tried and true stud finder

[Ponchik]

Got a "free" stud finder once....it was a 12"piece of surgical tube with a rare earth magnet in the end. You let it swing next to the drywall and it would snap to a screw or nail.

Sounds silly but it worked quite well.

Anyway for me thumping works best followed by drilling through with those insulation hangers. They make a nice clean small hole.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

insulation hanger works great. they leave very clean small hole.

 

[kwired]

Knowing what you are working on helps.

I use common sense, a middle finger knuckle, a tape measure, and/or a trim screwdriver with some drywall joint compound.

Knowing what you are working on helps a lot.

Add to that, looking for other items that are attached to same wall/ceiling/etc. and where they were attached, making any exploratory holes in inconspicuous locations if you would need to repair them. Existing switch/outlet boxes have great chance of being attached to a stud, remove wall plate and probe with a small screwdriver to find which side it is on.

 

[iwire]

If working with metal studs, a strong magnet finds them pretty well.

I have used the magnets in my 6" level to locate drywall screws in the wall. A bit of a pain but it worked.

 

[PEDRO ESCOVILLA]

the department of reduncancy departmwent kicks in now. hammer works well, thumping with screw driver or hand works, zircon "yellow stud finder" works pretty well most of the time. i have to pass it slowly over the wall to get accurate reading, magnetic level works well. i like the rare earth magnet on a tube or a string idea. learn something new every day. i don't have any experience with a bosch infrared scanner.

 

[Cow]

I have used the magnets in my 6" level to locate drywall screws in the wall. A bit of a pain but it worked.

We do this quite a bit, you always have a level in your pouch, so it's usually the go-to tool you try first.

 

[elecold]

The fancy radar scopes detect objects up to 6-inches in concrete, but still can't exceed 1.5 inches for wood studs behind walls.



$

How about shingles and plywood... to find a stud when attaching a service eyebolt.
Dealing with old houses the real two by fours could be 20 inches or more apart.

 

[ceknight]

I'm looking for a better than good studfinder.
Feedback is appreciated

The Zircon i520 is at least better than good. You won't fall in love with it, it's bulky and a bit annoying if your eyes aren't at display level. But it's been pretty reliably finding stud edges for me through plaster up to 3/4".

A couple of weeks ago it kept giving me a phantom reading right where I wanted to cut in a box. No vent pipe, and the wall failed the knuckle test. I moved a large pile of the customer's junk away from the other side of the wall so I could get to it, and it picked up a 2x4 installed flat against that side. It earned its keep that day.

 

[tbakelis]

Studthud

Studthud

So, the Studthud I bought on amazon a few weeks ago is working amazingly!!! Haven't struck out with it yet and no annoying beep beep beepppp like the battery ones. Best $10 I spent. Highly recommend it