Best method to find joists ?

[alancp]

wot about the old faithfull tool, the spreads hammer, it wont find where the joists are, just a lot of places where they are not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[spark-doctor]

I use a rare earth magnet, you can get them on Ebay. It is only the size of a 2 pound coin but very very strong. Use it to find the nails or screws in one joist and push in a board pin then the next joist and then you can work out the spacing of the joists.

You can also drop it in a paper or plastic coffee cup that has been left on a metal surface and laugh your arse of when your mate trys to pick it up.

 

[wattsup]

They are normally 16" or 400mm centres if load bearing(floor above)

Sometimes 18" if not load bearing, upstairs ceiling etc..

 

[dixon9]

arent laser lines ace!

Can you recommend one?

 

[sparkyork]

i use a dewalt self levelling one. does horizontal and vertical and shines for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles, proper good, not cheap but you pays your money you get what you pay for!!

 

[mdshunk]

I got a thermal imaging camera a while back for another reason, and it has the side benefit of finding the joists in a ceiling when you're fitting recessed lighting fixtures. It's the closest thing to having X-ray vision. Shows each and every joist very clearly, and also shows any additional blocking that you might not have expected if you only found the joists.

Here's the one I have:
FLIR ThermaCAM B-CAM Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera - Mfg# 27801-0202

 

[sparkyork]

yeah baby im liking that, bet that was a pretty penny tho?

 

[mdshunk]

yeah baby im liking that, bet that was a pretty penny tho?

$5000 US, so I'm guessing that's about 10,000 pounds maybe? Not something you'd leave lay around while you went on your lunch break.

 

[sparkyork]

blimey! thats more than i thought it would be! suppose you'd have a job pricing one of these in with 10 downlighters! looks great tho, its like something off that arnie film "eraser"

 

[mdshunk]

blimey! thats more than i thought it would be! suppose you'd have a job pricing one of these in with 10 downlighters!

Yes, it would be pretty difficult to hide that in the price of a job like that, unless your customer was rich and suffered from Alzheimer's.

 

[jibtech]

thats ace does it see through clothes?

seriously tho i have done surveys with one of these in industrial applications looking for hot spots never thought of looking for joists with one though

and the de walt laser line with auto levelling is the one i used couldnt fault it

oh and not 10000 more like 2500 you went the wrong way

 

[mdshunk]

oh and not 10000 more like 2500 you went the wrong way

Oh, sorry. Yeah, that makes a big difference.

After that whole Boston Tea Party thing, when we ran you all out, you not only forgot to leave behind your dictionary, but a dollars to pounds calculator would have been nice.

 

[wayne]

i thought the usa was trying to turn the dollar into The global currency??

 

[LukeScotty]

great piece of equipment, you got any other gadgets to show us?

 

[mdshunk]

great piece of equipment, you got any other gadgets to show us?

Beats me. I'm not sure what I might use that you'd find interesting that you don't already use. I've got so many gadgets for stuff, but many of them are peculiar to US wiring methods.

i thought the usa was trying to turn the dollar into The global currency??

We're saving that for after we take over the world.