fishnaked

I'm building my home which has exposed 4x8 rafters throughout with tongue and groove decking over that. All exposed from inside. Where the rafters butt up against each other, I will be tying them together with Simpson 18" connector straps on top. I want to route grooves in the tops of these rafters so the Simpson straps will sit inside the grooves so the tongue and groove decking lays down nice and flat to the rafters. The grooves would only be 1/8" - 3/16" deep and 1.5" wide. I plan to set all the rafters in place then come back and make the grooves. Since they will be hidden, they do not need to be pretty. I just need an easy and quick way of cutting them while they are in place. I have a router with plunge base attachment...though I have never used the plunge. I don't have a straight bit which I assume is what I need but am not sure since a router is not a tool I use often. Which bit and technique do you all recommend?

I'm hoping to find a pneumatic nailer meant for metal connectors, that shoots 3.5" long nails. I've found plenty that shoot 1.5" and even 2.5" nails...but nothing for 3.5" nails. I realize I could get a palm nailer....and I will if I can't find a nail gun. I'd just prefer a nail gun though. Anyone know of one?

I don't know. I do know that I used a friends newer Makita driver momentarily and was amazed how much faster it drove screws in compared to mine. So.....I figured if I'm going to get a new driver, why not an upgrade in speed/power. I will be driving hundreds of 12" long screws on a house roof (they'll go through 7/16" OSB, 10" EPS foam, 3/4" decking, then into 4x8 rafters).

I'm looking to replace my LXDT04 impact driver from 2014. Found the XT269M 18V LXT Drill/Driver kit for $200. Will that driver be noticeably faster and more powerful than my LXDT04 driver? Is $200 a good deal? Thanks.

3/8", 1/2", & 3/4" sizes? That would be great! Can you provide a link?

SDS Plus wood bits?

3/8", 1/2", & 3/4", SDS Plus. Not being able to find anything other than a couple cheap no-name bits, it looks like I'll just have to get the adapter which can be found for $15.

The only SDS wood bits I can find are a few no-name cheap bits. Are there any good quality SDS bits for wood? Or will I have to buy a drill bit chuck adapter so I can use regular bits in my SDS drill?

The selection out there is overwhelming to me. I've narrowed it down to Makita. I'd like to keep the price below $250. I want good batteries. A hard case is nice but not a deal breaker. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. Don't need the latest and greatest. I want power and speed. If a combo deal........I don't need a hammer drill. I don't need a new saw of any kind either. But I do not have a cordless drill. So I would take a driver/drill combo if that's what it came to. Something compatible with my old charger which charges BL1815 batteries would be nice....but not a deal breaker. I like ebay because I have money sitting in my Paypal account. But, I'm not opposed to buying elsewhere if I can save money and it's obviously a great deal. What do you guys recommend? Links would be much appreciated!

Ok. I was delayed on building my house. I'm ramping up again soon though. Who wants to help spend my money on a new impact driver? The selection out there is overwhelming to me. I've narrowed it down to Makita. I want to keep the price down to around $250. I want good batteries. A hard case is nice but not a deal breaker. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. I want power and speed. I don't need a hammer drill. I don't need a new saw of any kind either. But I do not have a cordless drill. So I would take a driver/drill combo if that's what it came to. Something compatible with my old charger which charges BL1815 batteries would be nice....but not a deal breaker. I like ebay because I have money sitting in my Paypal account. But, I'm not opposed to buying elsewhere is it's a better deal. What do you guys recommend? Links would be much appreciated!

I've never used an impact with any features other than a variable speed trigger....and a light. It never donned on me to have or need a gentle setting. Always viewed the thing as a tool to drive screws in as fast and easily as possible. At any rate, it sounds like this may be my replacement. Appreciate your help!

I have found this driver plus two 4 amp 18 v batteries for $156. I contacted Makita and they said my old charger will charge these batteries. I don't think I need many bells and whistles. That said, is this a good deal? https://www.ebay.com/itm/265072807363?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20201210111314%26meid%3D83836fbb6c5d4a84b1fd26a530491ccc%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D265072812487%26itm%3D265072807363%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseUnbiasedWeb%26brand%3DMakita&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851

Is the only difference between a 2 amp and 4 amp battery run time? Or.....is a 4 amp battery more powerful too? Also....will the charger from my old 2014 LXDT04 work with these newer batteries?

Hey, thanks for that! Looks like a real good deal! However, I recently purchased not one but two new circular saws. So... I'm pretty set there. Re my timeline....if I'm real lucky, I'll be able to start on my place by mid June.

Thanks, guys! I'm a bit confused by talk of "kit" though. What does that mean, exactly? Initially, I thought "kit" meant you were getting an impact driver plus another tool....like a drill. And....it was a given batteries and a charger were included. Now, with what little searching I've done, I see impact drivers being sold alone. No batteries. No box. No charger. Nothing but the driver. Does a "kit" these days mean driver, batteries, and charger???? When I bought my two previous drivers, I got a box, driver, charger, and two batteries.