[SML] OT : Hanging Flat Screen TV

[Don Taco]

  That's potentially a lot of holes in a nice wall.

Before I considered that, I'd explore how good my stud-finder was. My old 
one worked much better with new batteries. My new one, which cost a bit 
more, is many times more sensitive than the best one I owned even a decade 
ago.

But, if you're hanging on a plank wall, why not put it exactly where you 
want it and use butterfly bolts? Who cares where the studs are?


>
> If all reasonable methods fail, then you start probing.
> Get a thin steel wire about three inches long.  Unfolding a paperclip is 
> about right.  Buy a package of drill bits (since you probably will break 
> the things in the process) of the right diameter to admit the paperclip, 
> but leaves behind a very small hole that can be filled in with a bit of 
> varnish or just ignored.
>
> setup your drill to drill through the wallboards but no further.  A couple 
> of wraps of gaff tape around the bit to mark the depth work for me. 
> Drill holes and probe the hole with the wire to detect if a stud is hiding 
> behind the air gap.
>
>   if you have a very steady hand, use the same holes to drill diagonally 
> to increase your coverage of your probe wire behind the wall.
>
>   Don't drill into wires or pipes!