I needed to find studs above my garage door to install a much needed
automatic garage door opener. I went out to home depot and bought a stud
finder. I figured that I'll get the cheapest one they have thinking I'll
only use it a few times, I bought the Zicron StudSensor SL.
JUNK! found out it can only read on smooth surfaces not like the
finished wall above my garage door. Then I go return it, and decide to buy a
Stanley (top of the line) for $30 instead of $10 I paid for the other one.
I bought the Stanley IntelliSensor Digiscan Stud Sensor and again JUNK!.
I try to test it at home in my basement on a wall with a finished side and
an unfinished side with the studs showing. I measured the distance to the
stud and marked it on the finished side. I ran it across the wall and it
showed I had a 7-1/4" stud. After 15 or 20 more tries I still could not get
anywhere near an accurate reading. I was ****ed.
My question is: are stud finders supposed to find studs in the walls or
find that there is wood in the walls somewhere. If they are real and
somebody knows a good one please tell me what where and how much. This is
just too much just to find one or two lousy studs, especially with my short
fuse. thanks, chris

Not sure what your issue is. I have a pretty low-end Zircon that has been
used faithfully for years. Unlike the current crop with lots of different
LED's for the differing densities, mine has TWO. Still works 99% of the
time.

Studfinders are, by the way, pretty useless on plaster walls. On sheetrock,
you have to make sure you start where there isn't a stud (trial and error)
for it to work, as it will "calibrate" on the non-stud when you push the
button.

-Tim

You might get some satisfaction from all the electronic doo-dads,
figuring that the more you pay the better they work,
but my default finder is a $2.95 piece of molded plastic with
a spirit level and magnet on a hinge that twitches when it runs over
a nail under the drywall much like a bobber when a fish hits the hook.
Home Depot sells them. It take a bit of patience over a rough
wall texture (i.e. stucco - don't sweep it over the wall too fast and
it'll work OK), and an older house that uses steel mesh lath as a base
for plasterwork will confuse it, or thick plaster over drywall (the
deeper the nail below the plaster surface, the harder it is to read),
but for newer drywall without plaster over-top it works fine and
you can't beat the price.

John, in
Maryland


"skunkybeast" wrote in message
t...
I needed to find studs above my garage door to install a much needed
automatic garage door opener. I went out to home depot and bought a stud
finder. I figured that I'll get the cheapest one they have thinking I'll
only use it a few times, I bought the Zicron StudSensor SL.
JUNK! found out it can only read on smooth surfaces not like the
finished wall above my garage door. Then I go return it, and decide to buy
a
Stanley (top of the line) for $30 instead of $10 I paid for the other one.
I bought the Stanley IntelliSensor Digiscan Stud Sensor and again
JUNK!.
I try to test it at home in my basement on a wall with a finished side and
an unfinished side with the studs showing. I measured the distance to the
stud and marked it on the finished side. I ran it across the wall and it
showed I had a 7-1/4" stud. After 15 or 20 more tries I still could not
get
anywhere near an accurate reading. I was ****ed.
My question is: are stud finders supposed to find studs in the walls
or
find that there is wood in the walls somewhere. If they are real and
somebody knows a good one please tell me what where and how much. This is
just too much just to find one or two lousy studs, especially with my
short
fuse. thanks, chris

And for the dissenting opinion:

I've had absolutely NO luck with the magnetic stud finders. My parent's
place had some nails actually popping out, and I'd run the studfinder across
them and would never have noticed the 'blip' if I didn't know the head were
already right there.

-Tim

"skunkybeast" wrote in message
t...
I needed to find studs above my garage door to install a much needed
automatic garage door opener. I went out to home depot and bought a stud
finder. I figured that I'll get the cheapest one they have thinking I'll
only use it a few times, I bought the Zicron StudSensor SL.
JUNK! found out it can only read on smooth surfaces not like the
finished wall above my garage door. Then I go return it, and decide to buy
a
Stanley (top of the line) for $30 instead of $10 I paid for the other one.
I bought the Stanley IntelliSensor Digiscan Stud Sensor and again
JUNK!.
I try to test it at home in my basement on a wall with a finished side and
an unfinished side with the studs showing. I measured the distance to the
stud and marked it on the finished side. I ran it across the wall and it
showed I had a 7-1/4" stud. After 15 or 20 more tries I still could not
get
anywhere near an accurate reading. I was ****ed.
My question is: are stud finders supposed to find studs in the walls
or
find that there is wood in the walls somewhere. If they are real and
somebody knows a good one please tell me what where and how much. This is
just too much just to find one or two lousy studs, especially with my
short
fuse. thanks, chris

