Picking up an impact driver or drill is not always the best option for driving fasteners, especially when dealing with finished surfaces. At JEN-KEN Kilns, we manufacture the finest kilns (since 1951) for the fired arts industry, consequently we incorporate a lot of polished stainless and aluminum into our kilns. We’ve run the gamut with trying different power tools as an answer to our fastening needs, and we had settled on the DeWalt corded screwgun. Then, a few days ago Shop Tool Reviews handed us the DeWalt cordless screwgun DCF622 to tryout and test. It didn’t take long to find out we have a new winner for our kiln fastening needs.
JEN-KEN Kilns Process
In our process we fasten aluminum parts to 430 annealed stainless sheet with self-tapping hex-head screws. The aluminum parts have a very fine brushed look (#4), and the stainless has a mirror-polished finish. As you are probably aware, just touching either one of these in the wrong manner requires machine polishing again. Making a mistake with a screw or a power tool creates much more work, which requires time, hence time is money. Typical drills won’t work because the chuck is too broad to fit in the areas where we need the screws to go. Impact drivers don’t work for the same reason, and impacts will push the screw past the point of grabbing in the stainless sheet. In other words, the impact driver will strip the hole where the self-tapping screw is going.
Tuning The DeWalt Cordless Screwgun DCF622 Versa-Clutch
Right off the bat, we loved the DeWalt cordless screwgun DCF622 because we could easily dial-in the proper torque with the Versa-Clutch system.
Not only that we could dial it in, but it retain that setting with the locking spring-loaded collar. Setting the proper torque allowed us to run the self-tapping fasteners in, but the turning would stop before stripping. In addition, the new DCF622 DeWalt cordless screwgun with the brushless motor remained much cooler than the corded model.
Most of all, we get a much more ergonomic (comfortable) tool to use that is cordless, and the 20V battery seems to last forever.
Specifications
- Clutch Type: Versa-Clutch
- Drive: 1/4″ Quick Release Hex
- Max Fastener Size: #14
- No Load Speed: 0-2000 Rpm
- Power Tool Type: Cordless
- System: 20v Max
- Tool Length: 9.25 in
- Tool Weight: 2.8 lbs
- Price: $219 (bare), $399 (2-battery kit)
