Been using the wrong size knockout punch for conduit for like two years

I mean, I was always using a 2-inch punch for 2-inch rigid, but it never felt quite right. The fit was always a bit too tight, and I'd have to really fight with the bushing. Then last week, this old timer on a site in Phoenix just goes, 'Kid, you're using the trade size punch, not the actual OD size.' He showed me his 2 3/8 punch and it slid on like butter. I felt so dumb. It explains why my bushings kept getting chewed up. Has anyone else made this kind of basic tool mix-up for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade6391mo ago

Saw a whole thread about this exact thing on a forum last year. A bunch of guys were saying the same thing, that the trade size vs actual OD thing is a classic trap for new people. Honestly, it should be printed right on the damn punch set box. That kind of mix up is so easy to make when you are just going by what the conduit is called.

noah_palmer421mo ago

Tell me about it. My first week on the job I ordered a knockout punch for what I thought was half inch conduit. Let's just say the hole I made was a little more "generous" than the boss wanted. Learned that lesson the hard way with some very red cheeks. It really is one of those things they should teach you before they hand you the tools. The trade size naming is just asking for trouble.