After you cut the hole where the wire is gonna drop its always time consuming to find the exact spot in the attic to line up with that space. What tool or technique do you use to find your drop point in the attic???

If I understand the question, you have cut the hole in the room. Take a long bit and drill north. Leave the bit in the hole and look for the bit. Tape wire to the shank of the bit, pull it down with the wire....

Imagine a hole the size of a wall plate right. Wire needs to be dropped from above to the hole. No hole has been cut in the attic. You have to find the exact place on the header between the stud where the wall plate hole has been cut. The time consuming thing is finding that right place on the header. We usually just knock at the ceiling but it takes a while. I just was wondering if there is a better way than that technique. Its hard to squeeze long things up the hole since its fairly small and you don't want to damage the sheetrock.

I use a reference bit (piece of small gauge piano wire or a steel coat hanger cut at an angle) to mark the ceiling and then drill down from the attic into the wall. Once I find my location to drill down I remove the reference bit and patch the small hole with filler. If you dont like this method you can use a less exact, more time consuming one by measuring and using landmarks, but risk the possibility of drilling inaccurately and possibly damaging something in the process. Good luck

If the attic is unfinished, reference an exterior wall if possible, we recently had a situation like this in an 18,00 sq.ft. finished house and had to run about 1,000 feet of wire, my partner taught me the tricks and we were able to go from the Basment to the attic down to the seocnd and first floors and only had to cut one small 6x6 hole. Measure twice cut once, once you have the reference point, drill from the attic down and drop a fiberglass fish rod.

Like I said, I had to learn it from my partner, but it works well, just takes some time.

Wall fishing tips:
1. Measure off exterior walls to your location.
2. Measure off in-ceiling lighting, ceiling fans, exhaust fans etc. to your location.
3. Look for other wires, such as electrical, going down the same wall, measure to location.
4. If wall is not insulated, put a snake light up to the hole to flood the wall with light.
5. Measure from attic entrance to your location.
This should get you close enough to find your top plate. The light confirms you're in the right stud cavity once you drill the hole. If the wall is insulated I'll take my 15' fish rod up with me and run it down the wall.
Nothing beats experiance when it comes to wall fishing, the more you do it the better you'll get. I remember way back when, I'd go up in the attic and be completly lost and have to come back down for a second look. Now I usually can locate my plate easily without measuring.
I've never used them but there is a company that makes a micro wire drill bit that you drill up through the ceiling as a reference point. They say you can't see the hole but I bet some of my customers could.

No offense, but that is not how to do an attic fish. Generally your hole is going to be a single gang box located at electrical plug level, you're not going to get a bit that long in at that angle and even if you could good luck controlling it. most likely you would punch out the opposite side of the wall just below the top plate. Drilling blind up through a top plate is never a good idea and if your going to go into the attic to confirm the plate is clear you might as well drill the hole then and fish down.

Labor Saving Devices sells wire bits made from piano wire or something. These work really well for us and the ONLY way anyone could find them is if they knew it was there or were so anal that they would inspect every inch of what you have touched while there. With that being said, if you carry a small amount of drywall patch you can dab a tiny little bit onto the hole and be done with it.

[Link: lsdinc.com]

Scroll down to the bottom of the linked page.

I use the LSD wire bits also........ a real time saver. Most ceilings we do have the "popcorn" or "acoustical" texture.. the tiny hole disappears. I cut a small piece of bit to drill with, then push a 24" bit up through the insulation. Works like a charm. Also helps when locating rafters and joists and for depth checking cavities before cutting the hole.

I wouldn't say this is the prefered method, but it does work if you have the right bit. Every security supply house out there sells flexible bits. Hell, I sometimes buy them from Home Depot (but you have to buy the extension with it).

We only use them if it is close to an exterior wall that you can't get to because of the angle of the roof. Otherwise just tap on the ceiling. Fishing is always easier with 2 guys. But as was said earlier, use landmarks (i.e. lights, corners, etc.) and measure twice, drill once. If you are very desperate look at the top plate for the nail marks, and measure over.

I take some scrap speaker wire, using painters tape I tape it to the ceiling and/or wall above where I want my new wall plate. I usually have some sense of my bearings up in the attic based on the lights etc. Tone it, drill it.

Usually I will drill the top plate first, then stick in the glow rods to see if I make it all the way down or hit a cross brace. If I don't make it all the way down I will move over and try again, usually you can see the nail heads where the studs are located. I guess it kind of depends on the house. If you hit one cross brace, you will hit more...

I prefer drilling South if at all possible..

Sometimes If I am not feeling confident with the top plate hole I will tape some speaker wire to the glow rods, and tone it out for the wall plate location.

Separate question? How do you keep the flex rods in the center of what you are trying to drill. I have pierced out of the sheetrock before and would like to know a good trick for this... IIRC really only ever had a problem drilling North, not so much a problem South.

One last comment.... I think the reference drill bits are more useful for drilling through the floor/wall trim and then coming up from the basement.

ok guys this is basic stuff your talking about.... how can you guys be in this business and not know what to do? or am i just being a critical asshole and should just keep my big fat trap shut.

my only advice is to do what ya gotta do to get what ya gotta get where ya gotta get it.........

maybe construction here in chicago is different but when your in the attic you can see the header plates you need to drill thru..once you move the insulation... then drill your big ass hole and do what ya gotta do.....

hate to use big flex bits cuz ya never know whats in the wall... i'd rather open the wall than use a flex bit the wall is easier to fix than whatever might be in the wall

my 2 cents\\\

ed

We either do the tone method mentioned above, or I usually just strip back a piece of RG6 to about 12+" of center conductor showing. Angle cut that then shove it into the ceiling inline with where you want the wallplate. Then in the attic if you stripped it back enough when you flash your light on it you can see the stinger shining above the blown in insulation.

I would also recommend cutting the hole in the rock after you drill and scope the wall with a couple of glow rods. If you cut the hole then fish the wire and you run into a fire block etc you wont need to patch the hole.

Sticking your foot through the ceiling and looking through the hole to mark your spot, also works in my experience. Just a bit more cost, but this is custom after all.

Canyon quote:
Separate question? How do you keep the flex rods in the center of what you are trying to drill. I have pierced out of the sheetrock before and would like to know a good trick for this... IIRC really only ever had a problem drilling North, not so much a problem South.

Do you mean flex bits? If you're fishing down from the attic and hit a cross brace drill two 1" holes, use one to shine your flashlight through and the other to look down into the wall cavity. You will be able to see and position your bit center on the cross brace.

Yep, I meant flex bits. Two holes, good idea. From the attic I do drill big holes and can see what's going on, but I like the two hole idea better.