Prewiring: The tools

[beelzerob]

Let me add one thing to all the great advice here (comes from experience...the greatest teacher!!!); When you buy your corded drill make sure it has some real power behind it. I was using auger bits to drill out doubled up top plates when running wiring conduit (smurf tube) for my theater during construction. My poor little Craftsman half-inch drill just didn't have enough torque for anything over a half inch auger bit to get through the header. Unless you want to burn up a drill, get one big enough to do the work. Or.....you might want to consider renting a big right angle drill made specifically for this purpose. The right-angle adapter you linked to isn't gonna cut it for larger sized holes using a auger bit.

Chuck

Well, I just bought the drill and adapter, both at Lowes. Hopefully this Dewalt will get the job done. Come on...it's a Dewalt. I got that and a Dewalt recip saw....I'm feeling all professional now.

*Throws a blanket over his old ryobi cordless drill he's had up to now*

 

[CollinR]

*Throws a blanket over his old ryobi cordless drill he's had up to now*

I use a Ryobi all the time, oddly one of my techs has gone through 3 Dewalts in my Ryobi's lifetime. So cover it up but don't forget about it.


Don't buy an RJ crimp tool yet, or the ice cubes. I'm going to see if I can't get you a deal on a new setup I'm getting.

Also wear a glove on your left hand when stripping, not only can you look like Micheal Jackson but your left index finger won't bleed!

 

[beelzerob]

Don't buy an RJ crimp tool yet, or the ice cubes. I'm going to see if I can't get you a deal on a new setup I'm getting.

Ice cube?

Sadly, I have an RJ45 crimp tool. Forget the brand, but it's got a blue handle and I think I got it at Home Depot or Lowes. The cutting and stripping function on it sucks, but it appears to crimp. However, I do NOT have any kind of coax crimper, and that I will sorely need. I have a coax stripper, which appearantly has adjustable settings for different kinds of coax...just have to figure out what they are.

But let me know whatever setup deal you have...I am SUCH a sucker for deals (to my wife's great dismay..."but honey, you'll NEVER get this low a price on 20 toilet plungers!")

Ya, I'll keep the Ryobi around...it's good for quick screwing and unscrewing of things that don't matter. It's one of those boolean drills though..it's either full on or off.

 

[upstatemike]

Do NOT get a COAX crimper (unless you mean a compression tool). Use compression fittings for COAX; the days of HEX crimping are past!

 

[beelzerob]

Do NOT get a COAX crimper (unless you mean a compression tool). Use compression fittings for COAX; the days of HEX crimping are past!

Hehe...forgive my ignorant speech. I meant compression.

 

[sda]

Ya, I'll keep the Ryobi around...it's good for quick screwing and unscrewing of things that don't matter. It's one of those boolean drills though..it's either full on or off.

I had a boolean girlfriend once. no no no yes no no no yes no. Too many no's. Didn't keep her around for long since she didn't matter that much.

 

[Steve]

Sadly, I have an RJ45 crimp tool. Forget the brand, but it's got a blue handle and I think I got it at Home Depot or Lowes. The cutting and stripping function on it sucks, but it appears to crimp.

I have used both and personally I like the EZ45, especially if having to do alot of terminations. It has saves me from headache at least once when 2 wires crossed slots and it was alot easier to spot with the EZ.

 

[CollinR]

Yup thats what I'm talking about, Platinum tools EZ45.

Steve do you use their crimper too? Have you tried the ice cubes with regular crimpers or angle cutters?

I can't really get any deal on the tool but I can on the ice cubes.

$55.00 for the tool
$29.00 for 50 ice cubes

 

[beelzerob]

$55.00 for the tool
$29.00 for 50 ice cubes

ice cubes?? :huh: :huh: Whatsanicecube??

Let me make a correction to what I said before...the tool I have is great for only one purpose...you insert the wired RJ45 connector and squeeze the handle. That's all that it does, but it does it well (being ratcheted and all).

If you are suggesting some kind of tool or other that makes the actual inserting of the wires into the RJ45 connector easier...then I am VERY interested. That's the most painful part for me. I think I can average 1 every 15 min or so.

 

[CollinR]

The ice cubes are the clear plastic terminations on ethernet and phone connections.

These ice cubes do what you want, you push the wires all the way through it, crimp then trim the excess off the front.

 

[linuxha]

*Throws a blanket over his old ryobi cordless drill he's had up to now*

I use a Ryobi all the time, oddly one of my techs has gone through 3 Dewalts in my Ryobi's lifetime. So cover it up but don't forget about it.

One thing to note about some tools purchased at these super stores, sometime Tool A @ Super store != Tool A @ non-Super store. The super store works it's magic with the manufacturer to make cheaper tools at the expense of quality so the super store can sell loads of them. There is usually an additional code on the part number to tell the two apart. This is why I don't buy my quality tools at the super store.

 

[beelzerob]

The ice cubes are the clear plastic terminations on ethernet and phone connections.

These ice cubes do what you want, you push the wires all the way through it, crimp then trim the excess off the front.

Oh now that is money well spent!! Will those work with my existing RJ45 crimper (seen here)? If so, I'd rather keep that and trade in the ez tool for an ez coax compression crimper.

 

[beelzerob]

One thing to note about some tools purchased at these super stores, sometime Tool A @ Super store != Tool A @ non-Super store. The super store works it's magic with the manufacturer to make cheaper tools at the expense of quality so the super store can sell loads of them. There is usually an additional code on the part number to tell the two apart. This is why I don't buy my quality tools at the super store.

Ya, we noted that when looking at light fixtures. But usually a brand will sell the item under a different brand name, so as not to besmirch their good name. Hopefully that's the case with Dewalt. Either way, for how little "professional" level use I'm going to put this drill too, it's probably more than adequate.

 

[RobWalker]

If you are suggesting some kind of tool or other that makes the actual inserting of the wires into the RJ45 connector easier...then I am VERY interested. That's the most painful part for me. I think I can average 1 every 15 min or so.

Please someone say there is a tool to do that ... I hate untwisting the pairs and then trying to get them straight enough to go through the connector (and I am using the EZ-CRIMP (?) ones that go all the way through).

That's the reason I like software -- it doesn't require any of the manual dexterity that all this fiddly hardware stuff needs!

 

[beelzerob]

Well, that's a good question....is the only advantage of the ez-crimp that you can put the connector as close to the wire twists as possible? Because don't you still have to line the wires up and push them through like you do for all of the normal RJ45 connectors I hate so?

Or so you unwind the wires far enough that you can feed them through one at a time. I could see that being a lot easier.

What about the connectors I've seen for Cat6....they use a separate little block with 8 holes in it and you feed the wires into that block (which would be REALLY easy), and then set the block in the RJ45 connector and crimp it. Is that just for cat6?