Author Topic: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?  (Read 7784 times)

Offline PekkaNF

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Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« on: April 13, 2016, 02:50:40 PM »
I bought 1/2" pneumatic impact driver, but it needs some goodies. It's small in size, single hammer unit, short body model.

I need a good selection of extensions and sockets. Most of the time I need the impact driver, when I can't use big enough T-drive under the car or such cramped place. Therefore woble extension would be nice.

I have learned on manual drives that it is easy to loose power on tool flex. I imagine that extensions and joints are even more critical on impact drive system than on manual tools.

Is there something that I should avoid or something that works better than the other?

Do wobble drive extensions work?

How well inside/outside torx sockets work with impact drivers?

Pekka

Offline John Rudd

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2016, 02:56:53 PM »
Pekka,
I have an electric powered and pneumatic powered impact driver.
Both have their own dedicated sockets which are thicker and stronger than normal 1/2" drive sockets....
Maybe something to bear in mind when selecting acessories?
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Offline tom osselton

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2016, 02:58:58 PM »
I've only used regular extensions with mine and have never had any problems but you should pick up a universal joint for the impact the regular ones break fairly quick.

Offline howsitwork?

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2016, 03:51:14 PM »
Pekka

I am told the "regular sockets" extnesions etc can shatter when used with impact drivers - WITH NO PRIOR WARNING.

I got dedicated "impact rated " sockets and extensions for mine. Got an 18v electric impact driver- bloody great -lifts the caravn when putting steadies down.Mind you the noise scares the heck out of other caravanners !

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2016, 03:29:07 AM »
Thank you.

Reason why I am asking is that I will use that pneumatic impact driver only for bolts, that I can't break loose manually. Therefore it will be loading extension and sockets to their limit. I have used real industrial impact driver and had few those impact sockets shattered. Not pleasant. Big ones can be pretty destructive and they won't fit everywhere I plan to use it, therefore I bought small, but powerful one. Downside is that it is loud and vibrates like no other.

I have heard comment like sockets are consumables and the ones that will last are that thick wall that you can not use them often. On contrary extensions were considered more important...I guess I have to buy few good extensions and only sockets as I need them.

Last weekend I would have needed a wobble extension or joint to work with a impact driver. Universal joint for impact drivers seem to be pretty expensive. I have to see one prior bying one, I might check as well if that shop has a wobble extensions as well. I like them with manuals tools, but bit apprehensive with a impact driver.

Pekka

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2016, 03:24:35 PM »
OK. picked up the car from carage and I talked to the mechanic. He was convinced that thin and unnecessary extensions, universal joints and using multiple extensions are no-go. He said that wobble extension is preferable over universal joint. He had some sockets split and told not to buy cheap thick wall sockets, they are no use with modern cars.

I have plan. I hope I'll get the pneumatic impact driver tommorow and I hope I'll get out of the work early eneough to hit one shop to buy few essential bits for it.

Pekka

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2016, 02:29:10 PM »
got biger set than I thought. The shop had run out of the basic sets. Good news is that for next work I need to buy only one torx bit and I might need one intermediate lenght extension.

Pekka

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2016, 01:37:20 PM »
Got the driver

it's very compact. Manual had some interestin reading.

One interesting thing was that the instruction to put least 200mm of hose between quick connector and impact driver. I asked about that on some people. I got some opinions that impact drivers dont't last if the QC is hooked it directly. Some argue that QC couplings fail with vibration. So there may be something to it.

I got some parts to hook up 1/4" impact driver thread to 10 mm ID hose and other parts. The hose is only about 2,5 m long.

Now I have to test oiler and regulator to see if they cause too much flow/pressure drop when in use. Oiler is not that essential on ocasional use, but I am curious.

Anyways, it is chance to test if larger extension hose will have any impact on performance.

Pekka
« Last Edit: April 19, 2016, 03:22:29 PM by PekkaNF »

Offline PK

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2016, 06:43:56 PM »
On the topic of air tools in general. My previous experience was that they were all a bit disappointing because I spent most of the time waiting for the various small compressors I've owned to catch up. So I spent many years not using them. 
Then we got a small but decent screw compressor. It's good for about about 1m^3 /min and is very quiet. Now air tools are awesome, small, light, run forever, powerful etc... I'll use them in preference to the range of high end cordless tools most of the time.

