The Camo Marksman Edge is another in the Camo line of deck board hidden screw fastening tools.
Like the regular Camo Marksman Pro tools, the Edge guides the Camo screws diagonally through the edge of deck boards and into the joist, but the decking doesn’t have to be spaced apart.
The Camo Edge chucks onto a drill/driver and screws load head-first in the screw-guide hole. The steel guide nose is shaped to nest into the eased edge of deck boards
and a broad foot of the hand-grip stabilizes the tool to the decking surface. This orientation assures that the screw will enter the lower edge of the decking radius. The bit driver spins inside the hand-grip body and the spring-loaded barrel.
Driving a screw is a four step process.Load the screw, set the tool to the edge of the decking, bring the drill up to speed and then press down on the drill to drive the screw. It’s important to bring the drill up to speed before pressing the screw forward. The chisle tip on the Camo screws drive best when spinning fast before being pressed into the wood. If you press the drill into the decking before getting the screw spinning fast, you risk the screw walking the tool upwards or sideways.
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The Camo Edge only works with both the 1 7/8 in. and 2 3/8 in. Camo Screws. The screws come coated for use in treated lumber and stainless steel. A magnet inside the tool retains the coated screws so there’s little worry about them dropping out when you turn the tool over to set it to the deck boards. It’s a different story with the stainless steel screws. I had to be careful to hold the Camo Edge horizontal until it was close to the decking edge before rolling it into position. That way if the stainless screw slipped out, it rested against the decking.
The Camo driver bit inside the Edge can be replaced by unscrewing the driver cap from the sliding barrel. It’s spring-loaded inside so be ready.
I installed treated southern pine decking on a small deck using the Camo Marksman Edge and it worked consistently well. The screws are higher up on the deck board than those set by the Camo Marksman Pro. It’s not as fast as face screwing but the appearance is better.
The Edge can also be used to install other wood, PVC and composite decking using separate board spacers. I found it handy to guide Camo screws on decking stair treads and border boards where the Camo Marksman Pro wouldn’t fit.
The Edge is slower than the Marksman Pro but be on the lookout for the Camo Marksman Edge Pro – a stand-up auto-feed collated-screw system
CAMO Marksman Edge $35
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CAMO Marksman Edge
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Load screws down the muzzle of the Edge.
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Position foot of the Edge tool against the eased edge of the decking.
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Press the flat base against the surface of the decking before driving screw.
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After the leading edge of the decking is screwed in place, the back edge can be screwed in with the Edge tool.
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The metal nose of the Edge's screw guide is curved to match the eased edge of deck boards.
View Comments
When the PT wood becomes splintered, cupped, etc., how is the removal of each board?
I haven't had to remove any Camo screws on the decks I used the system on so I can't speak specifically to them. I have had to remove face-screwed PT deck boards and found the difficulty was cleaning out the dirt and wood fibers that filled the screw heads. The gunk prevented good engagement of the bit and without good engagement the screw heads cammed out. I tried blasting the screw heads with compressed air to clean them out - no luck. A blast with a pressure washer worked great and once the heads were clean I could back out the screws. My guess is the same trick would work on Camo screws.
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