Brad nailer countersink

[barnee]

Got a new California Air Tools compressor and Bostitch brad nailer for Christmas and just put up 250sf of 5/8" thick wall planking . Should have gotten these tools years ago.

It went well but I have a dozen brads that didn't reach full depth and are sticking out from the wood slightly (mostly just the nail head).

I tried counter sinking them with my punch set but all it does is "flatten" the head into the wood instead of driving the whole nail in further since the 18ga brad is so thin. Doesn't look very well.

Is there a trick to this, or better way to do it?

 

[The Cobbler]

does the gun adjust for depth? many do

 

[Chris705]

Remove those brads standing proud of surface with needle nose pliers or wire cutters. Replace with small finishing nails using a nail set to drive below the surface??

 

[wood02]

Ditto...Chris705!

 

[barnee]

does the gun adjust for depth? many do

It does, but for whatever reason a dozen out of the 1200 nails I drove didn't make it in all the way. Might have hit a knot or something.

Tried to pull one out but its impossible. I used 1- 1/4" nails and its in 5/8" thick planking into 1/2" plywood.

I tried my punch set but it just "mushrooms" the nail head.

 

[The Cobbler]

also be sure to hold the gun firmly so it can't "bounce up" and sitting flat on the wood, not on an angle that can cause nails not driven all the way. 12 out of 1200 aint bad tho! LOL

 

[barnee]

also be sure to hold the gun firmly so it can't "bounce up" and sitting flat on the wood, not on an angle that can cause nails not driven all the way. 12 out of 1200 aint bad tho! LOL

For my first time I think I did pretty well, and don't have any nails sticking out of my limbs.

The wood I put up is prefinished (basically its 5" wide solid flooring) so I'm trying not to gouge it with this fix. I was shocked that the manual countersink method wasn't budging the nails.

 

[Wood'nMetal]

Do you have an actual nail setting punch? They have a recess in the point to push the nail down and keep it from flattening the nail head.

 

[jimreed2160]

A punch will flatten the head. You need a nail set. It has a dome end that captures the nail head. And make sure you get the proper size for your nails.

Once you get the proper tooling, shoot some nails in scrap and practice. I am thinking that your 12 bad nails are just enough to learn with, so you need to practice first. Good luck.

 

[barnee]

Do you have an actual nail setting punch? They have a recess in the point to push the nail down and keep it from flattening the nail head.

Yes I do but was hoping to never use them again with the nailer.

Here's the wall. Its in my wife's side of the garage and hard to photograph since its 14' high.







Luckily the surface is rough.

 

[kelpaso1]

Jeez, some of these keyboard DIY'rs are forgetting one thing here. Brad nails have glue on them. When you shoot them in, the friction melts the glue and then sets almost immediately. There is no way pounding them in is going to work. All you can do is use a shim to protect the wood and pull them out with side/end cutters or pliers.

 

[midwestcj]

First garage I’ve seen with a chandelier.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[txvwnut]

Get one of these http://www.rockler.com/spring-tool-set it has a hollow set on one end that will push the proud nail in the rest of the way. I use one all the time as it’s not uncommon to have a few shiners no matter what the quality of the nail gun.

 

[barnee]

Jeez, all these keyboard DIY'rs are forgetting one thing here. Brad nails have glue on them. When you shoot them in, the friction melts the glue and then sets almost immediately. There is no way pounding them in is going to work. All you can do is use a shim to protect the wood and pull them out with side/end cutters or pliers.

This is what I'm talking about. The nails seem cemented in place.

I had one hit a screw and folded up when I shot it, so half of the nail was sticking out of the wood. When I went to pull it out the nail pulled apart rather than coming out.

 

[barnee]

First garage I’ve seen with a chandelier.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The garage is on the other side of the wall. This is my wife's studio which was part of the deal to get my garage.

 

[turbowoodworker]

One other point has to do with the supplied air pressure. I was forced to use a small HF compressor on site once. It couldn't keep up and if underpowered would leave a nail proud. Just asking.

 

[StreetRage320]

When I have a 16 or 18 ga. brad nail that does not sink below the surface I will carefully grab the head with a vise grips and rotate it until it snaps off. Normally only takes a couple of turns and breaks off below the surface of the wood. You will NEVER be able to drive them in.

If it happens frequently, check your air hose for kinks/restrictions. Make sure your regulator is set correctly and working properly. Always hold nailer firmly against material.

 

[PugetDude]

When I have a 16 or 18 ga. brad nail that does not sink below the surface I will carefully grab the head with a vise grips and rotate it until it snaps off. Normally only takes a couple of turns and breaks off below the surface of the wood. You will NEVER be able to drive them in.

If it happens frequently, check your air hose for kinks/restrictions. Make sure your regulator is set correctly and working properly. Always hold nailer firmly against material.

+1. You can't budge the 18 gauge nail. Break it off as close as possible to the surface (I sometimes use a set of precision diagonal cutting pliers) and then use a new 1/16" nailset to "mushroom" the shank to just below the surface.

 

[barnee]

When I have a 16 or 18 ga. brad nail that does not sink below the surface I will carefully grab the head with a vise grips and rotate it until it snaps off. Normally only takes a couple of turns and breaks off below the surface of the wood. You will NEVER be able to drive them in.

If it happens frequently, check your air hose for kinks/restrictions. Make sure your regulator is set correctly and working properly. Always hold nailer firmly against material.

Sounds like this is the best plan, Ill give it a try.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Get one of these http://www.rockler.com/spring-tool-set

I do little work with wood, but I'm getting one!

Tommy

 

[77Birdman]

Those things are a PIA when it happens. You can cut it as close to flush with the wood as possible with a pair of dikes, then use a nail set and a quick hit will sink it. I have done this many times over the past 35 yrs.

 

[MoonRise]

Pneumatic nailer brad nails are rather thin (18 gauge in this case), sometimes have a slight glue coating as part of the collation that makes them into a 'stick' to put in the nailer magazine, and have a head that is usually sort of rectangular and not shaped like the head of an actual "finish nail" (which is round and has a slight dimple recess so that a nail set can be used to drive the finish nail flush or recessed and the nail set will be slightly 'captured' by the nail head recessed dimple to help reduce the chance that the nail set tip will slide off the nail head and mar the wood surface and also so that the nail set is smaller in diameter than the nail head diameter to minimize the hole in the wood that has to be filled at finishing time).

Remove or cut the brad nails that didn't drive 'properly. Don't bother trying to drive them flush with a hammer and punch or nail set.

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-use-a-brad-nailer-3536706

As to the springy nail set tool, I've always had better luck and results with an actual properly sized nail set (nail sets come in different sizes/diameters for different size/diameter nails) and a hammer. YMMV and all that.

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/humble-essential-nailset