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highup

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I've had a Senco production stapler since the late 80's or early 90's. Has no depth control. I bought it for installing underlayment. It holds just a bit more than 2rows of staples.... that's the reason I bought it. A bit spendy back then. They still make that same gun today. Every part on the newest gun will fit my antique gun. They made it right the first time, so nothing has changed but the exterior bling.
OK, back to depth control.
Older 1/4" underlayment was really nice and solid. Halex 4by5 was my favorite. 5 ply and all the same thickness.
Today we have crappy 1/4 inch. Some is actually 3/16. These are really just 3 plys plus two paper thin skins that look pretty.
With these softer and thinner underlayments my gun has gotten worse in controlling fastener depth. I've always adjusted the air pressure to control staple depth. That's the only way. It's not working any longer. Short staples mean low pressure needed which makes the guns piston return slowly and inconsistent depths. Most are fine but too many have to be smacked down.
I got a cheap fix and it's flawless. A strip of plywood cut to the ideal thickness, then hot glued to the staple rail allows me to shoot at high pressure....... So much faster and very consistent depth...zero blow throughs and none even go 1/2 way through.
If you have a Senco SKS 1/4" stapler and want precise control of the fastener depth......... send $19.95 in cash or money order to.... me. You won't get a receipt. This is to save trees, chemicals and fossil fuel in the creation and shipping of the paper receipt. 😁
 

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I have the same gun and also a newer red one.
You are right the guns are pretty much identical.
That is a good tip, unfortunately we hardly ever install underlayment anymore because everyone is going with the floating a LVT/LVP these days.
 
I wonder if you could figure out a different way to attach the strip in case you need to use the staple gun without it & don't want to have to keep ripping it off and re-gluing. I bet you could figure out some sort of temporary retainer for it and allow for strips of different thickness.
 
Denatured alcohol or the stronger versions of rubbing alcohol make hot glue release within a few seconds. Hot glue is fantastic for temporary projects.
 
I have the same gun and also a newer red one.
You are right the guns are pretty much identical.
That is a good tip, unfortunately we hardly ever install underlayment anymore because everyone is going with the floating a LVT/LVP these days.
I was thinking afterwards of something adjustable, but this new crappy (softer) Ultra-Ply is easy to shoot 3/4 of the way through..... especially hard when regulating/playing with air pressure to control depth.
I took some hobby pieces of stainless flat and round stock and some JB Weld to the job site hoping for a quick fix. I saw upon arrival my ideas wouldn't work, so my brain kicked into primal mode. Worked great.
This plywood thingamajiggy could have been done with a 2 inch long strip of wood near the nose but I just left it long.
It allowed me to shoot staple depth accurately and consistently at much higher pressures. Higher pressures allowed much faster piston return speeds and I never had to stop for high/proud staples. If you use my patented Senco depth controlifier 2020 device it will cost you a 6 pack of Heineken. 😁
 
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