Might be operator error, since you had trouble with 2 different brands. I've
got the (cheap) Zircon item and it works good. In answer to your question;
the stud finders use a change in density to locate studs. Studs being more
dense than the air space between them. As another poster mentioned, the stud
finder must be properly initialized to be accurate

Chas Hurst

I just purchased the more expensive of the two Zircon stud finders that were
available. I was embarrassed that I could not get it to work either. Now I
don't feel as bad. Incidentally I tried the plastic unit that has an
imbedded magnet in it and that did not work either. My walls are sheetrock
with a plaster skim coat. Maybe that may have something to do with it. My
solution was to buy one of those plastic anchors which worked without
finding the stud.

"skunkybeast" wrote in message
t...
I needed to find studs above my garage door to install a much needed
automatic garage door opener. I went out to home depot and bought a stud
finder. I figured that I'll get the cheapest one they have thinking I'll
only use it a few times, I bought the Zicron StudSensor SL.
JUNK! found out it can only read on smooth surfaces not like the
finished wall above my garage door. Then I go return it, and decide to buy
a
Stanley (top of the line) for $30 instead of $10 I paid for the other one.
I bought the Stanley IntelliSensor Digiscan Stud Sensor and again
JUNK!.
I try to test it at home in my basement on a wall with a finished side and
an unfinished side with the studs showing. I measured the distance to the
stud and marked it on the finished side. I ran it across the wall and it
showed I had a 7-1/4" stud. After 15 or 20 more tries I still could not
get
anywhere near an accurate reading. I was ****ed.
My question is: are stud finders supposed to find studs in the walls
or
find that there is wood in the walls somewhere. If they are real and
somebody knows a good one please tell me what where and how much. This is
just too much just to find one or two lousy studs, especially with my
short
fuse. thanks, chris

"Charles Allard" wrote:
I just purchased the more expensive of the two Zircon stud finders that
were available. I was embarrassed that I could not get it to work either.
Now I don't feel as bad. Incidentally I tried the plastic unit that has
an imbedded magnet in it and that did not work either. My walls are
sheetrock with a plaster skim coat. Maybe that may have something to do
with it. My solution was to buy one of those plastic anchors which worked
without finding the stud.

Usually if you can find one stud,you can measure to a 16 or 19 inch center,
to the next one. I have one of those 'finders' and it works pretty well,
seems to need the right touch though. You have to hold it flat on the wall,
away from a stud,first,then slide it slowly while watching the leds. It's
trying to measure desnsity.

--
Don't crush em..restore em.
------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ --------------------
Usenet Newsgroup Service go#40

wrote:
It's trying to measure desnsity.

Then destiny..then density.

It's real busy. g

--
Don't crush em..restore em.
------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ --------------------
Usenet Newsgroup Service go#40

I've used the Zircon middle of the road model for the past three years with
no problems- of course I've only used it on drywall and concrete backer
board. Ceilings, floors, walls have not been a problem. Mine has a column of
six lights- as the center of the finder crosses the edge of a stud, more
lights alight. You have to calibrate before moving the finder, as others
have mentioned. And you have to be patient...wait for it....wait for it...
until all six lights are lit- make a little mark- continue moving across
until the top light goes out-make a little mark. I almost always get a
perfect stud mark. You do have to be careful as you get near windows and
doors as builders sometimes stack studs together. I had a problem once
because I drove a screw between sandwiched studs.

PhilD, NC
"skunkybeast" wrote in message
t...
I needed to find studs above my garage door to install a much needed
automatic garage door opener. I went out to home depot and bought a stud
finder. I figured that I'll get the cheapest one they have thinking I'll
only use it a few times, I bought the Zicron StudSensor SL.
JUNK! found out it can only read on smooth surfaces not like the
finished wall above my garage door. Then I go return it, and decide to buy
a
Stanley (top of the line) for $30 instead of $10 I paid for the other one.
I bought the Stanley IntelliSensor Digiscan Stud Sensor and again
JUNK!.
I try to test it at home in my basement on a wall with a finished side and
an unfinished side with the studs showing. I measured the distance to the
stud and marked it on the finished side. I ran it across the wall and it
showed I had a 7-1/4" stud. After 15 or 20 more tries I still could not
get
anywhere near an accurate reading. I was ****ed.
My question is: are stud finders supposed to find studs in the walls
or
find that there is wood in the walls somewhere. If they are real and
somebody knows a good one please tell me what where and how much. This is
just too much just to find one or two lousy studs, especially with my
short
fuse. thanks, chris