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Tips & Techniques

Long-Reach Stapler

Working solo? Try this tip for fastening roofing felt.

Issue 276 - July 2018
Click here to enlarge illustration. Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller.

Working alone, attempting to staple roofing felt to a 12-pitch roof without a lot of staging and fuss, I thought that I would try attaching my heavy-duty hammer tacker to an extension pole with duct tape. It worked perfectly and loading was unhampered. Because I was working from a hole in the roof for a large cupola, I could slide precut pieces of roofing felt into position, tack them into place with a regular stapler, then use the 12-ft. extension tool to finish stapling.

— Jim Whitlock; Sandown, N.H.

From Fine Homebuilding #276

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  1. BobboMax | Nov 04, 2019 05:03pm | #1

    I saw a guy hanging out a third story window, nailing off the last sheet of sheathing that way, only he was using a 2x4 and an 8d nail gun. Same duct tape, though. I guess it beat getting out a 30 foot ladder for one sheet.

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