# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  What's the Story on Tek Guns?

## abrogard

I've got what I call a 'Tek Gun'  You can see from the attached pic it calls itself a 'versa clutch screwdriver'. 
 Well I thought of getting another so's two of us could work on this roof at once but I find there's none available and I can't find much or any info on them! What's going on? 
Mitre10 here doesn't stock them. Bunnings here doesn't stock them. Stratco here doesn't stock them. 
But they all have a big range of fancy looking and strange (to me) power screwdrivers.  Are these what you use nowadays instead of a 'Tek gun' ? 
I asked the man at Mitre10 this and he said 'No'.  But you often get confusion when I'm talking to salesmen.  I'm pretty thick and slow and often no one really knows what I'm talking about. 
I come home and have a look and I see I can put the Tek Screw bit in my old power Hammer Drill.  Is this what folks do? 
For I found a mention somewhere on the web about using Hammer Drills for driving roofing screws. Struck me as being strange. I use the 'hammer' part only when I'm drilling concrete or masonry.  Are they talking about using the 'hammer' part of a common old hammer drill as your Tek Screw driver? 
I googled for Tek Drills, Tek Screw Drivers, Tek Guns and got virtually nowhere.  But it is not like I was completely in error, I did get a couple of hits, a couple, two, one of which page didn't show. The other page had just one item on it. 
 So that was my first question.  What's going on? 
 And my second question relates to my general ignorance on tool using.  I don't really know how to use my 'Tek Gun'.   
 It has a collar around near the bit end and I can pull that up, turn it a little and reseat it. This makes a difference, I think, to when the clutch slips.   
 So, I think the idea is, if I'm driving into really hard stuff I set it to hard and the drill powers on without slipping. Only slipping when it reaches the end of the drive and the screw is driven home. 
 And the other way round for soft stuff. To save from driving right through thin pine or something I suppose. 
 Seems right. BUT it doesn't seem to help to me.  I'm trying to drive Tek Screws through corrugated iron into steel purlins and I have to set it hard to get in there at all - and half the time the screws are such poor quality that they'll turn and turn and never bite into the purlin - and it is so hard that it'll crush the peak of the iron before I can stop it - and this spreads the iron I think (and was heartened to find a bloke in some forum somewhere saying exactly the same thing).  
But turn it 'soft' and the thing is slipping all the time, can't do a thing. 
So this question is: just how good/how useful is this feature? Should I be worrying about it at all? 
And a related question is:  just how common is it for supplied (with kit sheds) tek screws to be of poor quality and would one be well advised to go out and source your own?  And if so, who sells a good screw? 
And another related question is: the screws lift the corrugated iron as they're going down and trying to tap into the purlin and when the iron is hard up against the top of the screw the plastic (or whatever it is) washer gets ground to mincemeat and I finish with a screw in the roof with no washer on it. Is there a fix for that? 
I did a roof in another place and that didn't happen.  But that roof was nearly flat and I was walking on it and I stood one foot each side of the screw and my weight kept the roof down. 
This time I'm trying to screw the sheets from off a ladder.  I don't like the idea of walking on the roof.  It's angled and it makes me  nervous, true, but I'll handle that, the biggest thing is I'm nervous of crushing the iron as I walk on it.  
It was very easy to crush the iron on that other roof I did, I found.  So I developed a technique of carrying a sheet of corrugate with me and I'd put it down to walk on it.  Except when driving a screw, as I said, because there I was on a purlin.... 
Last thing I can think of: when I was googling around trying to find 'Tek Guns' I found mention of drills, I think they were, with 'collars' that seemed to be 'depth collars' by the way they were talked about. As though you can get a drill nowadays that has a collar that you can set so's it stops the drill when it reaches a certain depth. Is that right? 
Are there any more new things around that I should know about? 
What's the proper technique for fixing this roof? Considering all I've said? 
I'm going to do one side off the ladder as much as possible. Which will be 5 screws top and bottom and 1 screw in each middle purlin.  The middle purlins will need finishing off later, from on top of the roof. 
But the other side I won't be able to get at the top from a ladder - well, not more than a couple of screws anyway. So I'll fix the bottom 5 and one each in the middle purlins and then a couple in the top, from off the ladder, the ladder being at the side of the sheet instead of at the end.  And then walk the roof and finish it off. 
Does that sound an okay method to those who do this all the time? 
I'm worried about the washers getting ground to dust. 
And I'm worried about a bad sequence of screwing forcing distortion into the roof sheets so's an error - like 'flattening' the sheets from driving the crest down too far and thereby widening it - forces everything out of line and over the length of the roof I finish up with sheets way off line. 
But maybe this is false worry and there's enough natural 'give' in the fitting of the sheets as they overlap that anything like that will have a minimal effect. Anyone got anything to say about that? 
The roof is already 50mm out of true, I don't need any more. 
 regards, 
 ab   :Smilie:

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## cherub65

Use cordless impact driver no extension leads
Buy quality screws makes a big difference

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## abrogard

So... simple as that, eh? No one uses 'tek guns' any more, they use cordless (that'd be good) impact drivers? Okay. Use it on 'impact' ? 
 That'd explain why they're not selling them.  
 and thanks for the tip on quality screws, I'm ready to believe it. Any brand I got to ask for, especially?

