# Staple problem



## macmikeman

trungtran4177 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> Do you have any trick for stapling Romex cable? For example, I run the wire from the breaker panel to the kitchen, so I have to staple the them every 4'6''
> . The problem is every time I try to staple them (especially on the ceiling), my hammer always miss the staple and hit my hand. I cannot hold the staple still because of the Romex's weight, and my hands are always get tired when I hold there too long ? I am a new apprentice. ( Sorry for my bad English)


Young Padawan, Needle nose pliers till you develop the muscles properly.


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## wcord

macmikeman said:


> Young Padawan, Needle nose pliers till you develop the muscles properly.


Like Micky says,use pliers of some type , Needle nose, or Linesmen.


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## frenchelectrican

It depending on what type of staples ya using.,,

needle nose or linesman will do the trick to get it start .,,

but once you know how to deal with staples in ceiling area espcally if going inverted postion aka upside down.,

one thing I useally do is lightly tap it just enough to hold it in place then pull the romex a little to tighten up or keep it straight while ya drive the staple in.


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## backstay

And put them closer together. On the run from the top plate to a switch box, I use 3 staples.


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## 350X

Practice-practice-practice. On your own time of course. I wouldn't recommend telling anyone at work, either. This trade can be physically demanding and you must prove your worth the commitment to be trained. If stapling is tiring, trust me it won't get easier. Are you young(under 45)? Can you start working out?


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## macmikeman

My first training session for my son was to set him and his new hammer in front of a six foot long 4'' x 4'' and a box of 500 staples, and a bunch of 6' long `12-2 romex . Told him to put in all 500 staples and after that we would do a megger test to see how he did. By the time he got all 500 done he was very competent. The op of this thread should try that.


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## 350X

Yep. My boy is 7 and loves doing that. Also, when I first started bending pipe, boss dropped me of at my place that first weekend with a bundle of 1/2 and said "have fun, son".


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## 99cents

Try tapping them in with your linesman pliers. I apprenticed with a guy who never used a hammer on staples.


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## wcord

99cents said:


> Try tapping them in with your linesman pliers. I apprenticed with a guy who never used a hammer on staples.


I thought that's how everyone did it?
4 or 5 linesmen in the truck, but no hammer


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## Roger123

trungtran4177 said:


> . The problem is every time I try to staple them (especially on the ceiling), my hammer always miss the staple and hit my hand.


Choke up on the hammer to set the staple then you won't hit your hand.


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## knomore

Halex quick strap. Tell your boss to quit being a cheap ass and buy one it will pay for itself in a year. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-Quikstrap-Cable-Stapler-Kit-51900/204739329


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## Roger123

knomore said:


> Halex quick strap. Tell your boss to quit being a cheap ass and buy one it will pay for itself in a year.
> 
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-Quikstrap-Cable-Stapler-Kit-51900/204739329



That looks good. What are the pros & cons?

Also, looks like the product has been discontinued.


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## PlugsAndLights

trungtran4177 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> Do you have any trick for stapling Romex cable? For example, I run the wire from the breaker panel to the kitchen, so I have to staple the them every 4'6''
> . The problem is every time I try to staple them (especially on the ceiling), my hammer always miss the staple and hit my hand. I cannot hold the staple still because of the Romex's weight, and my hands are always get tired when I hold there too long ? I am a new apprentice. ( Sorry for my bad English)


If you're literally stapling to the ceiling, that's part of the problem.
Shouldn't be stapled there anyways as the cable would be prone to 
damage from nails/screws from above. 
You'll pull the romex in one direction and then staple in the other. In your
example, pull from kitchen to panel (assuming panel is lower than kitchen),
then staple from panel back to kitchen. The romex shouldn't have a lot 
weight hanging as it'll be pulled through joists, X members, and over 
plumbing etc.. When there is weight on the romex, press the romex
against the joist (or whatever) with the heel of your palm. 
In some situations it works better to hold the staple like roofers hold
nails; with palm facing you and staple between 2 fingers, not finger
and thumb. In this case the back of the wrist pushes the cable against 
the stapling surface. 
One more thing, I like drilling more than stapling so I'll use drill holes
as supports wherever I can. 
btw, I use a hammer. 
Now do it with gloves on in sub-zero weather
P&L

edit: Don't drive the staple in tight. Far enough in so it'll never fall 
out but still loose enough that it's easy to remove without damaging 
the cable.


