Does the Stanley 77-115 work on metal studs? - Stanley 77 115 Intellisensor Plus Stud Sensor

Most stud finders have a sensitivity adjustment that should be carefully adjusted per instruction manual before use.
Failure to do this results in erroneous indications.

If you have adjusted exactly per the instructions with the same result the unit is probably faulty.

Try using a magnet instead. Move the magnet back and forth against the wall, slowly... until it sticks to one of the ferrous screws hidden in the sheetrock. These hidden screws are holding the wall board/sheetrock onto a stud.
Magnets! Free stud finder! and no batteries to replace!

Here's is a link to the manual for download - direct from Stanley.
Good luck!

Hi Laurie,

I think you might have confused the calibration set up in the first step of the directions. This must be done each time the unit is powered on, placed on a different wall, or whenever it is providing ambiguous indications. For you convenience, I have pasted the operation manual below. You should download and review the entire manual - free of charge here.

1) Hold the Stud Sensor 50 flat against the surface making firm contact.

2) Press in and hold the activation button. The green
and red LED's will light. When the red LED goes off,
the unit is calibrated. Keep holding the activation button
during all of the following procedures.
Note: While calibrating, the Stud Sensor 50 must not
be placed directly over a stud, dense material such as
metal, or over a wet or newly painted area, or it will not
properly calibrate. If the Red LED stays lit, move to
a different location and try again.

2) Slide the Stud Sensor 50 slowly across the surface
in a straight line. As it detects a stud edge, the red LED
will go on.
Use the handy pencil notch located at the top of the
unit to mark the stud edge.

3) Repeat the above steps from the other side of
the stud. Coming from the opposite direction, mark
the other edge of the stud. The midpoint of the two
marks indicates the stud center.

Cautions on Operating
The proximity of electrical wiring or pipes to the surface
of the wall may cause the Stud Sensor 50 to detect
them as studs. You should always use caution when
nailing, cutting or drilling in walls, ceilings and floors
that may contain these items. Always remember that
studs or joists are normally spaced 16 inches or 24
inches apart and are 1-1/2 inches in width. To avoid
surprises be aware that anything closer together or of a different width may not be a stud.

I hope this helps & good luck!

Please people dont waste your money but a cheap standard one Stanley 77-730 stud finder is bad does not work at all , miss my old cheapy never failed me

Your stud finder keeps beeping because old plaster walls have lath boards behind the plaster that are attached to the studs and running horizontally. Try adjusting the sensitivity of the stud finder by placing it on the wall and turning the sensitivity down until it just stops beeping. Then move it back and forth in a wide enough arc to be sure that you have crossed a stud, turning up the sensitivity ever so slightly until you get a tone when you cross a stud. Hope this works out for you.

The manual is available from the Stanley Tools web site. http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?TYPE=STATICLEFT&PAGE=knowledgebase.htm&LEFT=left_knowledgebase.htm . Click on the Search the Knowledge Base button and put in 77260 in the search box in the pop up window. Then click on the link for the line for 77-260 IntelliLaser Pro Instructions. Then click on the icon for the format (PDF) of the manual at the end of the listing.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

Hi Gene,

• Place the unit flat against the wall.
• Press and hold the button.
• The LED will come on for a second or two then go out.
• Slowly move the unit laterally until the LEDs come on again.
• When they top out, that is the beginning of the stud.
• When they start to go back down, that is the end of the stud.

That's about it..

Best regards
Mike

They're on the Stanley website: http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/s-44183334/cmd/kbresource/kb-8736266109147006239/view_document!PAGETYPE?sc=225&sf=101133&documentid=156273&action=view

I downloaded a manual for my Bostitch (stanley) framing nailer yesterday from their webpage. You should be able to find one somewhere on stanleys home page.