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## cherub65

we use buildex screws, scrooze might be able to help, you check the decking subforum.
No actual switch on theses drills, impact all the time, not like a hammer action but more of a torque wrench on steriods.  Worth the investment

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## abrogard

Buildex. Okay, thanks.   
 I guess a hammer action makes sense. Might make starting easier, too.   
Might make you laugh to learn that I take a nail punch and punch a starter and then take a drill and drill a lead hole and only then do I put the tek screw in - because I have so many hassles with screws not starting and skidding off the crest and all around, buggering up the surface of the sheet. 
 Painfully slow and makes a joke out of me, I guess, but I keep doing it because that way I get 100% good screws in. (Or I would if all the screws had the bite to get into the purlin). 
 Perhaps if I get a hammer drill I won't need all that. 
 I could try with my electric drill as a test. It is a hammer drill, too, if I turn the switch. 
 I will  check the decking forum.   :Smilie:

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## cherub65

> Buildex. Okay, thanks.   
> Might make you laugh to learn that I take a nail punch and punch a starter and then take a drill and drill a lead hole and only then do I put the tek screw in - because I have so many hassles with screws not starting and skidding off the crest and all around, buggering up the surface of the sheet. 
>  Painfully slow and makes a joke out of me, I guess, but I keep doing it because that way I get 100% good screws in. (Or I would if all the screws had the bite to get into the purlin).

  Not laughing they actually sell roofing punches for that purpose. :2thumbsup:

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## Bloss

And an 'impact driver' is not a 'hammer drill' - the impact driver is a much higher frequency (~3500 times a minute) and therefore delivers a smoother and more even force to the screws. 
A hammer drill is for drilling into masonry using a tungsten carbide or diamond tipped bit and is much coarser. 
Back in the olden days I did roofs with a roofing punch (sometimes called a 'prick punch'), slot-headed roofing screws (in the really old days with lead washers then rubber then neoprene) and a Stanley 'Yankee' screwdriver that had a cross slotted shaft to 'automatically' drive in the screws - by pushing down hard and fast and straight. There were various sizes - my Dad's 'roofer' was 24" (600mm) but 20" was common. Often done in pairs with one bloke punching and the other fixing the screws.  :2thumbsup:   :Smilie:  
See Yankee Screwdrivers and a pic here: http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/upl...yankee-saw.jpg

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## abrogard

I'm stupid and should be banned for my stupid questions. 
 What's the story on 'Tek Guns' ?  They're called 'Screwdrivers', that's the story. And it is written on your own that you posted a pic of, ab, if only you'd look:  'Versa Clutch Screwdriver'. 
 They're everywhere, easy to find, just called 'screwdrivers'.  That's that. 
And the problems I've been having: probably a better technique and maybe better screws. 
 Thanks for the comments about roofing punches.  Makes me feel a little less ridiculous. 
I remember that roof I did before (years ago) I got tired of the little centre punch and I got a bloody  big bolt or something it was, round headed bolt about 6" long and 0.5" wide and i ground a point on it and used it.  I think I'll do that again. 
 thanks all. 
 regards, 
 ab   :Smilie:

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## Terrian

local Bunnings to me (Bayswater) has tek guns, I am not looking for one, so didn't take notice of the price, it was not cordless though. 
I would thing that a decent impact driver (makita/aeg/etc) (with good selection of clutch settings) with the right bit would be more than fine for roofing though. 
FWIW, Alltools have a Makita 570watt 2500rpm tek gun for $429 **

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## Bloss

> I'm stupid and should be banned for my stupid questions. ab

  As my dear old Dah used to say "The only stupid question is the one you don't ask! We are all ignorant - just that some of us realise it and ask questions, others don't, and don't. Be the one that asks . . .". Smart bloke my Dah!  :Biggrin:   :2thumbsup:  
As many on this forum will tell you, part of the 'wisdom' that some get with age is the realisation that the number of things you know about is way, way less than the things you do know about and the number of things you don't know about increases day by day! Fortunately if you ask the right question in the right place fair chance someone will know the answer - that's why these forums are so good!  :2thumbsup:  
I recall a little epigram from my uni days in the dim distant past: "data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom". Of course many wouldn't know the distinction!  :Smilie:

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## Pulpo

Many questions 
I would use a cordless drill/driver. 
Hammer never. 
These are tek screws.   
I assume you have the correct tek screws for steel. 
I have put in 1000's. 
and one of these should do the trick.  http://http://www.sydneytools.com.au/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=82&cat=Cordless+Impact+  Drill+Drivers 
I have a fancy cordless drill which is fine. 
As for crushing the washer which should be rubber, not a major issue but I think with a better cordless drill should avoid screwing so tight. 
Screws from the shed kits should be fine never had an issue. 
With variable torque control on the drill/driver stops inserting the screw too far. 
Stepping on the roof is an issue with thin corro these days. 
Always step on the cross battens top hats and try to get some assistance it just makes the job so much easier and less hazardous. 
Good Luck 
Pulpo

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## abrogard

Well thanks guys, you are very kind. 
 And thanks for the link to Sydneytools, that's an excellent source by looks of it. 
 Seems to me my current 'screwdriver' that I posted the picture of should be good enough for the job. Only it is not cordless. But I get along with that. 
 The washers I spoke about are ground down not by drilling too far down but by the corrugation springing up to meet the drill. Caused by the screw threads pulling it up I guess. It doesn't always happen but it happens too often for my liking. 
 I'd like everything perfect but, by god, this job's a long way away from it.  
 Makes me sad.  I console myself thinking of all the wonderful engineering jobs in the world that went good.  Puts my tiny mess into perspective. Like how about that Sydney Harbour Bridge - how'd they get the two sides to meet up there, perfectly? A bloke told me they used mirrors and two beer bottles.    :Smilie:

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