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## macmikeman

knomore said:


> Halex quick strap. Tell your boss to quit being a cheap ass and buy one it will pay for itself in a year.
> 
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-Quikstrap-Cable-Stapler-Kit-51900/204739329



So some kid can't staple and suddenly it's his boss's fault for being a cheap ass?


That thinking is why I refuse to hire .


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## HackWork

I wish Milwaukee would make an M12 romex stapler.


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## Cow

macmikeman said:


> So some kid can't staple and suddenly it's his boss's fault for being a cheap ass?
> 
> 
> That thinking is why I refuse to hire .


I agree.

Instead of learning a skill, like proper hammering technique, let's use a crutch instead. What happens when the cordless stapler can't fit into a spot that he needs a staple? Should he call his boss over to hammer one in for him so he doesn't smash his fingers?

I tell you, it's the dumbing down of America.


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## Signal1

^^^Agree with Mike and Cow^^^^ 
It's a basic skill every apprentice needs to learn.


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## HackWork

Signal1 said:


> ^^^Agree with Mike and Cow^^^^
> It's a basic skill every apprentice needs to learn.


Many of us went thru apprenticeships that didn't include residential work.


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## macmikeman

HackWork said:


> Many of us went thru apprenticeships that didn't include residential work.



Thanks for posting on ElectricianTalk.com. However, working with electricity and electrical systems can be unsafe if not done by a professional licensed electrician. The moderators of this site would like to advise you to contact a professional electrician in your area.


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## HackWork

macmikeman said:


> Thanks for posting on ElectricianTalk.com. However, working with electricity and electrical systems can be unsafe if not done by a professional licensed electrician. The moderators of this site would like to advise you to contact a professional electrician in your area.


Your son better be in the A program and not touching stupid staples.


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## 350X

Signal1 said:


> ^^^Agree with Mike and Cow^^^^
> It's a basic skill every apprentice needs to learn.


This is a basic skill that is/should be learned very early in life....like before kindergarten. wholly cow....


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## Signal1

HackWork said:


> Many of us went thru apprenticeships that didn't include residential work.


Fair point.

It's a basic skill every residential apprentice working with romex needs to learn.


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## 350X

350X said:


> This is a basic skill that is/should be learned very early in life....like before kindergarten. wholly cow....


Edit: I don't mean this in a condensending way. I mean it should be basic eye to hand coordination. Don't mean to argue-sorry.


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## knomore

The quick strap tool is a significant time saving tool. I can strap a entire room before you could strap one run with it. And if you can't fit it in a place you sure as hell cant swing a hammer in there either. 

Anyways...

The benefits of the quick strap are... it's quick. It's light weight. The battery last for freaking ever. I charge mine maybe once every couple months. The staples are listed for nm, mc, low voltage, etc.

The cons... it cost more than a bag of staples and a hammer. And really stupid electricians will not embrace it because it dumbs down the menial task of nailing staples.


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## KnightPower

When running a lot of romex, I use a magnetic wristband with Kleins or hammer. Half drove staples at points where run angles or high will help you hold weight; pull tight and dont drive too tight. Working from one end to the other. 

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk


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## PlugsAndLights

350X said:


> Edit: I don't mean this in a condensending way. I mean it should be basic eye to hand coordination. Don't mean to argue-sorry.


Nothing makes one sound less condescending than spelling it incorrectly.:thumbsup:
Sorry 350X, I couldn't resist. :jester:
P&L


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## 350X

​


PlugsAndLights said:


> Nothing makes one sound less condescending than spelling it incorrectly.:thumbsup:
> Sorry 350X, I couldn't resist. :jester:
> P&L


Hey no biggie. Thanks and how's my corn taste! Jk


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## macmikeman

HackWork said:


> Your son better be in the A program and not touching stupid staples.


All the way baby, all the way. They had him on 3'' rigid last couple of weeks, emt and pull wire then trim out since he got started. But he constantly tells me thank you for showing him ahead of this. They like him at his local Japanese owned employer. Fits right in ..........


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## Roger123

knomore said:


> The quick strap tool is a significant time saving tool. I can strap a entire room before you could strap one run with it. And if you can't fit it in a place you sure as hell cant swing a hammer in there either.
> 
> Anyways...
> 
> The benefits of the quick strap are... it's quick. It's light weight. The battery last for freaking ever. I charge mine maybe once every couple months. The staples are listed for nm, mc, low voltage, etc.
> 
> The cons... it cost more than a bag of staples and a hammer. And really stupid electricians will not embrace it because it dumbs down the menial task of nailing staples.



