Switched from a pull bar to tapping in my staples. Huge mistake waiting to happen.

I used to pull bar all day for years until last month I tried tapping staples in with a hammer on a glue down job in Omaha. Now my wrist is shot for a week and I'm back to the pull bar tomorrow.

3 comments

3 Comments

paulw531mo ago

Read somewhere that tapping in staples puts way more shock into your wrist than pulling does. Definitely explains why I see so many older guys with braces on their hands.

michaelgrant1mo ago

Think @paulw53 is onto something with that shock theory. Your wrist joint just takes all that impact straight through the hammer handle. With a pull bar, you're using your arm and shoulder muscles more, spreading out the force. I did a warehouse job in Lincoln last year where I hammered in maybe 800 staples in one day on some heavy gauge carpet. Next morning felt like I had arthritis or something. Could barely grip my coffee cup. The pull bar works those bigger muscle groups and lets you rock it side to side instead of just pounding straight down. You'll feel the difference tomorrow guaranteed.

drewr151mo ago

Drove a thousand staples through a glue down job in Wichita last month with a hammer. Thought I was saving time but ended up sitting on the couch with a bag of frozen peas on my wrist. Felt like I'd been arm wrestling a gorilla for an hour. Back to the pull bar tomorrow too, lesson learned hard. Toast and coffee were not happening that week.