do a little research and make sure you are using the right fastener. Keep a stock on hand or in your guy’s trucks. Again, not having what you need on hand can get expensive very fast. And don’t’ just keep the standard items on hand. If you see a tool or fastener that you think you may need someday, or you could have used on that one job, buy it! It will be much cheaper now than when you don’t have it.
Find the right fastener for your application at ConstructionFastening.Net
Adhesive anchoring or chemical anchoring has been around for some time. It offers some of the highest strength anchoring available
in concrete. It used to be a little tricky to use but products like the Simpson Strongtie AT-XP10 makes it much easier. The AT-XP10 can be used in any good quality 10-ounce caulk tool. The better install tool is the CDT10S that Simpson offers. It has a better ratio and is well built. If you are just going to do a couple installs a good quality caulk gun will work just fine. While the tube looks like a single tube, it is a two-part formula, there is an inner tube that contains the hardener.
Installation is simple. Drill your hole and prepare by blowing the hole, brushing the hole, and then blowing one more time. Just remember blow, brush, blow. Your goal is to knock off the dust and loose particles of the side wall of the hole. Now install the nozzle on the cartridge of AT-XP10. Dispense some of the material until you can see one consistent color. Fill the hole to about 2/3 or so and twist the rod in. You goal is to have the chemical just oozing out of the hole. Once the adhesive fully sets you are good to go. The product comes with one nozzle, which will do the entire tube: IF YOU DON’T STOP! Depending on the temperature, you will have about 4-5 minutes or less before the chemical starts hardening in the nozzle. So, obviously the trick is to get all your holes laid out cleaned and ready to roll before you start.
The video below gives you a nice overview of the product and installation. We have a customer that uses chemical anchoring and routinely uses a 5/8”-11 x 8” 304 stainless steel cut stud in his application. So, we started stocking them for him and now have them on our website if that size fits the bill.
This is just a basic overview of the Simpson Strongtie ATXP10. You can find more information including test data and design recommendations at Simpson Strongtie. You can find the AT-XP10 along with extra nozzles, injector tools and pre cut all thread studs at ConstructionFastening.Net