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2016, 12:28:06 AM »
Yesh. I am a fan of pneumatic tools too. They are great and safer than alternative on certain applications.

Pneumatics systems on compressor/tool application have abysmally small efficiency. 10-15% is a good guess. Plusminus 5 if you can use air "hot" or you need to "cool" it. Air resrevoir is no help if you need that flow constantly. If you need 500W out of tool continuosly, you need 5000W compressor - least.

Insult is even bigger because piston compressors are sold on free air troughput and tools on pressurizer air volume. To make matters worse piston compressors might have smaller than 50% duty cycle and starts per hour might be limitted seriously.

I used very much pneumatic tools on the factory when I was young. They were lighter, smaller and safer that electric ones on drilling and threading. Electric ones produce most torgue when stalled and pneumatic ones priduced very little torgue when stalled. Nice when threading.

Pekka

Offline mattinker

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2016, 07:34:05 AM »
I bought myself a second hand 500 litre compressor principally for my plasma cutter and a 250 litre would probably enough but it was at a good price! The higher volume seems to condense out the water better and running a nail gun will make it start up once a week!

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Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2016, 09:09:05 AM »
Damn.

Parker seems to be G1/4".

Air gun seems to be NTP 1/4". 18 vs.19 tpi and all the fun.

It would have been too easy and neat.

Pekka

Offline awemawson

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #12 on: April 21, 2016, 09:59:57 AM »
ebay is knee deep in adaptors - here is just one random example:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NPT-Male-BSPP-Male-Cone-Nipple-Adapters-For-Air-and-Hydraulics-NPT-Connector-/121255605176?var=&hash=item1c3b65b3b8:m:mYS4r5kqIiyfnWSCQrOZglw

Though I did recently buy a set of 1/4 npt taps and dies for just this issue :)
Andrew Mawson
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Offline PK

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2016, 07:02:22 AM »
I have put many, many, 1/4" BSPT fittings into 1/4"NPT tools. I like using liquid tape which helps a bit, but at the end of the day its just another example of 'Brute force and lubrication' solving the worlds problems...
 

Offline RussellT

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2016, 04:29:33 AM »
It's probably not an issue for the home user but I recall talking to several businesses about how they might save energy by using electric rather than air tools.

Russell
Common sense is unfortunately not as common as its name suggests.

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Impact driver extensions, sockets and drive bits?
« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2016, 12:30:53 PM »
Turned out that most tool shops don't actually know at all what is that threaded nipple they are selling. Lucily few pagages have markings (which some tool shop workers don't seem to know). Pretty amazing really.

Anyway, R 1/4" turned out to be the perfect fit and it (and some others tools) have been sorted now.

I asked around and funny thing is that most of the people seemed to resort buying a G 1/4" tap and then it all is standard Parker fittings and sealing glue. Seem to work. Brute force approach I think.

Maybe I should buy a little box of fittings and standard hose. And buy fittings as I use them to keep minimal amount of cash invested, after all pneuamtic fittings are not my hobby and I don't have any such shop nearby.

I don't know if this form of fitting good or safe, but it has worked for me on barbed hose fittings: I measure outside of the hose and make thick wall aluminium bushing that has ID just a tad bigger than the hose. Both inside ends of this bushing are camfered. Then I slip the bushing over the hose, some distance down (usually 150 mm or so), fit the barbed fitting and force the bushing over the fitting. They seem to hold well, I haven't had any trouble with them. I have noticed that some barb fittings have more barbs or higher tops, but they have worked fine so far.

I have been thinking of adding ashessive shrink tube on top of the whole, but haven't found flexible material. Normal electrical one seem to crack after a year or so.

I prefer the bushing over jubilee clips. I really hate them on power tools. They scratch me or something else.

Pekka
« Last Edit: April 24, 2016, 01:01:44 PM by PekkaNF »