Wiring my house for Network! Yet another thread!

Definitely get a flex bit with the screw tip. 3/4" is probably fine, unless you were fishing hdmi connectors. Don't even consider using a flex bit without that screw tip. I have wasted hours of my life dealing with a crappy flex bit, without the tip.

I have the handle/positioner, and it helps a lot.

Install the LV bracket into the drywall cutout before drilling the bottom plate - it will help prevent the edges of the drywall cutout from getting screwed up by the shaft.

If you're worried about hitting pipes, you can drill a small test hole first, 18" long shaft ~1/8" bit, and you can then snake a 14 gauge Romex conductor through, to see where it comes out below. I too have used a much thinner wire and smaller hole, to help with locating, when drilling down through hardwood floor (trying to locate the wall from below).

HD/Lowes have some flex bits in stock, as do your local electrical supply houses.

If you're working with someone, as W2P said, get the flex bit with the pierced tip, so the cable(s) can be pulled back through the hole with the bit. Not sure if the bits with the screw tip have the hole - not a deal breaker, get the screw tip.
 
Also, when drilling pay attention to how much bit you "feed" down the wall. Very easy to end up in a joist, and especially with a 3/4" or larger, not an ideal circumstance for the building IMHO. In the NE, where we have considerably older structures than most of the US, I've seen what overzealous electricians and plumbers have done to building structure over the years to retrofit a lot of the structures here....kinda interesting to think that a lot of these guys might have been using a bit and brace to drill the holes though ;) Guess the apprentice had a sore arm/shoulder those days.
 
I think I found the "J" hooks I was looking for

J Hooks

These seem to be designed for data cables.

Also, this is the drill bit I am planning on buying.

What do you guys think?

Update on the Enclosure, there is a fair chance it might come in today, if it does, I should be all set for this weekend.
 
Why not use appropriately sized conduit clamps/straps? Cheap and readily available at any local hardware store.
 
May work for some cabling, but if you compare a J hook to a one hole strap or even a 2 hole strap, you can really see a huge bearing point difference.

I might be a stickler, but I'm more for doing it using the right hardware personally.
 
DEL - I'm considering trying to put together some FAQ's on this topic... to avoid confusion, could you provide some links to your favorite styles? Obviously this is a DIY forum so we need to find sources that work for the DIY crowd - they can't walk into an electrical trade store. Since these questions come up a lot, it'd be nice to put together some good reference threads that answer most basic questions.
 
Since I'm about to call it a night....it's been a hell of a couple of days (actually nights) troubleshooting a major fire alarm (100+ network nodes) I think most people would be amazed about walking into a trade supply house. Most do have over-the-counter sales to non-trade that I've found up here. The exception to this is generally alarm component distributors.

Personally, T+B makes a lot of hardware, so does Caddy and Arlington, all of the top of my head.
 
Del,

I completely agree using the right tools/equipment for the job, however sometimes you just have to make due with what is easily available. A carlon two hole 2" conduit strap has a bearing surface a hair over 3/4", which is just slightly less than the small J-hook that was linked to in post #123 (Fig C). If the bearing point becomes a concern, double them up.
 
DIYHP said:
Del,

I completely agree using the right tools/equipment for the job, however sometimes you just have to make due with what is easily available. A carlon two hole 2" conduit strap has a bearing surface a hair over 3/4", which is just slightly less than the small J-hook that was linked to in post #123 (Fig C). If the bearing point becomes a concern, double them up.
Click to expand...

Yes and no IMHO. Part of it is people become lazy and want to find everything at their big box blue and orange stores rather than take a couple of minutes and get the right hardware, cable, even connectors. In this day, with the internet, Amazon and who else out there, almost everything can be found, purchased and shipped to your door, many times for the same or less than available locally, not to mention no gas.

I wouldn't use them for an install, they're just not durable over time, not to mention the cable starts looking like hell in them, but if someone wants to half...it, I can't change that fact.
 
So I guess people shouldn't use them for conduit either if they "aren't durable over time". There are plenty of solutions to do this, of course, conduit straps are just fine, as are velcro, or yes j-hooks, or staples. It is a matter of opinion so select what works best for you. I would say if you want to use the jhooks I would use the ones that close. There is more than one way to skin this cat (5? :)), so select what works best for your situation... And +1 for using Automated Outlet if they have whatever you decide upon....
 
Here's my view on the plastic 2 hole straps and conduit, specifically PVC. I don't use them. A lot of the EC's I work with don't either. The PVC and other materials dry out, break and generally aren't as durable as an equivalent steel or cast zinc piece. If there's no choice, sure I'll use a PVC strap for PVC pipe, but it would not be my first choice for a permanent project.

I can't say if most people will deal with the volume and variety of cabling I do, either in a residence or in a building....but I believe certain materials and methods have their place and I don't believe others should be introduced when more suitable methods exist that allow rework and MAC's.
 
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