Staple Guns, Hammer Tackers and Drill Presses for the Shop

Two jobs wear a person out in a shop or on a build: putting in hundreds of staples, and boring the same hole over and over. The answer to both is the same: stop doing it by hand and get the tool built for repetition. For stapling, WBC carries the Arrow HT55BL hammer tacker and the Arrow PT50 pneumatic staple gun, both using T50 staples. For drilling, there are two Shop Fox radial drill presses, a bench model and a 34-inch floor model, plus the DeWalt 4-5/8-inch self-feed bit for big holes in framing. Here’s how to pick between them and use them without trouble.

Hammer tacker: speed over precision

The Arrow HT55BL hammer tacker drives a staple every time you swing it, like a hammer. It’s one-handed and fast, and it’s the tool for long runs where exact placement doesn’t matter: insulation, carpet padding, and housewrap or roofing underlayment where the maker allows staples (some call for cap fasteners, so check the roll). In Montana’s fall rush to close in before freeze, stapling up housewrap and insulation is exactly that kind of job.

Hold it straight and level against the material and keep your other hand well away from the strike. Wear safety glasses. Use the shortest staple that holds the material; a longer leg isn’t better, just harder to drive.

Pneumatic stapler: steady, consistent driving

The Arrow PT50 runs on an air compressor at 60 to 100 PSI and takes the same T50 staples. Where a hand stapler gets tiring and inconsistent, the pneumatic gun drives staples far more evenly, which is why upholsterers use one for fabric into wooden frames. Set the air pressure for the material and test on scrap. It can contact-fire: with the trigger held down, it fires every time the nose is pressed against the work. Keep your finger off the trigger when you aren’t stapling.

Staple length depends on what you’re holding down. As a guide from upholstery work: 1/4-inch legs for fabric on thin panels, 3/8-inch for fabric and padding on frames, 9/16-inch for webbing and multiple layers. Always match the staple to what the gun’s manual calls for. Crown width, wire gauge and leg length all have to fit the gun, so stick with T50 staples.

Radial drill press: bench or floor

A drill press bores straight, repeatable holes in wood and metal, the same hole every time, which a hand drill can’t promise. Two numbers tell you what it can handle. Swing is the largest round piece whose center you can reach, twice the distance from the chuck to the post. Quill stroke is how far the bit travels down. More stroke bores deeper in one pass, which matters when you’re hogging out a mortise with a Forstner or auger bit before cleaning it up with a chisel.

A radial press has a head that rides out on an arm and tilts, so you can reach farther in from the edge of a wide piece and drill at an angle without tipping the work. That makes it a handy machine for a home shop where the parts aren’t all small.

• Shop Fox bench radial drill press. For small and medium parts in a shop where bench space is what you’ve got. Mount it on a bench or cabinet and keep the bits underneath.
• Shop Fox 34-inch, 1/2 HP floor radial drill press. Stands on the floor, so there’s room under the chuck for tall workpieces, and the radial head reaches far in on wide ones. In the Flathead, where log homes and timber frames are common, room for a big piece is often what matters most.

For angled holes and mortises, a table that tilts 45 degrees each way earns its keep. Set it up before you start and clamp the work every time.

DeWalt 4-5/8-inch self-feed bit

The DeWalt DW1642 is a 4-5/8-inch self-feed bit for big holes in wood: pipe and duct runs through framing during rough-in. The screw tip pulls the bit into the wood, so you don’t push it; the drill only has to turn it.

That pull is also the hazard. If a big self-feed bit binds, the bit stops and the drill keeps trying to turn, which wrenches the drill hard in your hands. Use a heavy drill made for this work, such as a right-angle “hole hawg”-style drill, hold it with both hands and brace it so it can’t spin. Back the bit out every so often to clear chips, and go easy in end grain, where the feed screw can strip out. On a drill press without reverse, a self-feed bit can be hard to back out.

The Pick

Buy the Arrow HT55BL hammer tacker for fast runs of housewrap, insulation and carpet padding, and the Arrow PT50 pneumatic stapler for steady, consistent stapling off a compressor, both with T50 staples. Buy the Shop Fox bench radial drill press for smaller shop work and the 34-inch floor model for big, tall or wide pieces. Buy the DeWalt 4-5/8-inch self-feed bit for large holes in framing, driven by a heavy right-angle drill held firmly with both hands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a hammer tacker used for?

It’s for fast, one-handed stapling of soft material where placement doesn’t need to be exact: insulation, carpet padding, and housewrap or roofing underlayment where the maker allows staples rather than cap fasteners. You swing it like a hammer. Use the shortest staple that holds, and keep your other hand clear.

Why does a big self-feed bit wrench the drill?

Binding. With a large self-feed bit, the screw pulls the bit in, and if it binds, the drill twists hard against your hands. Use a heavy right-angle drill, grip it with both hands, brace it, and back the bit out to clear chips.

What’s the difference between a bench and a floor drill press?

A bench press sits on a bench or cabinet and suits smaller parts. A floor press stands on its own base, giving much more room under the chuck for tall workpieces. On a radial press, either way, the head slides out on an arm to reach farther in on wide pieces.

What staples does an Arrow T50 stapler take?

T50 staples, in the leg length the job needs. Match the crown, wire gauge and leg length to the tool’s manual, and use the shortest leg that holds the material.