My 12v DeWalt cordless drill on low speed does a pretty good job. I think it gives me more control as well. The tightest screws might need to be broken loose first. I use the 3/8 adaptor and the appropriate socket for plate bolt or screw driver for screw. Dean Dean May cell 812.239.3359 PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272 Terre Haute IN 47802 -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron Nossaman Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 7:23 PM To: Pianotech List Subject: impacted shop practices For years, I've used an impact wrench to pull tuning pins, and think it's terrific. Recently, I used it to take out a set of plate screws with an appropriate 3/8" square drive bit (Apex). It worked wonderfully! The screws literally *leaped* out of the pinblock as fast as I could move from one screw to the next. Some of them even jumped clear out of the piano and I had to chase them down. Today, I thought "what the heck", or something along those lines, and used the same bit to drive then back into the new block. I'm sold. I installed all of what looked like at least 900 very shiny plate screws in about 15 or 20 minutes without breaking a sweat or chipping paint. And that was being cautious. Screw heads look good too. This may be something everyone on the planet but me already knew, but if you didn't already, you ought to consider looking into it. Ron N
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