Just learned from the company that this gun is not being manufactured any more.


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## 99cents

Believe it or not, the best hammer I have used for banging in staples is an aluminum framer's hammer. It's also great for bashing out the holes in engineered joists.


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## PlugsAndLights

99cents said:


> Believe it or not, he best hammer I have used for banging in staples is an aluminum framer's hammer. It's also great for bashing out the holes in engineered joists.


Never heard of Al hammer before so I googled it. This one looks cool. 
P&L
http://toolguyd.com/estwing-aluminum-hammer-al-pro/


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## 99cents

PlugsAndLights said:


> Never heard of Al hammer before so I googled it. This one looks cool.
> P&L
> http://toolguyd.com/estwing-aluminum-hammer-al-pro/


120 bucks worth of cool, though.


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## PlugsAndLights

99cents said:


> 120 bucks worth of cool, though.


Ya I just saw that. One of the comments down below is:
"I can’t afford a contractor who can afford $200 hammers." lol
P&L


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## daveEM

I need that hammer. Was going to get a titanium one but now...


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## 99cents

daveEM said:


> I need that hammer. Was going to get a titanium one but now...


I LOVE spending Dave's money  .


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## macmikeman

How many of you have met carpenters who have lost the ends off their fingers thanks to pancake head hammers? Perhaps mostly us old timers cause they are nowhere near as popular now due to the above mentioned malady. I don't even understand how they ever made it past OSHA.


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## macmikeman

Well I guess anyway, the incidents have gone down simply because most carpenters now don't ever use hammers anymore since nail guns ......


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## TRurak

I catch one staple at the beginning of the run and pull romex right and hold it with my left. Push staple into wood so it doesn't fall out then hammer it in. 

When I was a brand new apprentice we were roughing a 2 car garage. We had a dead short on the lighting circuit!!!! I drove a staple in so hard I broke 2 of the conductors .........


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## 3DDesign

Buy an 16 oz curved claw hammer.


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## macmikeman

TRurak said:


> I catch one staple at the beginning of the run and pull romex right and hold it with my left. Push staple into wood so it doesn't fall out then hammer it in.
> 
> When I was a brand new apprentice we were roughing a 2 car garage. We had a dead short on the lighting circuit!!!! I drove a staple in so hard I broke 2 of the conductors .........


Good trick. Try that in my state, every piece of structural wood is pressure treated.


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## trungtran4177

Thanks everyone for replying, I'll keep practicing. Hopefully, after a few time of hammering into my fingers, I might get used to it.


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## trungtran4177

macmikeman said:


> Young Padawan, Needle nose pliers till you develop the muscles properly.


This is the staple we're using: https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bend...&qid=1478495877&sr=1-4&keywords=romex+staples

A needle nose plier? I mean HOW?


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## trungtran4177

frenchelectrican said:


> It depending on what type of staples ya using.,,
> 
> needle nose or linesman will do the trick to get it start .,,
> 
> but once you know how to deal with staples in ceiling area espcally if going inverted postion aka upside down.,
> 
> one thing I useally do is lightly tap it just enough to hold it in place then pull the romex a little to tighten up or keep it straight while ya drive the staple in.


This is the staple we're using: https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bend...&qid=1478495877&sr=1-4&keywords=romex+staples

What's your method?


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## macmikeman

I try not to buy anything made by Gardner Bender , except I'm a fool for those cute emt benders with the bubble levels in them. I'm the same way for pony tails. And Filipina's .


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## Gnome

trungtran4177 said:


> This is the staple we're using: https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bend...&qid=1478495877&sr=1-4&keywords=romex+staples
> 
> A needle nose plier? I mean HOW?


You grab the staple across both legs above the cable with the pliers. You just need to use the pliers until the staple is set then you drive it home.

PS: Wow I didn't know they made a loomex staple without a shoulder.


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## Wiresmith

macmikeman said:


> Thanks for posting on ElectricianTalk.com. However, working with electricity and electrical systems can be unsafe if not done by a professional licensed electrician. The moderators of this site would like to advise you to contact a professional electrician in your area.


or at least an apprenticeship where we didn't wire residential with glorified extension cords. conduit will work in them walls.


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## Wiresmith

trungtran4177 said:


> This is the staple we're using: https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bend...&qid=1478495877&sr=1-4&keywords=romex+staples
> 
> What's your method?


i recommend looking for another contractor to work for if they use those staples on that flat extension cord, i mean romex.


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